Plus side
- Overall comments: "I love the ‘premise’ of your assignment here. Creating a narrative, whether real or fictive, is a creative device that has ‘framed’ your pictures. I also appreciate the running poetic verses you’ve written, which add a personal narrative to the search bringing up memories and random associations. It doesn’t quite captivate me but it is a very promising idea. Nevertheless, it shows you’re thinking ‘out of the box’ and beginning to join text to picture in experimental ways."
=> I am happy Robert appreciated my effort to experiment the mix between text and images. I am convinced that I have to think more and more "out of the box" in order to develop my artistic path. The combination between photos and poetical text can be really an interesting way for my personal growth.
- Images 1-6. "This series of urban perceptions are well composed and make good atmospheric impressions of the place. Technically they are almost faultless; I think you could have straightened some of the naturally straight lines. But you really are confident about how to arrange the different elements of the view in the frame. In terms of pure subject interest, the picture of the hand prints stands out to me. Maybe because it provides a mysterious human connection in this initial series. Also because it resonates with the text and the idea of following it with the photo of the child."
=> As I know to be "technically weak", I am proud to read that this series of images are technically faultless because I tried hard in putting a lot of attention to the technical aspects of my pictures.
The approach I wanted to have planning the shooting was as "cold" and "neutral" as possible. Even the post production left the photos almost unchanged and that is the reason why I did not want to straighten some of the lines that Robert mentioned.
- Images 9-11. "I would cut image 10 here because it doesn’t reflect the same kind of young male macho attitude of the other two. They are really good portraits. 9 because you’ve framed one guy with two headless pals in the foreground. 11 because the pose and attitude of the guy with sun- glasses is so completely “American Hip-Hop”. You’ve captured the character his gestures."
=> Image 10 is indeed the weakest of the three, but I decided to leave it because, in my opinion, it gives continuity to the flow of images and because it is supposed to underline the flavour of an atmosphere imbued with alcohol, smoke and hip-hop.
Things to improve
- Image 7. "It’s a pity this is not in focus. It also isn’t a great portrait. But the idea of a suddenly appearing child in red is quite strong in this neutral coloured and (until now) people-less environment."
=> I fully agree with Robert on his comment.
- Image 12. "The voluptuous folds of this woman’s body suggest a random erotic perception. It would have worked a lot better if you’d used shallow depth of field to soften the distracting background. It’s all about her torso, not the place. The light is also a bit grim for the subject. With a photo like this you kind of break away again from the first more architectural project and the Hip-Hop kids to something altogether different which creates a feeling of incongruity. It’s difficult to see how all this gels together and becomes an integral whole."
=> I agree on the fact that I should have used a shallow depth of field to soften the distracting background. However, my intention was exactly to break from the previous first "architectural" and then "hip-hop" approach. On purpose I was looking for the feeling of "incongruity" perceived by Robert because it is the exact feeling that I had during my shooting. My introspective journey was full of "incongruities" and ended up with the discovery of somebody (myself) that does not fit at all into the scheme, exactly like the fat lady does not fit at all with the previous pictures.
- "On the whole, I feel you haven’t put this work together in an interesting and telling manner, but the raw material is there. Think about sequencing or pairs. Search for a resonance between pictures."
=> I like the idea about the sequencing or pairs. As Robert says, poetry, after all, is a special kind of syntax and photography can really work well as visual poetry. In the future I would like to pursue this way and maybe trying to work with photographic diptych combined with poetical texts.
Final conclusions
"Congratulations on finishing People & Place. I hope you will continue your photographic studies because you’ve got talent and you’ve shown that you are capable of self-motivated learning. Maybe now is the time to assess your progress through all the courses you’ve done and consider what to do next. OCA have many new courses, Context and Narrative is challenging and I think it would suit you."
=> As I wrote in the conclusions of the assignment, this final assignment was a fantastic photographic experience. I am very satisfied because the work done in Arles helped me to express what I learned during the last year with my tutor and the PaP course. Indeed I have learned a lot and I really believe I have made good progresses from the beginnings of my first assignment to this final one. I have to thank my tutor Robert for his advice and patient encouragement throughout this course.
I will definitely go on with my OCA's studies and I think that, as Robert suggested, I will consider "Context and Narrative" as the main option going forward.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Assignment 5: People and place on assignment
The special element of this final part is the assignment itself.
For this final assignment, the choice of subject is mine: the only proviso is that the subject should be one from this course – people and/or the places they inhabit.
I must first choose the kind of client (newspaper, magazine, text book publisher, advertising agency, television graphics, etc.), the purpose of the assignment (educational, informational, promotional) and how the images will be used (to illustrate a story, to sell a product etc).
Having assigned myself the brief, I need to submit between 8– 12 photographs and accompany the final images with a short written assessment that should include:
• the ‘client briefing’
• a statement of how I set about planning the photography
• how well I succeeded, including the difficulties and opportunities you encountered that you had not anticipated at the outset.
Thick clouds of smoke were floating in the room while Alain was talking to me with his strong Southern French accent.
He was waving his dark cigar like an orchestra's director could use his stick during the new year's eve concert.
His green eyes were shining and his cheeks blushing due to the wine and the passion he harboured respectively in his stomach and heart.
Our dinner had been fantastic.
French cuisine, the real one, not the one they sell to tourists in the snobbish restaurants in Paris, is just a step far from heaven.
I was satisfied, rather happy and very interested in listen to what Alain defined as "a very good proposal".
After all, a student photographer like me does not have a lot of opportunities to get a photographic project from an editor.
I knew, Alain is a friend, but when he speaks about art he is always very serious.
"Where is poetry, Marco? Nowadays people only speak about money and commercial activities. No more poetry, no more real soul and artistic commitment in our job! The last books I edited showed only how beautiful spending money is in our region. Ok, I admit that I made nice profits with
those commercial books and advertisement, but I am fed up. Now I want poetry, at least a bit. You are not a famous photographer, you are a student, but I would like you to produce a work of art. You must think out of the box!"
I had been in South of France since three days and I was planning a short stay there to meet some old friends like Alain and recover from a very tough winter, full of stress and work.
I had my camera with me, like always, but no intention to work on such a difficult subject.
However, Alain's words were really appealing to me.
Poetry. What a beautiful idea to describe with photos and poetical texts an imaginary trip into the deep and charming belly of Provence.
"I could do a small, very personal photographic journey in Arles, looking for people and places" I suggested shyly.
Alain leaned back on his chair, breathed in a long puff of smoke from his cigar and smiled at me with satisfaction.
"Yes! Do so and I will publish your book".
When I arrived at the train station in Arles the world seemed different.
A world of deafening cicadas and fast moving clouds throbbed incessantly over my head.
My lungs still loaded with sea air, inhaled en route from Marseille, brought rich oxygen to my brain and I could see a new reality.
The search for myself that I set for my French stay had started.
I looked down and I saw the stairs.
It was the start of the trip on which I was about to embark.
Image 1.
Periphery. Magic and cursed place, privileged ghetto of a disparate humanity.
I arrived, confused among the tenements, their distant noises, the deep belly of the Republic.
A hostile world, seemed to surround me, indifferent to my presence, locked up in itself as it had always been imposed.
Finding myself amongst these buildings from the 80s, immersed in the scents of a far away Maghreb, appeared impossible to me.
Image 2.
I started walking slowly, lazily, almost lulled by the unreal atmosphere of the desert around me.
Suddenly the clouds rushed away and left space for a hot and reassuring summer sun, memories of a Mediterranean childhood.
Among the narrow streets of the maze twisting under my eyes, unsure footsteps led me elsewhere.
Then, for a while, I felt the life in the maze where I found myself.
My faithful camera, perpetually on my shoulder, only confirmed the presence of shadows carved on a secular pavement.
Image 3.
And the maze led me to a door. It was ajar.
A drop of ice cold sweat beaded on my face and my heart began to beat faster.
The door was in front of me and invited me to look, to open its doors to the curiosity of my eyes.
Was the search over?
The hope of finding someone now seemed certain.
Image 4.
It was a matter of moments.
The reflection ran away without noise, without a trace among the lanes of Arles.
It remained imprinted on my Pentax sensor, tangible sign of its presence among my innermost thoughts.
The hunt had really started and now it couldn't help but notice!
Image 5.
Advancing faster and faster I found some tracks.
The fingerprints left by the one who kept escaping me were now clear and indelible.
I was after him; he couldn't escape much longer among the twists and turns of this unknown city. His fingerprints clearly visible were almost a recall left intentionally so as not to get lost, like a thread of Ariadne that only I could follow.
Image 6.
Suddenly an encounter.
My heart jumped into my throat as if peeled out of my chest, like squeezed by an invisible hand.
In the distance I saw a small creature who, like a devil, overtaking me, pushed me away with an unexpected strength.
"Follow me stranger!" shouted the girl running away at breakneck speed.
Image 7.
And now the race.
Fast, behind her, who was disappearing far away.
My powerful strides couldn't do anything against her unreal speed.
I had arrived.
And they appeared around the corner.
I had found them.
Image 8.
"Fais gaffe mec, ici c'est le paradis, ici c'est Macondo" ("Beware friend, this is paradise, this is Macondo").
Image 9.
Image 10.
Image 11.
As if released from a dream, I woke up drenched in sweat with my camera close against my chest.
On the terraces of the arena in Arles I had found myself.
Image 12.
COVER - "Photographic I"
Image 13.
CONCLUSIONS
The project my imaginary friend and editor Alain asked me to develop is a photographic journey in the city of Arles looking for people and places.
My search is not only focused on people and places, but it is also supposed to be a sort introspectional journey looking for myself as a photographer.
That is the reason why the title of the project is "Photographic I".
The aim is indeed to print out a small book as final work of this course and present it to the assessment.
The approach I wanted to have planning the shooting was as "cold" and "neutral" as possible. Even the post production left the photos almost unchanged.
The idea was to depict reality with a sort of crescendo with the twelve images describing my journey.
First the "naked" places of the suburbs of the French town and then their inhabitants, the people.
The apparent lack of poetry in the images should be compensated by the "poetical" text.
This final assignment was a fantastic photographic experience.
I am very satisfied because the work done in Arles helped me to express what I learned during the last year with my tutor and the PaP course.
Indeed I have learned a lot and I really believe I have made good progresses from the beginnings of my first assignment to this final one.
I have to thank my tutor Robert for his advice and patient encouragement throughout this course.
I am particularly proud of my last assignment as it also gave me the chance to experiment a story board and doing what I like most: combining writing with photography.
