Assignment 2 Final submission.

After what seems an age of anguish and decision making I am about to submit my Assignment to my Tutor.

As my previous blogs have indicated I have not been happy doing this part of the Course.  A positive has been the structure that has ben forced upon me by having to go out and photograph specific elements. In doing so I had to think carefully about what I was doing and where I positioned myself in relation to the elements being photographed. I also had more time to set the camera to the best settings and to think about what these were. It also meant that I was constantly aware of my surroundings and how I could best photograph them to meet the requirements of the task at hand.

If I am completely honest there were really no negatives other than the constant question - "Why am I doing this?" or to use a phrase from within the Course - "Why bother?".  Possibly thinking about how I approached the images might help. Using the order of the Assignment we have:

Single Point - This I understood and although a cityscape did not offer too many opportunities there were some. I usually found that there were a lot of distractions and clutter around so that the eye was taken away from the single point. One image that I did manage to take in Cambridge not far from the City Centre was of a cow all on it's own at the back of Kings.

It is a single point and is quite small in relation to the whole of the image. The reason for not using it is that it is not a very good photograph because it was taken at a distance of about 150 yards with a 70-300mm lens hand held so sharpness left a little to be desired.

I did take a number of small planes landing but they were very large within the image and individual details seemed to attract the attention rather than the whole thing.

The inevitable boat on water presented itself when I was at Hunstanton:

I felt that this was a good example of a single point although again there is some question over the quality of the photograph because of the distance and again being hand- held. The lesson learnt was to remember to take and use a tripod.

The one chosen was:

Here there is a very strong single point that immediately catches the eye. The inclusion of the grassed foreground where there is no activity strengthens the dominance of the lighthouse. I did crop the image to take out most of the sky but this seemed to me to provide an unbalanced picture.

Two points - Again something I understood. One of the images that I considered for submission was one I took of the Cam through Cambridge.

The two points that I 'saw' in this image were the punt and the couple on the river bank. Whilst I like the image I was less than convinced that it was a good example of two points because the size of the punt and the white shirt tend to dominate the picture. It is very easy to ignore the couple on the bank as they are partly hidden by the shadow in which they are sitting.

Again there were a number of shots of planes in the sky that provide two points, the best of which was:

At this size the image is not too bad but it suffers from the problems created by not using a tripod and taking the shown image from a much larger one.

One that was a strong contender for inclusion was:

Here the boat and the buoy provide two strong points. Although the boat is much larger in the image the colour of the buoy draws one's attention to it. 

In the end it came down to the one that pleased me most whilst meeting the criteria. Which was:

Several points in a deliberate shape - I took a whole range of photographs most of which failed to meet the need for a 'definite' shape as most of it was in the eye of the photographer and disappeared when the points appeared on the screen. One that did manage to survive the culling process is this one of a flower bed:

It arguably meets the need for a definite shape but I felt that it fails because, although the flowers are in one sense points (they are individual parts) they are insufficiently discrete one from the other. The lack of space does not allow the viewer to join the dots to make the picture.

I chose this one:

because the cones provide the points and they are far enough apart to invite the viewer to join the dots. It is a photograph of a go-kart course for young children. There was a need to walk round to isolate sufficient of the points so that sense could be made of the shape. From many angles the cones all merged into one another giving no clues at all.

Combination of Vertical & Horizontal lines - For some reason I struggled with this one. I wanted to avoid the obvious use of a building with a line of windows and pictures of fences seemed to be uninteresting. However I ended up with the very thing that I had tried to avoid. The only excuse I can make is that some interest and tension is provided by the steel coverings to the windows and the line of bolts across them.

Diagonals - Whilst there a lot of diagonals to be photographed, largely in the man-made world, I found most of them uninteresting. In the following image the attraction was the strong colours that delineated the diagonal of this child's slide.

It was a strong contender for inclusion but in the end I felt that it did not quite work. Whether it would have been better taken from a slightly different angle or more of it included are relevant questions. Failure to fully think through what I was doing and what the aim was is the lesson to be learnt from this image.