I am also fully aware that I still have to improve my technique and that my journey is still long.
For this final assignment, the choice of subject is mine: the only proviso is that the subject should be one from this course – people and/or the places they inhabit.
I must first choose the kind of client (newspaper, magazine, text book publisher, advertising agency, television graphics, etc.), the purpose of the assignment (educational, informational, promotional) and how the images will be used (to illustrate a story, to sell a product etc).
Having assigned myself the brief, I need to submit between 8– 12 photographs and accompany the final images with a short written assessment that should include:
• the ‘client briefing’
• a statement of how I set about planning the photography
• how well I succeeded, including the difficulties and opportunities you encountered that you had not anticipated at the outset.
Thick clouds of smoke were floating in the room while Alain was talking to me with his strong Southern French accent.
He was waving his dark cigar like an orchestra's director could use his stick during the new year's eve concert.
His green eyes were shining and his cheeks blushing due to the wine and the passion he harboured respectively in his stomach and heart.
Our dinner had been fantastic.
French cuisine, the real one, not the one they sell to tourists in the snobbish restaurants in Paris, is just a step far from heaven.
I was satisfied, rather happy and very interested in listen to what Alain defined as "a very good proposal".
After all, a student photographer like me does not have a lot of opportunities to get a photographic project from an editor.
I knew, Alain is a friend, but when he speaks about art he is always very serious.
"Where is poetry, Marco? Nowadays people only speak about money and commercial activities. No more poetry, no more real soul and artistic commitment in our job! The last books I edited showed only how beautiful spending money is in our region. Ok, I admit that I made nice profits with
those commercial books and advertisement, but I am fed up. Now I want poetry, at least a bit. You are not a famous photographer, you are a student, but I would like you to produce a work of art. You must think out of the box!"
I had been in South of France since three days and I was planning a short stay there to meet some old friends like Alain and recover from a very tough winter, full of stress and work.
I had my camera with me, like always, but no intention to work on such a difficult subject.
However, Alain's words were really appealing to me.
Poetry. What a beautiful idea to describe with photos and poetical texts an imaginary trip into the deep and charming belly of Provence.
"I could do a small, very personal photographic journey in Arles, looking for people and places" I suggested shyly.
Alain leaned back on his chair, breathed in a long puff of smoke from his cigar and smiled at me with satisfaction.
"Yes! Do so and I will publish your book".
When I arrived at the train station in Arles the world seemed different.
A world of deafening cicadas and fast moving clouds throbbed incessantly over my head.
My lungs still loaded with sea air, inhaled en route from Marseille, brought rich oxygen to my brain and I could see a new reality.
The search for myself that I set for my French stay had started.
I looked down and I saw the stairs.
It was the start of the trip on which I was about to embark.
Image 1.
f 3.5, 1/500 sec, 800 ISO, 18 mm
Periphery. Magic and cursed place, privileged ghetto of a disparate humanity.
I arrived, confused among the tenements, their distant noises, the deep belly of the Republic.
A hostile world, seemed to surround me, indifferent to my presence, locked up in itself as it had always been imposed.
Finding myself amongst these buildings from the 80s, immersed in the scents of a far away Maghreb, appeared impossible to me.
Image 2.
f 8, 1/750 sec, 200 ISO, 31 mm
I started walking slowly, lazily, almost lulled by the unreal atmosphere of the desert around me.
Suddenly the clouds rushed away and left space for a hot and reassuring summer sun, memories of a Mediterranean childhood.
Among the narrow streets of the maze twisting under my eyes, unsure footsteps led me elsewhere.
Then, for a while, I felt the life in the maze where I found myself.
My faithful camera, perpetually on my shoulder, only confirmed the presence of shadows carved on a secular pavement.
Image 3.
f 8, 1/350 sec, 200 ISO, 18 mm
And the maze led me to a door. It was ajar.
A drop of ice cold sweat beaded on my face and my heart began to beat faster.
The door was in front of me and invited me to look, to open its doors to the curiosity of my eyes.
Was the search over?
The hope of finding someone now seemed certain.
Image 4.
f 8, 1/30 sec, 200 ISO, 20 mm
It was a matter of moments.
The reflection ran away without noise, without a trace among the lanes of Arles.
It remained imprinted on my Pentax sensor, tangible sign of its presence among my innermost thoughts.
The hunt had really started and now it couldn't help but notice!
Image 5.
f 11, 1/60 sec, 200 ISO, 75 mm
Advancing faster and faster I found some tracks.
The fingerprints left by the one who kept escaping me were now clear and indelible.
I was after him; he couldn't escape much longer among the twists and turns of this unknown city. His fingerprints clearly visible were almost a recall left intentionally so as not to get lost, like a thread of Ariadne that only I could follow.
Image 6.
f 6.7, 1/80 sec, 200 ISO, 70 mm
Suddenly an encounter.
My heart jumped into my throat as if peeled out of my chest, like squeezed by an invisible hand.
In the distance I saw a small creature who, like a devil, overtaking me, pushed me away with an unexpected strength.
"Follow me stranger!" shouted the girl running away at breakneck speed.
Image 7.
f 19, 1/125 sec, 200 ISO, 133 mm
And now the race.
Fast, behind her, who was disappearing far away.
My powerful strides couldn't do anything against her unreal speed.
I had arrived.
And they appeared around the corner.
I had found them.
Image 8.
f 19, 1/350 sec, 1600 ISO, 21 mm
"Fais gaffe mec, ici c'est le paradis, ici c'est Macondo" ("Beware friend, this is paradise, this is Macondo").
MACONDO
The time blood wet
crystallises in my thoughts,
goes back,
flips and laughs.
Fearless to say everything,
without reason for what I think
I take the time and without sense
I laugh in front of a book,
I see the world as it is,
I see the world like it is
while others observe it.
I feel it sad the world (this world)
dissolved in its anxieties,
burned by ancestral sicknesses,
a large brothel,
ephemeral and odorous.
And the chestnut tree on the mountain
loses its leaves,
waiting for the season that will come
knowing already, sadly dying inside,
that I will not see me again.
Distant planet is mine,
shining star, loser star,
ridiculous in his movement,
uncertain and cursed tingling.
Yet free ... forever!
Gypsies with colourful dresses,
games of simoniacal magic,
in an incessant succession of voices, sounds,
in a spiral of time
that turns on itself and swallows,
not me, but itself,
returns there, same as before,
and tries, without peace,
to turn against me that I am the time,
myself, as in a mirror.
And in this frenzy of shapes
I think to Macondo,
distant homeland
that I lost without realising it
but that remains inside of me,
stuck in the heart.
Goodbye Macondo ...
Macondo is me!
Image 9.
f 19, 1/350 sec, 1600 ISO, 18 mm
Image 10.
f 19, 1/350 sec, 1600 ISO, 18 mm
Image 11.
f 5.6, 1/350 sec, 200 ISO, 18 mm
As if released from a dream, I woke up drenched in sweat with my camera close against my chest.
On the terraces of the arena in Arles I had found myself.
Image 12.
f 16, 1/60 sec, 200 ISO, 20 mm
COVER - "Photographic I"
Image 13.
f 4.5, 1/10 sec, 1600 ISO, 45 mm
CONCLUSIONS
The project my imaginary friend and editor Alain asked me to develop is a photographic journey in the city of Arles looking for people and places.
My search is not only focused on people and places, but it is also supposed to be a sort introspectional journey looking for myself as a photographer.
That is the reason why the title of the project is "Photographic I".
The aim is indeed to print out a small book as final work of this course and present it to the assessment.
The approach I wanted to have planning the shooting was as "cold" and "neutral" as possible. Even the post production left the photos almost unchanged.
The idea was to depict reality with a sort of crescendo with the twelve images describing my journey.
First the "naked" places of the suburbs of the French town and then their inhabitants, the people.
The apparent lack of poetry in the images should be compensated by the "poetical" text.
This final assignment was a fantastic photographic experience.
I am very satisfied because the work done in Arles helped me to express what I learned during the last year with my tutor and the PaP course.
Indeed I have learned a lot and I really believe I have made good progresses from the beginnings of my first assignment to this final one.
I have to thank my tutor Robert for his advice and patient encouragement throughout this course.
I am particularly proud of my last assignment as it also gave me the chance to experiment a story board and doing what I like most: combining writing with photography.
I am also fully aware that I still have to improve my technique and that my journey is still long.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Part four: People interacting with place - Learning points
Pulling back so that people appear small in the frame does not necessarily make them appear insignificant, but rather shows them in a different context.
Such a picture is conceived exactly as this, but it is also an interesting and restrained way of establishing a connection between people and their wider surroundings.
Such figure-in-a-landscape images pitch a small human being against a dominant location, so an extreme size relationship is key.
Typically, contrast is in the form of colour difference or tonal difference – dark against a light background or light against dark.
One thing that you are forced to abandon with this kind of extreme composition is identity.
There may indeed be an advantage in this kind of anonymity, in that it keeps attention more firmly focused on the location.
When the place is the principal subject, but when it will look better inhabited, it is often useful to find ways of reducing the visual attention that a person or a face tends to command. Among the most common ways of achieving this while shooting are the following:
1. Small and many. A crowd of people naturally have a certain dominance because of their numbers, but individually they command less attention.
2. Facing away. The human face is such a powerful visual attractant that simply photographing someone from behind or with their head turned away from the camera alters their relationship to the rest of the image.
3. In silhouette. Shooting from darkness towards a bright background, as in the example shown here, communicates ‘person’ but rarely ‘personality’.
4. Partly obscured. Figures and faces even partly hidden behind some other object are automatically reduced in visual importance.
5. Motion blur. Useful if slightly mannered technique when you have a tripod and the light is sufficiently dim to use a slow exposure. Needs experience to judge the effect of length of exposure on the appearance of a moving figure. Light figure against dark background is always more noticeable than dark figure against light background.
Such a picture is conceived exactly as this, but it is also an interesting and restrained way of establishing a connection between people and their wider surroundings.
Such figure-in-a-landscape images pitch a small human being against a dominant location, so an extreme size relationship is key.
Typically, contrast is in the form of colour difference or tonal difference – dark against a light background or light against dark.
One thing that you are forced to abandon with this kind of extreme composition is identity.
There may indeed be an advantage in this kind of anonymity, in that it keeps attention more firmly focused on the location.
When the place is the principal subject, but when it will look better inhabited, it is often useful to find ways of reducing the visual attention that a person or a face tends to command. Among the most common ways of achieving this while shooting are the following:
1. Small and many. A crowd of people naturally have a certain dominance because of their numbers, but individually they command less attention.
2. Facing away. The human face is such a powerful visual attractant that simply photographing someone from behind or with their head turned away from the camera alters their relationship to the rest of the image.
3. In silhouette. Shooting from darkness towards a bright background, as in the example shown here, communicates ‘person’ but rarely ‘personality’.
4. Partly obscured. Figures and faces even partly hidden behind some other object are automatically reduced in visual importance.
5. Motion blur. Useful if slightly mannered technique when you have a tripod and the light is sufficiently dim to use a slow exposure. Needs experience to judge the effect of length of exposure on the appearance of a moving figure. Light figure against dark background is always more noticeable than dark figure against light background.
Assignment 4 - Comments on Tutor's report
Plus side
- In his “Overall comments” my tutor Robert stated: "This is a personal and idiosyncratic view of your subject of Romagna. At times you’ve succeeded in creating a strong mood and expressing something of the character of the region in the colours and light particularly."
=> I am particularly happy about the fact that Robert appreciated the colours and the light of my shots because my major effort in this assignment was to focus on those two aspects which are the main characteristics of Romagna.
- Image 1. "There is a special ambience to holiday towns when they’re out-of-season. That pole looks like it could be used for something in the summer, but here it is rendered meaningless, like a black line, a purely visual element crossing the horizon. Technically this is very objective and rigorously composed, but it appears slightly soft focus in the sky. Such stylistic treatment does add a subjective rendering to an otherwise objective subject. You should be aware of this."
- Image 2. "This wider curving bay with silhouettes of people looking out to sea also has that bleak, stormy off-season look. This is by far the strongest picture here, the most ‘complete’ and finished. It is also the kind of photo that looks great large because you notice the details: the woman and child covered in black clothes, the seagulls on the shoreline, the misty distance that swallows the land."
=> Despite Image 2 is not my favourite shot for this assignment (I feel much "closer" to Image 1, 4, 5 and 6), I understand very well where Robert comes from with his comment and I will definitely print out a large sample of it.
- Image 5. "It’s a good strategy to seek out novel images of traditional themes, as you have done here with the twilight landscape over-view of a sea town with the foreground in car headlamps. It shows you are aware of tradition and want to transcend it."
- "As you say, you had been taking photos without any end result in mind. And it is this pre-visualization or vision that is your next level of development. Such a vision ties images together and gives you a goal to aim for when you’re wandering around searching for pictures. I think the best image here (Image 2) is worth building on and could form the basis for your final assignment.
Try to think in terms of the subject of “off-season” holiday locations."
=> I think I really must continue to improve my "vision" in order to better express myself with my photographic language.
Things to improve
- "It is difficult to find the thread that connects these pictures to a single, defined location. Romagna is a large and unwieldy ‘place’ to use as a subject for this assignment, so I think you would have been more successful if you had focused on one village or town rather than an entire region."
- "You have made some close detail shots here and hardly any wide landscape shots of the region and not many portraits. Such images would have been key elements in showing atmosphere in a place.
You seem to have stayed within your personal interest and that is an artistic ‘comfort zone’
that you should be aware of so you can challenge it. You clearly have visual talent, and that is something to be developed, but you must try to extend it rather than remain within its confines because it will eventually become a ‘manner’, a ‘style’."
=> I agree with Robert and I believe I must shape my "style" according to my creative vision. I must break out of my current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.
- Image 3. "Apart from the well spotted visual play, technically the image isn’t so good, with some obvious degradation in resolution of movement blur. At this stage in your development you should be editing out any picture that doesn’t pass basic tests like focus. It’s a bit like singing out of tune on a record, it is just unprofessional!"
=> Point taken! I fully agree with Robert.
- Image 6. "The orange paint makes a great background for your shadow-play here and certainly emphasises the character of the place. But it is a very ‘visual’ picture with aesthetic textures: cobble stones, weathered plaster and shadows. When I say this, I mean it has visual merit without really having much to say about subject. This photo though suggests that you had no decisive vision in mind and appears random in the context of the better photos here. You’ve been honest about that in your text."
=> I agree in principle with Robert's comment. Image 6 was supposed to show my very (!) humble version of the "decisive moment". I felt that everything was perfect in the very exact moment I shot my photo: the light, the background, the colour, the shadow and its lightness... Probably only who knows Romagna can understand this kind of "dolce vita" so typical there and my regret is not to be a great photographer (yet) to make this feeling pass through my images. I am sure I will improve!
- In his “Overall comments” my tutor Robert stated: "This is a personal and idiosyncratic view of your subject of Romagna. At times you’ve succeeded in creating a strong mood and expressing something of the character of the region in the colours and light particularly."
=> I am particularly happy about the fact that Robert appreciated the colours and the light of my shots because my major effort in this assignment was to focus on those two aspects which are the main characteristics of Romagna.
- Image 1. "There is a special ambience to holiday towns when they’re out-of-season. That pole looks like it could be used for something in the summer, but here it is rendered meaningless, like a black line, a purely visual element crossing the horizon. Technically this is very objective and rigorously composed, but it appears slightly soft focus in the sky. Such stylistic treatment does add a subjective rendering to an otherwise objective subject. You should be aware of this."
- Image 2. "This wider curving bay with silhouettes of people looking out to sea also has that bleak, stormy off-season look. This is by far the strongest picture here, the most ‘complete’ and finished. It is also the kind of photo that looks great large because you notice the details: the woman and child covered in black clothes, the seagulls on the shoreline, the misty distance that swallows the land."
=> Despite Image 2 is not my favourite shot for this assignment (I feel much "closer" to Image 1, 4, 5 and 6), I understand very well where Robert comes from with his comment and I will definitely print out a large sample of it.
- Image 5. "It’s a good strategy to seek out novel images of traditional themes, as you have done here with the twilight landscape over-view of a sea town with the foreground in car headlamps. It shows you are aware of tradition and want to transcend it."
- "As you say, you had been taking photos without any end result in mind. And it is this pre-visualization or vision that is your next level of development. Such a vision ties images together and gives you a goal to aim for when you’re wandering around searching for pictures. I think the best image here (Image 2) is worth building on and could form the basis for your final assignment.
Try to think in terms of the subject of “off-season” holiday locations."
=> I think I really must continue to improve my "vision" in order to better express myself with my photographic language.
Things to improve
- "It is difficult to find the thread that connects these pictures to a single, defined location. Romagna is a large and unwieldy ‘place’ to use as a subject for this assignment, so I think you would have been more successful if you had focused on one village or town rather than an entire region."
- "You have made some close detail shots here and hardly any wide landscape shots of the region and not many portraits. Such images would have been key elements in showing atmosphere in a place.
You seem to have stayed within your personal interest and that is an artistic ‘comfort zone’
that you should be aware of so you can challenge it. You clearly have visual talent, and that is something to be developed, but you must try to extend it rather than remain within its confines because it will eventually become a ‘manner’, a ‘style’."
=> I agree with Robert and I believe I must shape my "style" according to my creative vision. I must break out of my current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.
- Image 3. "Apart from the well spotted visual play, technically the image isn’t so good, with some obvious degradation in resolution of movement blur. At this stage in your development you should be editing out any picture that doesn’t pass basic tests like focus. It’s a bit like singing out of tune on a record, it is just unprofessional!"
=> Point taken! I fully agree with Robert.
- Image 6. "The orange paint makes a great background for your shadow-play here and certainly emphasises the character of the place. But it is a very ‘visual’ picture with aesthetic textures: cobble stones, weathered plaster and shadows. When I say this, I mean it has visual merit without really having much to say about subject. This photo though suggests that you had no decisive vision in mind and appears random in the context of the better photos here. You’ve been honest about that in your text."
=> I agree in principle with Robert's comment. Image 6 was supposed to show my very (!) humble version of the "decisive moment". I felt that everything was perfect in the very exact moment I shot my photo: the light, the background, the colour, the shadow and its lightness... Probably only who knows Romagna can understand this kind of "dolce vita" so typical there and my regret is not to be a great photographer (yet) to make this feeling pass through my images. I am sure I will improve!
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Assignment 4: A sense of place
The brief for assignment 4 asks to imagine to be on an assignment for an intelligent, thoughtful travel publication (not tourism promotion) that is demanding a considered, in-depth treatment.
I have to produce sufficient images on a specific location to fill six pages.
This would mean about six final images as chosen, but at least twice this number of good, publishable images from which to make the final selection.
Decide on a place that I know well, or are prepared to take the time to know well, and have sufficient access to in order to complete a strong selection of a dozen images.
It could be a town, a village, the borough of a city, or any area that can be define well enough aiming to show the character of the place and of the people who live there with as much visual variety as possible. ‘Variety’ should include a variety of subject matter and of scale.
Once the photography is completed, I am supposed to write a short assessment in my learning log of:
1. what I set out to achieve, including a description of how I see the essential character of the place
2. how well I think I succeeded, including opportunities that were not available because of lack of time or access
3. how I might have approached the assignment if I had simply been taking photographs with no end-result in mind (meaning an article to be published).
1. My main objective with this assignment is to show the character of a place.
I hope I was able to observe and reflect in my photography the area in an in-depth and thoughtful way and also try to avoid the obvious touristy pictures that are often associated with this region.
The subject for this assignment, “The Place”, is Romagna region.
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna.
The region's major cities include Cesena, Faenza, Forlì, Imola, Ravenna, Rimini and City of San Marino (San Marino is a landlocked state inside the Romagna historical region).
The diversity between the mountains and sea offers Romagna's visitors breathtaking views, in addition to beauty for both the eyes and spirit, with a mixture of the earthy colours, the aromas and the fresh sea air.
Not to mention that Romagna is a hotbed for music, cinema and art appreciated nationally and internationally.
Many who love the combination of sun, sea and entertainment choose the Romagna Riviera.
It possesses the longest beach in Europe, and is where visitors flock to enjoy its sport offerings and leisure facilities.
Towns such as Rimini, Riccione and Cattolica are highly-outfitted for touristic reception, emphasising relaxation and fun.
This is the land of Giovanni Pascoli’s poetry, as well as Federico Fellini’s unmistakable cinema - a director who became a legend through his many masterpieces that come to life in this, his native region.
In Romagna, one can enjoy amazing views anywhere, and the list of places to choose from is endless.
2. Having selected a bounded location for this assignment, the next step was to take photographs.
Over a period of 6 days I completed 8 separate photographic sessions in Romagna.
From this, I established a group of 20 or so images that I then proceeded to refine further.
This led to the 12 photographs that I am presenting here.
I am reasonably comfortable that with my shots I have achieved the aim of establishing the feel of the "place".
One of the problems with the assignment was that it was pre-season and with that not that many people were around.
Tourist season begin in July and most Italians get active during their summer holidays which last from the end of June to the middle of August.
That leaves the whole set of pictures with a little lonely touch to them.
Probably, this is one thing that I would like to change if I had more time.
Photographically, the challenge was to capture the character, but also diversity of the region in 6 individual photographs.
I could have focussed on a single element of the region (housing, entertainment, monumental buildings, street life), however, I felt this would have failed to meet the brief for the assignment.
As a result, I am presenting 6 images that together are supposed to capture a sense of place and the people that inhabit it.
6 photographs is clearly too few and, if I was not working specifically to this brief, I would have submitted far more.
Indeed I could have happily created a book with the images captured and may yet do so for my own interest.
With a larger set I could have presented a much broader sense of the place.
3. Franky speaking, I have to admit that if I had simply been taking photographs with no end-result in mind, I probably had come to more or less the same pictures, as I want to have a structure behind the pictures I take.
Trying to think how people that don't know Romagna would like to see it helps to get meaningful series of pictures and the requirement to produce an article has forced me to think more and shoot material that can be used to illustrate the region in a cohesive way, but still, I do not think the result would have been drastically different.
The first 6 shots are the images I chose as final, the following are my second choice.
Image 1.
I have to produce sufficient images on a specific location to fill six pages.
This would mean about six final images as chosen, but at least twice this number of good, publishable images from which to make the final selection.
Decide on a place that I know well, or are prepared to take the time to know well, and have sufficient access to in order to complete a strong selection of a dozen images.
It could be a town, a village, the borough of a city, or any area that can be define well enough aiming to show the character of the place and of the people who live there with as much visual variety as possible. ‘Variety’ should include a variety of subject matter and of scale.
Once the photography is completed, I am supposed to write a short assessment in my learning log of:
1. what I set out to achieve, including a description of how I see the essential character of the place
2. how well I think I succeeded, including opportunities that were not available because of lack of time or access
3. how I might have approached the assignment if I had simply been taking photographs with no end-result in mind (meaning an article to be published).
1. My main objective with this assignment is to show the character of a place.
I hope I was able to observe and reflect in my photography the area in an in-depth and thoughtful way and also try to avoid the obvious touristy pictures that are often associated with this region.
The subject for this assignment, “The Place”, is Romagna region.
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna.
The region's major cities include Cesena, Faenza, Forlì, Imola, Ravenna, Rimini and City of San Marino (San Marino is a landlocked state inside the Romagna historical region).
The diversity between the mountains and sea offers Romagna's visitors breathtaking views, in addition to beauty for both the eyes and spirit, with a mixture of the earthy colours, the aromas and the fresh sea air.
Not to mention that Romagna is a hotbed for music, cinema and art appreciated nationally and internationally.
Many who love the combination of sun, sea and entertainment choose the Romagna Riviera.
It possesses the longest beach in Europe, and is where visitors flock to enjoy its sport offerings and leisure facilities.
Towns such as Rimini, Riccione and Cattolica are highly-outfitted for touristic reception, emphasising relaxation and fun.
This is the land of Giovanni Pascoli’s poetry, as well as Federico Fellini’s unmistakable cinema - a director who became a legend through his many masterpieces that come to life in this, his native region.
In Romagna, one can enjoy amazing views anywhere, and the list of places to choose from is endless.
2. Having selected a bounded location for this assignment, the next step was to take photographs.
Over a period of 6 days I completed 8 separate photographic sessions in Romagna.
From this, I established a group of 20 or so images that I then proceeded to refine further.
This led to the 12 photographs that I am presenting here.
I am reasonably comfortable that with my shots I have achieved the aim of establishing the feel of the "place".
One of the problems with the assignment was that it was pre-season and with that not that many people were around.
Tourist season begin in July and most Italians get active during their summer holidays which last from the end of June to the middle of August.
That leaves the whole set of pictures with a little lonely touch to them.
Probably, this is one thing that I would like to change if I had more time.
Photographically, the challenge was to capture the character, but also diversity of the region in 6 individual photographs.
I could have focussed on a single element of the region (housing, entertainment, monumental buildings, street life), however, I felt this would have failed to meet the brief for the assignment.
As a result, I am presenting 6 images that together are supposed to capture a sense of place and the people that inhabit it.
6 photographs is clearly too few and, if I was not working specifically to this brief, I would have submitted far more.
Indeed I could have happily created a book with the images captured and may yet do so for my own interest.
With a larger set I could have presented a much broader sense of the place.
3. Franky speaking, I have to admit that if I had simply been taking photographs with no end-result in mind, I probably had come to more or less the same pictures, as I want to have a structure behind the pictures I take.
Trying to think how people that don't know Romagna would like to see it helps to get meaningful series of pictures and the requirement to produce an article has forced me to think more and shoot material that can be used to illustrate the region in a cohesive way, but still, I do not think the result would have been drastically different.
The first 6 shots are the images I chose as final, the following are my second choice.
Image 1.
f 7.1, 1/200 sec, ISO 100, 24 mm
Image 2.
f 5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 100, 70 mm
Image 3.
f 22, 1/10 sec, ISO 100, 70 mm
Image 4.
f 9, 1/320 sec, ISO 100, 24 mm
Image 5.
f 2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 2000, 24 mm
Image 6.
f 8, 1/250 sec, ISO 100, 24 mm
Image 7.
f 3.2, 1/40 sec, ISO 100, 37 mm
Image 8.
f 3.5, 1/80 sec, ISO 100, 51 mm
Image 9.
f 7.1, 1/400 sec, ISO 100, 70 mm
Image 10.
f 5, 1/125 sec, ISO 100, 42 mm
Image 11.
f 4, 1/60 sec, ISO 100, 26 mm
Image 12.
f 6.3, 1/320 sec, ISO 100, 70 mm
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Exercise 23: Selective processing and prominence
This last exercise asks to select one image that I have already taken for an earlier project, an image in which the issue is the visual prominence of a figure in a setting and use the digital processing methods that I have available to make two new versions of this image.
In one, make the figure less prominent, so that it recedes into the setting.
In the second, do the opposite, by making it stand out more.
Possible selective adjustments are to brightness, contrast, even colour intensity.
The actual technique will depend on the processing software used.
Image 1.
Image 1 has been post-edited with Light Room in order to make the subject less prominent.
The white point and the black point of the overall image has been adjusted, the contrast increased at 22 and the exposure at +0.25.
Thanks to the "adjustment brush" I have been able to correct locally the image.
The clarity in the area of the two lovers has been decreased to -18, the contrast to -69.
Image 2.
In one, make the figure less prominent, so that it recedes into the setting.
In the second, do the opposite, by making it stand out more.
Possible selective adjustments are to brightness, contrast, even colour intensity.
The actual technique will depend on the processing software used.
Image 1.
f 8, 1/60 sec, ISO 400, 55 mm
The white point and the black point of the overall image has been adjusted, the contrast increased at 22 and the exposure at +0.25.
Thanks to the "adjustment brush" I have been able to correct locally the image.
The clarity in the area of the two lovers has been decreased to -18, the contrast to -69.
Image 2.
f 8, 1/60 sec, ISO 400, 55 mm
Image 2 has been post-edited with Light Room in order to make the subject more prominent.
The white point of the overall image has been adjusted and the shadows have been opened.
Thanks to the "adjustment brush" I have been able to correct locally the image.
The clarity in the area of the subjects has been increased to 61, the contrast to 47 and the exposure at +1.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Exercise 22: Balancing figure and space
This exercise asks to draw on my photography so far in this course and on the techniques I have learned, to vary the balance in any one picture situation.
I am supposed to aim to produce two images, using the same general viewpoint and composition, varying the balance of attention between the person (or people) and the setting they are in.
Image 1.
Image 2.
I combined this exercise with a previous one.
I chose this open field as my setting for this shot.
In Image 1 the attention is solely on the subject; placed central left in the frame, his face commanding the majority of the focus in the image, with the background falling into a soft blur.
In Image 2, the balance of the attention is now on the setting the subject is in.
To achieve this, I captured the subject out of the frame and positioned only his shadow towards the edge of the frame.
I placed him away from the camera in order to remove the personality of the subject and ensure total anonymity which further ensures the focus is on the setting the subject was in.
I am supposed to aim to produce two images, using the same general viewpoint and composition, varying the balance of attention between the person (or people) and the setting they are in.
Image 1.
f 6.7, 1/350 sec, ISO 200, 18 mm
f 11, 1/180 sec, ISO 200, 18 mm
I chose this open field as my setting for this shot.
In Image 1 the attention is solely on the subject; placed central left in the frame, his face commanding the majority of the focus in the image, with the background falling into a soft blur.
In Image 2, the balance of the attention is now on the setting the subject is in.
To achieve this, I captured the subject out of the frame and positioned only his shadow towards the edge of the frame.
I placed him away from the camera in order to remove the personality of the subject and ensure total anonymity which further ensures the focus is on the setting the subject was in.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Exercise 21: Making figures anonymous
Exercise 21 asks to take some photographs that include a person or people in a particular place, but deliberately make them unrecognisable and, as a result, less prominent.
The aim is to make between two and four photographs which use different techniques to achieve this. A successful image will be one that is primarily about the place, but in which one or more figures play a subsidiary role to show scale and give life — to show that it is in use.
The brief asks to consider the following techniques:
1. Facing away
The human face is such a powerful visual attractant that simply photographing someone from behind or with their head turned away from the camera alters their relationship to the rest of the image.
2. In silhouette
Shooting from darkness towards a bright background, as in the example shown here, communicates ‘person’ but rarely ‘personality’.
3. Partly obscured
Figures and faces even partly hidden behind some other object are automatically reduced in visual importance.
4. Motion blur
Useful if slightly mannered technique when you have a tripod and the light is sufficiently dim to use a slow exposure. Needs experience to judge the effect of length of exposure on the appearance of a moving figure. Light figure against dark background is always more noticeable than dark figure against light background.
The aim is to make between two and four photographs which use different techniques to achieve this. A successful image will be one that is primarily about the place, but in which one or more figures play a subsidiary role to show scale and give life — to show that it is in use.
The brief asks to consider the following techniques:
1. Facing away
The human face is such a powerful visual attractant that simply photographing someone from behind or with their head turned away from the camera alters their relationship to the rest of the image.
f 8, 1/180 sec, ISO 400, 43 mm
2. In silhouette
Shooting from darkness towards a bright background, as in the example shown here, communicates ‘person’ but rarely ‘personality’.
f 3.5, 1/20 sec, ISO 1600, 18 mm
3. Partly obscured
Figures and faces even partly hidden behind some other object are automatically reduced in visual importance.
f 4.5, 1/8 sec, ISO 200, 45 mm
Useful if slightly mannered technique when you have a tripod and the light is sufficiently dim to use a slow exposure. Needs experience to judge the effect of length of exposure on the appearance of a moving figure. Light figure against dark background is always more noticeable than dark figure against light background.
f 5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO 400, 18 mm
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Exercise 20: Busy traffic
In contrast to the usually-empty place from the last project, some locations are almost always busy, with a constant flow of traffic.
Exercise 20 asks to choose a busy location, interior or exterior, and find a viewpoint that will give a satisfying composition as well as a good sense of the nature and function of the space.
I am supposed to spend some time watching how the flow of people works — the patterns they make, any surges or lulls in movement and numbers — and how this can contribute to the composition of the shot.
According to the brief, I should aim to show the ‘busyness’ of the place, which might involve altering the composition, perhaps changing the focal length of lens, or experimenting with a slow exposure.
The previous exercise concentrated on just placing a single figure in the frame, this one involved including as many as possible to show the busy nature of a place.
I like this shot for its sense of being amongst the action.
People are sufficiently well defined to emphasise the contrast between the static and moving subjects and, as I am rather close to them, there is actually more movement.
I believe that in the case of crowd scenes motion blur gives a better impression of business when you are in amongst it (or at least quite close).
Elevation reduces the effect further by emphasising floor space.
I start to feel very self-conscious in photographing people.
I also realise that it is not only the people in themselves that attract me but also the patterns and shapes they make in the environment.
Exercise 20 asks to choose a busy location, interior or exterior, and find a viewpoint that will give a satisfying composition as well as a good sense of the nature and function of the space.
I am supposed to spend some time watching how the flow of people works — the patterns they make, any surges or lulls in movement and numbers — and how this can contribute to the composition of the shot.
According to the brief, I should aim to show the ‘busyness’ of the place, which might involve altering the composition, perhaps changing the focal length of lens, or experimenting with a slow exposure.
f 3.5, 1/45 sec, ISO 200, 18 mm
The previous exercise concentrated on just placing a single figure in the frame, this one involved including as many as possible to show the busy nature of a place.
I like this shot for its sense of being amongst the action.
People are sufficiently well defined to emphasise the contrast between the static and moving subjects and, as I am rather close to them, there is actually more movement.
I believe that in the case of crowd scenes motion blur gives a better impression of business when you are in amongst it (or at least quite close).
Elevation reduces the effect further by emphasising floor space.
I start to feel very self-conscious in photographing people.
I also realise that it is not only the people in themselves that attract me but also the patterns and shapes they make in the environment.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Exercise 19: A single figure small
Exercise 19 requires to find a place which at the time of shooting is for the most part free of people, yet with an occasional figure passing through it.
I am supposed to consider how obvious, to a viewer’s eye, the figure will be in the image.
Some delayed reaction adds to the interest of looking at this kind of photograph, and there is even an element of surprise if the scale of the place is larger than expected.
On the other hand, the point of this style of image is lost if the viewer fails to notice the figure and moves on.
It is very important to pay close attention to where in the frame the figure is placed: the more off-centre, the more dynamic the composition is likely to be, but only up to a point.
If the figure is walking, you may want to consider the conventional treatment of placing it off-centre so that it walks into the frame.
I am supposed to consider how obvious, to a viewer’s eye, the figure will be in the image.
Some delayed reaction adds to the interest of looking at this kind of photograph, and there is even an element of surprise if the scale of the place is larger than expected.
On the other hand, the point of this style of image is lost if the viewer fails to notice the figure and moves on.
It is very important to pay close attention to where in the frame the figure is placed: the more off-centre, the more dynamic the composition is likely to be, but only up to a point.
If the figure is walking, you may want to consider the conventional treatment of placing it off-centre so that it walks into the frame.
f 4.5, 1/8 sec, ISO 200, 45 mm
I believe that people add scale, movement, and a sense of place to photographs and therefore often my shots include people.
What I thought was important to take into consideration was the placement in the frame but even the size and the colour in relation to the surroundings.
As written in the course material there has to be a sufficient contrast to give the beholder chance to see the figure in the frame.
What I like in this shot is the "graphic" background with its sense of scale and movement given by the walking person.
I really enjoyed this exercise, and was very happy with the finished result.
The image clearly shows a single figure in the frame and I carefully framed and edited the image in such a way as to ensure a technically strong image where the subject was not in a prominent position, yet stood out, thus creating interest for the viewer.
Assignment 3 - Comments on Tutor's report
Plus side
- In his “Overall comments” my tutor Robert stated: "There are some really strong photographs here both in terms of visual interest and your artistic approach to ‘seeing these spaces’ as abandoned, tourist infested or just purely as a visual muse. I like the intelligent way you see your guided walk through the old seminary as a ghostly tour through an inferno – a place of testing. You must commit to a longer term, in-depth treatment to one subject. In the St. Vincent de Paul images, there is a depth and a potential that is not as apparent in most of the other photos. But, in general this is mature and confident work that proves you can make an assignment your own."
- Speaking about the "Learning Logs/Critical Essays" section Robert stated:"Your writing is good. I think you are getting more out of looking at other photographers than you make clear. There is something in your work that reminds me of the Dusseldorf school, but you are somewhat more personal. You are also refreshingly honest about your own work."
- Suggested reading/viewing: "It is clear from this work that your approach relates to a more personal kind of documentary photography and you do need to look at photographers of this kind of work. I could suggest Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, Araki, Paul Seawright and Paul Graham. But in the end, you must make your own search in books and galleries."
- Robert appreciated particularly the St. Vincent de Paul College. He commented Image 2 as "A beautiful balanced composition that uses the contrast of colour and light in the other room well. The torn wallpaper suggests decay or just the battles of good and evil! It reminds me of Van Gogh’s painting of his room, the way every surface is unique and hyper-real" and Image 3 as "Another wonderful composition, like the last in that it uses layers of more than one space. This is an extremely confident arrangement of shapes and planes. So much so, that really you should immediately set to work on something that powerfully challenges your knowledge and limits with photography."
- Image 6. "This poor old bald head! I bet he didn’t know he was so photogenic! This is one of the best photos here because, like Struth’s photos that this little series resembles at times, it shows us the amusing idolatry of tourists in museums. They don’t need to like the Mona Lisa, they only need to know it is famous! It’s a great composition that is both funny and telling."
Things to improve
- Pointers for the next assignment: "I feel you should make a big jump with the next assignment"
- Image 5. "The contrast between the old and modern architecture is interesting, but I think you needed a more interesting example than this foreshortened rooftop image."
- Image 7. "This you can cut out, it doesn’t ‘work’ as your other pictures do."
- In "Caffe Fiorio" series: "The light and colour in all these pictures is beautiful and you are playing interestingly with composition. But here only Image 12 seems to stand out as a portrait of something “petit bourgeois” in French society that I imagine is falling away. This response is triggered because the woman (your mother) is out of focus and you are looking both in the mirror and at the empty tables. This gives the photo a kind of melancholy in the midst of its rustic opulence."
- Robert commented "Sacro Cuore" photos as follows: "These are searching images, but you haven’t really found anything of note here. However, Image 15 with Dali and pigeon is really amazing because of the bizarre contrast between Dali’s colourful face and the mundane ‘everyday’ world around."
- "Image 18 here is rather interesting. Some kind of optical illusion is at work on the desk. I think you needed just a touch of fill-flash here to bring out the eyes of your father. But maybe that would have ruined the optical illusion! Your use of vignettes is quite obvious in some of these photos. You need to take care not to make it look like you’re trying to make it look “vintage”. And some of these are slightly soft, so you need to keep an eye on that."
- In his “Overall comments” my tutor Robert stated: "There are some really strong photographs here both in terms of visual interest and your artistic approach to ‘seeing these spaces’ as abandoned, tourist infested or just purely as a visual muse. I like the intelligent way you see your guided walk through the old seminary as a ghostly tour through an inferno – a place of testing. You must commit to a longer term, in-depth treatment to one subject. In the St. Vincent de Paul images, there is a depth and a potential that is not as apparent in most of the other photos. But, in general this is mature and confident work that proves you can make an assignment your own."
- Speaking about the "Learning Logs/Critical Essays" section Robert stated:"Your writing is good. I think you are getting more out of looking at other photographers than you make clear. There is something in your work that reminds me of the Dusseldorf school, but you are somewhat more personal. You are also refreshingly honest about your own work."
- Suggested reading/viewing: "It is clear from this work that your approach relates to a more personal kind of documentary photography and you do need to look at photographers of this kind of work. I could suggest Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, Araki, Paul Seawright and Paul Graham. But in the end, you must make your own search in books and galleries."
- Robert appreciated particularly the St. Vincent de Paul College. He commented Image 2 as "A beautiful balanced composition that uses the contrast of colour and light in the other room well. The torn wallpaper suggests decay or just the battles of good and evil! It reminds me of Van Gogh’s painting of his room, the way every surface is unique and hyper-real" and Image 3 as "Another wonderful composition, like the last in that it uses layers of more than one space. This is an extremely confident arrangement of shapes and planes. So much so, that really you should immediately set to work on something that powerfully challenges your knowledge and limits with photography."
- Image 6. "This poor old bald head! I bet he didn’t know he was so photogenic! This is one of the best photos here because, like Struth’s photos that this little series resembles at times, it shows us the amusing idolatry of tourists in museums. They don’t need to like the Mona Lisa, they only need to know it is famous! It’s a great composition that is both funny and telling."
Things to improve
- Pointers for the next assignment: "I feel you should make a big jump with the next assignment"
- Image 5. "The contrast between the old and modern architecture is interesting, but I think you needed a more interesting example than this foreshortened rooftop image."
- Image 7. "This you can cut out, it doesn’t ‘work’ as your other pictures do."
- In "Caffe Fiorio" series: "The light and colour in all these pictures is beautiful and you are playing interestingly with composition. But here only Image 12 seems to stand out as a portrait of something “petit bourgeois” in French society that I imagine is falling away. This response is triggered because the woman (your mother) is out of focus and you are looking both in the mirror and at the empty tables. This gives the photo a kind of melancholy in the midst of its rustic opulence."
- Robert commented "Sacro Cuore" photos as follows: "These are searching images, but you haven’t really found anything of note here. However, Image 15 with Dali and pigeon is really amazing because of the bizarre contrast between Dali’s colourful face and the mundane ‘everyday’ world around."
- "Image 18 here is rather interesting. Some kind of optical illusion is at work on the desk. I think you needed just a touch of fill-flash here to bring out the eyes of your father. But maybe that would have ruined the optical illusion! Your use of vignettes is quite obvious in some of these photos. You need to take care not to make it look like you’re trying to make it look “vintage”. And some of these are slightly soft, so you need to keep an eye on that."
Monday, May 18, 2015
Part three: Buildings and spaces - Learning points
This section was about structures as an extension of human activity and as being ‘usable’.
We are interested in purpose, and so the presence of people in the images is completely acceptable.
Most architectural photography is concerned with showing space, volume, constructional techniques, and as clear an exposition as possible of the building as a piece of construction.
Architectural photographs, well-lit and carefully framed, show an absence of human occupation.
We have been showing how buildings and other man-made spaces are used and how people interact with them. Think of this as a form of reportage photography, even when the subject is ostensibly a room, for example. Absence of people from a shot does not mean that the space is empty and unused.
Considering this as an assignment of some importance, as a professional photographer would, it makes a great deal of sense to study the effect of light on space.
However ,hard it may be to imagine dramatic changes when standing in a likely camera position on seeing the place for the first time, changes in the sun’s position and in the weather can alter the image greatly.
Dusk and artificial lighting create even greater differences.
Most architectural photography is concerned with showing space, volume, constructional techniques, and as clear an exposition as possible of the building as a piece of construction.
Architectural photographs, well-lit and carefully framed, show an absence of human occupation.
We have been showing how buildings and other man-made spaces are used and how people interact with them. Think of this as a form of reportage photography, even when the subject is ostensibly a room, for example. Absence of people from a shot does not mean that the space is empty and unused.
Considering this as an assignment of some importance, as a professional photographer would, it makes a great deal of sense to study the effect of light on space.
However ,hard it may be to imagine dramatic changes when standing in a likely camera position on seeing the place for the first time, changes in the sun’s position and in the weather can alter the image greatly.
Dusk and artificial lighting create even greater differences.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Assignment 3: Buildings in use
The Assignment 3 asks to choose five or six buildings and for each produce between two and four images that describe effectively and attractively the way in which these spaces are used.
I can choose to include people in the images, or not.
For each building, it is important to conduct some research beforehand, either archival or personal (or both), in order to have:
- a good understanding of how and why it was designed in the way it is
- an opinion on its effectiveness as a usable space.
It is important to try to encompass variety in the choice of buildings, including in size and purpose.
I am also supposed to write a short statement demonstrating my understanding of the function of each building, the way in which it was designed to achieve that, and how well I believe it succeeds.
In addition, I am asked to describe briefly how I initially set about showing the important features of each building photographically, and what I learned during the course of shooting the assignment.
In Assignment 1 I had the opportunity to carefully plan and execute 7 images of a single subject. Assignment 2 was completely opposite, an exercise in street photography, few hours to try to describe the energy and colour of Jazz and Rally Festival in Luxembourg.
This clearly needed quick thinking and camera handling skills, but much more time was spent in editing both from an inclusion perspective as well as framing and exposure adjustments.
Assignment 3 brings me back to a more measured approach, but with some of the elements of Assignment 2.
My understanding of this assignment is to try and show how a space is used, from a practical point of view, even when devoid of people.
It is about observing human activity within a building.
Therefore, my assignment will be as much about people, even if absent from the image, as the buildings they inhabit.
I decided to take advantage of three trips, two to France and one to Italy, in order to try to respond to this assignment in the most accurate way.
1. Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College - Cuvry
When a group of friends proposed to me to go and visit the old Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College in Cuvry, I looked at them wondering if this was a joke.
Cuvry is a very small village in the Moselle department (North-Eastern France), close to the city of Metz and, besides its seminar and church, the only other major building is the abandoned Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College that was opened in 1922 and closed down in 2008.
In the past decades, the college used to host between 180 and 200 students coming from all the region, but following the merge with Mazenod à Augny college in the early 2000, the institution was forced to close due to a lack of students.
So, the only reason why I accepted the invitation was that I saw this as a very good opportunity to take some good shots of an interesting haunted building.
I do not know how one of my friends managed to have a guided tour into the building, but once we were there, very quickly I found myself projected into a sort of parallel world.
For about one hour we were guided through a forgotten world made of dusty details and beautiful broken memories of a student life that does not exist any longer.
Like Virgil did with Dante in the Inferno, our guide made us discover the place telling us interesting anecdotes and I was able to shoot with an intensity that rarely I had before.
Image 1.
Virgil, the guide, our way through Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, with his fancy hat, his golden hearing and his timeless waistcoat.
He is the speaking soul of this place, the master of the building, the one who deserves my first shot.
I like this photo for its masses of dark and light and for the mystery.
The hidden face in this photo is like the unknown place I am about to visit, the abandoned building that I am about to discover, with its stories and its forgotten details.
Who is he? Where will he bring me? What am I going to find?
Image 2.
The crack in the wallpaper that starts exactly from the upper part of the chair and goes up to the ceiling is like a wound in the wall.
The time seems to be stopped and there I think to be able still to hear the voices of happy students laughing and talking aloud from one dormitory to the other.
The style of this shot (like the following two) reminds me a bit Alec Soth's deadpan photography.
I very much appreciate the narrative of the image and some details like the green baseboard, the colour of the wallpaper and the floor: everything is so full of emptiness.
Image 3.
Going on discovering Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College I found myself in the old lavatories.
Also there the atmosphere was unreal.
Image 3 is probably my favourite shot.
The overexposed wall gives me the impression of a cloud and reminds me the photos of Massimo Vitali's beaches.
The mirror is like a window bringing the viewer back from the cloud to reality, a sort of time travel.
Image 4.
The last shot I took in Cuvry was Image 4.
The photo of the old college probably is from the early 1940s and I found it on the floor leaning against a wall.
The wallpaper is clearly from the1970s and it shows the time which passed by.
I perceive a lot of melancholy, the image of a world which is gone and that it will never come back, like our youths.
Few days ago I learned that Saint-Vincent-de-Paul will be soon demolished in order to build a residential center.
2. Louvre Museum - Paris
The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument.
A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district).
Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres.
The Louvre is the world's most visited museum, and received about 10 million visitors last year.
The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II.
The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace.
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property.
Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801.
The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces.
Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic.
The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.
Image 5.
The most fascinating aspect of the Louvre's architecture is its contrast between modern and ancient style.
I consider the juxtaposition of contrasting architectural styles a real successful merger of the old and the new, the classical and the ultra-modern and I tried to depict this in the most original way possible.
First, I took several photos from the inside, where it is possible to see only the juxtaposition of the structure of the pyramid and the ancient palace.
Then, I decided to shoot it from the outside.
The result is Image 5 that I like for its unperfected symmetry, its colours and the mix of architectural styles.
Image 6.
When I think about the Louvre I immediately think about Leonardo Da Vinci's Monna Lisa.
I can not help it, it is a reflex in my brain.
When I found myself in front of this world wide known painting, I was surrounded by hundreds of tourist taking pictures in a compulsive way.
It was amazing how they tried to pass in front of me pushing to get closer to the painting.
So I took my photo. What I saw, what I felt and lived in front of the Gioconda.
This is one of my favourite shots because of its perspective and philosophical meaning.
In life often we see only the day to day banalities we have very close and we miss the masterpieces around.
Image 7.
I like a lot this shot taken at the Egyptian Antiquities department because of its graphic narrative.
The tourist's arms recall the position of the statue's in a sort of modern remaking of the Egyptian ritual where the only relevant religious instrument is the smartphone held with care in order to take the picture.
I appreciate the not straight cut, the warm (solar) temperature of the shot and the round "burned" window on the top, which reminds me about Ra, the God of the Sun and Radiance.
I am not sure my tutor will appreciate it as much as me due to its technical issues.
Image 8.
What strikes me in Image 8, taken at the Italian art section of the Louvre, is the apparently precarious balance of its different subjects.
The huge golden painting held by two transparent ropes looks not straight and almost about to fall.
St. Francis looking at God has got a rather unnatural posture which could suggest a possible loss of equilibrium.
And also the tourist taking a photograph looks unstable in her posture.
In my opinion, paradoxically, this mix of precarious balance gives a peculiar balance to the image and makes it rather interesting to me.
3. Caffé Fiorio - Turin
The Caffé Fiorio is an historic café in Turin, located in Via Po, in the heart of the city.
Founded in 1780 it became a fashionable meeting place for the artistic, intellectual and political classes of the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Frequented by such as Urbano Rattazzi, Massimo D'Azeglio, Giovanni Prati, Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour (who founded the Whist Club here), Giacinto Provana di Collegno and Cesare Balbo, it became known as "the café of the Machiavellis and of the pigtails."
"Codini", literally "pigtails", is a term applied to reactionary politicians, apparently with reference to pre-revolutionary French hairstyles.
Besides its historical vicissitudes, its most relevant characteristic is that Caffé Fiorio serves the best ice-cream I have ever eaten and every time I go back to my hometown I go there for having one.
The place's atmosphere is very decadent, but it is still possible to breath the old intellectual air from the nineteen century.
I do not think that this is place is beautiful and probably I do not even like it so much, but its charme is so intense that is really worth a visit.
Image 9.
In my view, the backlit shot of these window and chairs is a sort of quintessence of Caffé Fiorio.
The symmetrical order of the well disposed chairs makes me think about the times lived by this place during the Italian unification.
How detailed must have been the plan to chase the Austrian from the North and the Spanish from the South in order to get a united country back on his feet.
The light coming from the window is a sort of vision back from that glorious and challenging time.
Image 10.
I really like the cut and the perspective of Image 10.
The stairs, the line accompanying the look of the viewer down towards the chair and the chair itself which is a lonely point in the image, make my eye travelling the space and the time of this shot.
I also like the colours, the different shades of orange and the feeling of "old" that they convey.
Image 11.
The posture of my son Max lying on the sofa reminds me of a photo I discovered at the Robert Mapplethorpe's exhibition in Paris last year.
His arm lost in the empty space gives me a kind of serenity which is very well framed by the nineteen century style stairs around him.
My parents sitting decorously close to him provide the image with a contrast that I do very much appreciate.
Image 12.
Caffè Fiorio is a kind of magic for me.
This shot is centred on my reflection in the mirror taking the photo of my mother sitting at the table after her ice cream.
The light, the posture of the woman, the old furniture with out of fashion design is a real travel in time for me, back at my childhood when I used to go there with her and my grandmother after school.
4. Sacro Cuore di Maria's Church - Turin
One of the major churches in the San Salvario area (the area in Turin where I grew up) is the Sacro Cuore di Maria.
The church was realised in 1889 by Carlo Ceppi, likely the best architect in Turin at that time (he already worked for the four chapels of the famous Consolata church).
Ceppi, inspired himself to the gothic architecture and developed modern constructive techniques particularly in the interior of the church.
Despite the writer Natalia Ginzburg, who used to live in the same street, in her book "Lessico Familiare" describes Sacro Cuore di Maria as "a big and ugly church", in my opinion it is a beautiful building with a remarkable architectural style.
Image 13.
Are those the heaven's door?
The golden lines on the wall and this sort of waiting room at the side of the central nave of the church made me wonder if this is not the place where the departed souls gather for their final judgement.
I like the atmosphere and the light of the shot.
I had to help myself opening the shadows in post production in order to be able to see the golden lines.
Image 14.
This shot has been taken behind the altar in a rather uncomfortable but original position.
What I think it is interesting is the composition.
I tried to conceive and cut the photo in order to have different areas: a bright and mystic square in the left upper part, a "down to earth" clear entrance of the central nave in the bottom left part, a marble severe ecclesiastic space on the right half.
The idea behind would be to reproduce the photographic style of Alex Webb.
If I could categorize some of Alex Webb’s work it would be “orderly chaos”.
He often fills the frame with so many things that it almost feels too busy.
This is what makes his images interesting- as I think his photographs tell lots of small stories inside the frame.
Image 15.
Salvador Dalí in front of a church with his crazy look and moustaches is really bizarre.
I like the idea and even the pigeon flying around giving the same impression of frozen time that is given by the look of the Spanish master.
I think that the composition is original and the colourful painting is an interesting subject.
However, what I regret and I do not like is that we can not see the church which is literally few steps away.
Image 16.
In this shot I tried to capture the graphic effect of the marble steps of the altar.
The different shades of grey and the lines of the floor fascinate me.
It is something which is almost hypnotic and reminds me about the prayers repeated constantly by the believers, a sort of mantra reiterated to infinity.
The marbles and the architecture of the church plays an important role during the mass and this detail witnesses it.
5. My parents's flat - Turin
I spent in Turin the first 23 years of my life and all were happily lived at my parent's flat.
As an excellent Italian mother, mine always kept the house in a perfect shape, more like a museum than a normal house.
That is the reason why at my parents's place I can find incredible objects like an old rusted scale or a sword hanging on a wall.
I very much enjoyed this photography session because it allowed me to look through the eye of my lens to my past and the place I lived more than half of my life.
Despite I often find their objects old and useless (sorry Mom, I am happy you can not read English!), the feelings I nourish towards my parents and their things are huge and I believe the four photos I choose show it at least a bit.
Image 17.
I do not really know where my parents found this old scale, but I believe it was bought on a flies market in Southern Piedmont.
For me, this old useless object has been there since ever and it is well representative of my former house.
Looking at it I can still hear my mother shouting at me:"Stop playing with the old scale, it is fragile!".
That is why I framed my photo like that: I never had the real chance to look at it and, for me, the shape of the object is fleeing like an objet looked while running away.
Image 18.
My father sitting at his desk with the sword of a dead uncle hanging on the wall looks very funny to me.
However, the friendly but determinate posture, the yellowish light, the honest and opened look, the sleeves rolled up, make an interesting and loyal portrait of the man and his house.
Image 19.
They are the home, they are my home.
No need to take other details because my parents at their place are what best represent the place and the feelings I have.
I like the perspective and the light of this spontaneous family portrait.
Image 20.
This vase is rather new to me and probably has been bought after my departure.
However, what stroke me taking this shot was the light.
Another very important peculiarity at my parent's place was always the light.
Lack of light in winter, too much of it in summer (what a heat in Turin during summer!) and always a lot of contrasts.
The light and the sun simply shaped my youth in Italy.
Conclusion.
I have found the assignment far more enjoyable than I anticipated, and I have certainly needed to think far more laterally.
It took a lot longer to organise than I expected (almost two months!) and I took hundreds of shots until I got what I felt was representative of how I, as the photographer, wanted to portray buildings in use.
Choosing what to photograph, and how, took quite a lot of planning, this has made me realise how important is for me to consider prior to doing any photographic project to have a basic idea of what I aim to achieve, and how.
I already understand how light can alter an image, returning to the same spot at different times of the day can be tedious but for my chosen locations I rediscovered just how important light is to transform an image of the same space into something quite new.
I have found fascinating to see how human activity can be represented in a people-less building.
I feel this has helped make me become more visually aware and given me renewed inspiration.
As I have worked through this assignment, I have started to look at and consider genre more.
This has encouraged me to read and think more about how I wish to develop as a photographer.
I realise I have used what are different genres for the various buildings and spaces I have chosen for the assignment, not just one style throughout.
However, I feel this is a good thing as by experimenting with different methods of recording how I see the world around me and how I choose to interpret this into a visual representation I will start to then, hopefully, develop my own personal style.
I feel style is an elusive concept that grows into a more individual distinctive form with experience.
During this assignment I learned few lessons that I could summarise as follows:
1. The importance of knowing what you want to show.
It is difficult to overstate this idea.
I have generally tended to simply shoot what felt right at the time, and while this has its place, if you are trying to satisfy a brief it is important to do the research, decide what you want to show and take your time to get the shots you need.
2. Small cameras are less intimidating.
I am, at last, beginning to feel that photographing strangers is not outside my comfort zone, but it is still considerably easier with a small, discreet camera rather than a big black SLR.
3. Take more photos with people in.
In this assignment I have about half of people pictures and I think that is the most interesting half of my work.
They provide the places I shot with context and life.
This brings home the importance of that lesson: without the inclusion of people I would have a set of very dry architecture photos.
I believe that it is the interaction of people and place that makes the difference.
I can choose to include people in the images, or not.
For each building, it is important to conduct some research beforehand, either archival or personal (or both), in order to have:
- a good understanding of how and why it was designed in the way it is
- an opinion on its effectiveness as a usable space.
It is important to try to encompass variety in the choice of buildings, including in size and purpose.
I am also supposed to write a short statement demonstrating my understanding of the function of each building, the way in which it was designed to achieve that, and how well I believe it succeeds.
In addition, I am asked to describe briefly how I initially set about showing the important features of each building photographically, and what I learned during the course of shooting the assignment.
In Assignment 1 I had the opportunity to carefully plan and execute 7 images of a single subject. Assignment 2 was completely opposite, an exercise in street photography, few hours to try to describe the energy and colour of Jazz and Rally Festival in Luxembourg.
This clearly needed quick thinking and camera handling skills, but much more time was spent in editing both from an inclusion perspective as well as framing and exposure adjustments.
Assignment 3 brings me back to a more measured approach, but with some of the elements of Assignment 2.
My understanding of this assignment is to try and show how a space is used, from a practical point of view, even when devoid of people.
It is about observing human activity within a building.
Therefore, my assignment will be as much about people, even if absent from the image, as the buildings they inhabit.
I decided to take advantage of three trips, two to France and one to Italy, in order to try to respond to this assignment in the most accurate way.
1. Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College - Cuvry
When a group of friends proposed to me to go and visit the old Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College in Cuvry, I looked at them wondering if this was a joke.
Cuvry is a very small village in the Moselle department (North-Eastern France), close to the city of Metz and, besides its seminar and church, the only other major building is the abandoned Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College that was opened in 1922 and closed down in 2008.
In the past decades, the college used to host between 180 and 200 students coming from all the region, but following the merge with Mazenod à Augny college in the early 2000, the institution was forced to close due to a lack of students.
So, the only reason why I accepted the invitation was that I saw this as a very good opportunity to take some good shots of an interesting haunted building.
I do not know how one of my friends managed to have a guided tour into the building, but once we were there, very quickly I found myself projected into a sort of parallel world.
For about one hour we were guided through a forgotten world made of dusty details and beautiful broken memories of a student life that does not exist any longer.
Like Virgil did with Dante in the Inferno, our guide made us discover the place telling us interesting anecdotes and I was able to shoot with an intensity that rarely I had before.
Image 1.
f 4, 1/60 sec, ISO 1600, 28 mm
Virgil, the guide, our way through Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, with his fancy hat, his golden hearing and his timeless waistcoat.
He is the speaking soul of this place, the master of the building, the one who deserves my first shot.
I like this photo for its masses of dark and light and for the mystery.
The hidden face in this photo is like the unknown place I am about to visit, the abandoned building that I am about to discover, with its stories and its forgotten details.
Who is he? Where will he bring me? What am I going to find?
Image 2.
f 5.6, 1/6 sec, ISO 200, 18 mm
The crack in the wallpaper that starts exactly from the upper part of the chair and goes up to the ceiling is like a wound in the wall.
The time seems to be stopped and there I think to be able still to hear the voices of happy students laughing and talking aloud from one dormitory to the other.
The style of this shot (like the following two) reminds me a bit Alec Soth's deadpan photography.
I very much appreciate the narrative of the image and some details like the green baseboard, the colour of the wallpaper and the floor: everything is so full of emptiness.
Image 3.
f 3.5, 1/30 sec, ISO 200, 18 mm
Going on discovering Saint-Vincent-de-Paul College I found myself in the old lavatories.
Also there the atmosphere was unreal.
Image 3 is probably my favourite shot.
The overexposed wall gives me the impression of a cloud and reminds me the photos of Massimo Vitali's beaches.
The mirror is like a window bringing the viewer back from the cloud to reality, a sort of time travel.
Image 4.
f 4, 1/45 sec, ISO 3200, 20 mm
The last shot I took in Cuvry was Image 4.
The photo of the old college probably is from the early 1940s and I found it on the floor leaning against a wall.
The wallpaper is clearly from the1970s and it shows the time which passed by.
I perceive a lot of melancholy, the image of a world which is gone and that it will never come back, like our youths.
Few days ago I learned that Saint-Vincent-de-Paul will be soon demolished in order to build a residential center.
2. Louvre Museum - Paris
The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument.
A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district).
Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres.
The Louvre is the world's most visited museum, and received about 10 million visitors last year.
The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II.
The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace.
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property.
Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801.
The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces.
Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic.
The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.
Image 5.
f 11, 1/350 sec, ISO 200, 50 mm
The most fascinating aspect of the Louvre's architecture is its contrast between modern and ancient style.
I consider the juxtaposition of contrasting architectural styles a real successful merger of the old and the new, the classical and the ultra-modern and I tried to depict this in the most original way possible.
First, I took several photos from the inside, where it is possible to see only the juxtaposition of the structure of the pyramid and the ancient palace.
Then, I decided to shoot it from the outside.
The result is Image 5 that I like for its unperfected symmetry, its colours and the mix of architectural styles.
Image 6.
f 4.5, 1/45 sec, ISO 800, 18 mm
When I think about the Louvre I immediately think about Leonardo Da Vinci's Monna Lisa.
I can not help it, it is a reflex in my brain.
When I found myself in front of this world wide known painting, I was surrounded by hundreds of tourist taking pictures in a compulsive way.
It was amazing how they tried to pass in front of me pushing to get closer to the painting.
So I took my photo. What I saw, what I felt and lived in front of the Gioconda.
This is one of my favourite shots because of its perspective and philosophical meaning.
In life often we see only the day to day banalities we have very close and we miss the masterpieces around.
Image 7.
f 5.6, 1/20 sec, ISO 400, 21 mm
I like a lot this shot taken at the Egyptian Antiquities department because of its graphic narrative.
The tourist's arms recall the position of the statue's in a sort of modern remaking of the Egyptian ritual where the only relevant religious instrument is the smartphone held with care in order to take the picture.
I appreciate the not straight cut, the warm (solar) temperature of the shot and the round "burned" window on the top, which reminds me about Ra, the God of the Sun and Radiance.
I am not sure my tutor will appreciate it as much as me due to its technical issues.
Image 8.
f 4, 1/80 sec, ISO 3200, 23 mm
What strikes me in Image 8, taken at the Italian art section of the Louvre, is the apparently precarious balance of its different subjects.
The huge golden painting held by two transparent ropes looks not straight and almost about to fall.
St. Francis looking at God has got a rather unnatural posture which could suggest a possible loss of equilibrium.
And also the tourist taking a photograph looks unstable in her posture.
In my opinion, paradoxically, this mix of precarious balance gives a peculiar balance to the image and makes it rather interesting to me.
3. Caffé Fiorio - Turin
The Caffé Fiorio is an historic café in Turin, located in Via Po, in the heart of the city.
Founded in 1780 it became a fashionable meeting place for the artistic, intellectual and political classes of the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Frequented by such as Urbano Rattazzi, Massimo D'Azeglio, Giovanni Prati, Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour (who founded the Whist Club here), Giacinto Provana di Collegno and Cesare Balbo, it became known as "the café of the Machiavellis and of the pigtails."
"Codini", literally "pigtails", is a term applied to reactionary politicians, apparently with reference to pre-revolutionary French hairstyles.
Besides its historical vicissitudes, its most relevant characteristic is that Caffé Fiorio serves the best ice-cream I have ever eaten and every time I go back to my hometown I go there for having one.
The place's atmosphere is very decadent, but it is still possible to breath the old intellectual air from the nineteen century.
I do not think that this is place is beautiful and probably I do not even like it so much, but its charme is so intense that is really worth a visit.
Image 9.
f 2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 2500, 24 mm
In my view, the backlit shot of these window and chairs is a sort of quintessence of Caffé Fiorio.
The symmetrical order of the well disposed chairs makes me think about the times lived by this place during the Italian unification.
How detailed must have been the plan to chase the Austrian from the North and the Spanish from the South in order to get a united country back on his feet.
The light coming from the window is a sort of vision back from that glorious and challenging time.
Image 10.
f 2.8, 1/13 sec, ISO 12800, 24 mm
The stairs, the line accompanying the look of the viewer down towards the chair and the chair itself which is a lonely point in the image, make my eye travelling the space and the time of this shot.
I also like the colours, the different shades of orange and the feeling of "old" that they convey.
Image 11.
f 2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO 4000, 24 mm
His arm lost in the empty space gives me a kind of serenity which is very well framed by the nineteen century style stairs around him.
My parents sitting decorously close to him provide the image with a contrast that I do very much appreciate.
Image 12.
f 4, 1/4 sec, ISO 400, 18 mm
This shot is centred on my reflection in the mirror taking the photo of my mother sitting at the table after her ice cream.
The light, the posture of the woman, the old furniture with out of fashion design is a real travel in time for me, back at my childhood when I used to go there with her and my grandmother after school.
4. Sacro Cuore di Maria's Church - Turin
One of the major churches in the San Salvario area (the area in Turin where I grew up) is the Sacro Cuore di Maria.
The church was realised in 1889 by Carlo Ceppi, likely the best architect in Turin at that time (he already worked for the four chapels of the famous Consolata church).
Ceppi, inspired himself to the gothic architecture and developed modern constructive techniques particularly in the interior of the church.
Despite the writer Natalia Ginzburg, who used to live in the same street, in her book "Lessico Familiare" describes Sacro Cuore di Maria as "a big and ugly church", in my opinion it is a beautiful building with a remarkable architectural style.
Image 13.
f 2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO 5000, 24 mm
Are those the heaven's door?
The golden lines on the wall and this sort of waiting room at the side of the central nave of the church made me wonder if this is not the place where the departed souls gather for their final judgement.
I like the atmosphere and the light of the shot.
I had to help myself opening the shadows in post production in order to be able to see the golden lines.
Image 14.
f 2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 2500, 70 mm
What I think it is interesting is the composition.
I tried to conceive and cut the photo in order to have different areas: a bright and mystic square in the left upper part, a "down to earth" clear entrance of the central nave in the bottom left part, a marble severe ecclesiastic space on the right half.
The idea behind would be to reproduce the photographic style of Alex Webb.
If I could categorize some of Alex Webb’s work it would be “orderly chaos”.
He often fills the frame with so many things that it almost feels too busy.
This is what makes his images interesting- as I think his photographs tell lots of small stories inside the frame.
Image 15.
f 7.1, 1/400 sec, ISO 100, 70 mm
Salvador Dalí in front of a church with his crazy look and moustaches is really bizarre.
I like the idea and even the pigeon flying around giving the same impression of frozen time that is given by the look of the Spanish master.
I think that the composition is original and the colourful painting is an interesting subject.
However, what I regret and I do not like is that we can not see the church which is literally few steps away.
Image 16.
f 5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 100, 70 mm
The different shades of grey and the lines of the floor fascinate me.
It is something which is almost hypnotic and reminds me about the prayers repeated constantly by the believers, a sort of mantra reiterated to infinity.
The marbles and the architecture of the church plays an important role during the mass and this detail witnesses it.
5. My parents's flat - Turin
I spent in Turin the first 23 years of my life and all were happily lived at my parent's flat.
As an excellent Italian mother, mine always kept the house in a perfect shape, more like a museum than a normal house.
That is the reason why at my parents's place I can find incredible objects like an old rusted scale or a sword hanging on a wall.
I very much enjoyed this photography session because it allowed me to look through the eye of my lens to my past and the place I lived more than half of my life.
Despite I often find their objects old and useless (sorry Mom, I am happy you can not read English!), the feelings I nourish towards my parents and their things are huge and I believe the four photos I choose show it at least a bit.
Image 17.
f 2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 3200, 63 mm
I do not really know where my parents found this old scale, but I believe it was bought on a flies market in Southern Piedmont.
For me, this old useless object has been there since ever and it is well representative of my former house.
Looking at it I can still hear my mother shouting at me:"Stop playing with the old scale, it is fragile!".
That is why I framed my photo like that: I never had the real chance to look at it and, for me, the shape of the object is fleeing like an objet looked while running away.
Image 18.
f 2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO 1000, 24 mm
My father sitting at his desk with the sword of a dead uncle hanging on the wall looks very funny to me.
However, the friendly but determinate posture, the yellowish light, the honest and opened look, the sleeves rolled up, make an interesting and loyal portrait of the man and his house.
Image 19.
f 2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO 12800, 70 mm
They are the home, they are my home.
No need to take other details because my parents at their place are what best represent the place and the feelings I have.
I like the perspective and the light of this spontaneous family portrait.
Image 20.
f 2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 2500, 28 mm
However, what stroke me taking this shot was the light.
Another very important peculiarity at my parent's place was always the light.
Lack of light in winter, too much of it in summer (what a heat in Turin during summer!) and always a lot of contrasts.
The light and the sun simply shaped my youth in Italy.
Conclusion.
I have found the assignment far more enjoyable than I anticipated, and I have certainly needed to think far more laterally.
It took a lot longer to organise than I expected (almost two months!) and I took hundreds of shots until I got what I felt was representative of how I, as the photographer, wanted to portray buildings in use.
Choosing what to photograph, and how, took quite a lot of planning, this has made me realise how important is for me to consider prior to doing any photographic project to have a basic idea of what I aim to achieve, and how.
I already understand how light can alter an image, returning to the same spot at different times of the day can be tedious but for my chosen locations I rediscovered just how important light is to transform an image of the same space into something quite new.
I have found fascinating to see how human activity can be represented in a people-less building.
I feel this has helped make me become more visually aware and given me renewed inspiration.
As I have worked through this assignment, I have started to look at and consider genre more.
This has encouraged me to read and think more about how I wish to develop as a photographer.
I realise I have used what are different genres for the various buildings and spaces I have chosen for the assignment, not just one style throughout.
However, I feel this is a good thing as by experimenting with different methods of recording how I see the world around me and how I choose to interpret this into a visual representation I will start to then, hopefully, develop my own personal style.
I feel style is an elusive concept that grows into a more individual distinctive form with experience.
During this assignment I learned few lessons that I could summarise as follows:
1. The importance of knowing what you want to show.
It is difficult to overstate this idea.
I have generally tended to simply shoot what felt right at the time, and while this has its place, if you are trying to satisfy a brief it is important to do the research, decide what you want to show and take your time to get the shots you need.
2. Small cameras are less intimidating.
I am, at last, beginning to feel that photographing strangers is not outside my comfort zone, but it is still considerably easier with a small, discreet camera rather than a big black SLR.
3. Take more photos with people in.
In this assignment I have about half of people pictures and I think that is the most interesting half of my work.
They provide the places I shot with context and life.
This brings home the importance of that lesson: without the inclusion of people I would have a set of very dry architecture photos.
I believe that it is the interaction of people and place that makes the difference.
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