The chosen image was:

Taken in one of the greenhouses at Cambridge Botanical gardens the diagonals are provided by the roof supports and the window frames. In addition the apparent diagonals created by perspective enhance the overall image. My preference when taking photographs is architecture followed by landscapes.

Curves - although I took a number of photographs showing curves they were largely of buildings or other man-made objects. I settled on the image below fairly quickly and on further thought I should have continued to seek out other examples. Although I believe this to be a good example I stopped looking which is rather foolish.

I am sure this image attracted me because of the childhood memories it evoked although in fairness it does meet the requirements of the assignment. It is such earlier memories that allow the viewer to extend the top of the curve portrayed to where it begins at the top of the slide. The lesson learned here, for me, was that we assume that the viewer has an understanding of what it is and how it functions. It would be interesting to get a response from someone who had no idea of what was being portrayed.

Distinct, even if irregular, shape - at first this seems a relatively easy thing to go out and photograph and in many ways it was until I asked myself what was I supposed to be learning from this part of the assignment. It can be argued that everything that is solid has shape and therefore the choices are almost infinite. I reread the Course text a number of times to see if I could find a clue to what was required but found nothing.  I ended up just taking shapes that were not triangles, circles or rectangles.

The above is an example. The shape drew my attention but if I had been taking the photograph for my own reasons I would have concentrated on the grain of the wood and the way that it had been exposed by the wear caused by the sand and water by which it is surrounded. (Thought for the future - in a similar circumstance go in tight and use the figuring of the grain to discover a shape or shapes).

Of the many that I took the one I chose was:

because the stone can represent a whole series of shapes depending upon how one sees it and how the shape relates to our previous experience. There is a tendency to link something that is difficult to classify to something that exists in our memory. I did think about the Rorschach test that is claimed to reveal something about a person's personality based on the response to a series of 'ink blots'. 

Two kinds of implied triangle - I took a number of fairly similar photographs some of which worked but others required some explanation to work. What I found was that although I could see a triangle I was never too sure that others would see the same without prompting. The two chosen were:

Here we have an inverted triangle drawn from the head of the small child through the parents arms to their heads. Easy to see.

The image was taken to capture the triangle implied by the eye-lines of the three people on the right. In addition there is the triangle created by the two dogs and the man holding the leashes. There is also the implied triangle created by the eye-lines of the three men (ignoring the one half out of the picture) who are all looking at something in the distance which is unknown to us.

Rhythm - Another struggle to understand exactly what was being suggested by the use of the word 'rhythm' in photography. Even looking at the examples in the Course work they all seemed to me to be examples of patterns. The image below uses the roof line of the chalets to introduce a sense of rhythm by the regular cadence of the peaks and troughs. There is some dissonance caused by the two chalets that are out of line (most unusual for Southwold) and the hand rail in the middle of the row.

Pattern -  a much easier concept to understand and discover.  I noticed the following image whilst wandering around the Country Fair.

There is a pattern here but its regularity is spoiled by the labels and other material on view. 

I finally chose this one:

It was this particular image that made me realise how much I had been affected by the assignment. I was strolling along the promenade at Hunstanton enjoying the early morning sun when I noticed the pattern created by the steps below me and the shadows cast by the risers and the reinforcing lines of concrete. The image is a small part of a  much larger image. Although this pattern was repeated for some distance I found by close cropping one's eyes did not wander off.

Final Comments - like many of life's experiences the true value of this part of the Course will only be realised in the future as I assimilate the lessons learned into my future photography.

Assignment 2 Second Instalment

Following the less than satisfactory trip to  Cambridge (see last blog) I thought I had better broaden my horizons. There was a Country Fair at a nearby airfield on Saturday 26th June so I decided to go in the hope that I would be able to fill in some of the gaps from Cambridge.

Concentrating on finding images that met the criteria for Assignment 2 at least focused my mind on why I was there. I probably missed some really good shots that I might have otherwise seen but I did take some that could be acceptable for the assignment.

Continuing with the 'people at leisure' theme that developed from the first two outings I used the hottest day of the year so far to visit Hunstanton on the Norfolk coast, a place I have visited often. My pre-knowledge was a bonus because I had a good idea of where I could find the shots needed. An important lesson learnt - prior knowledge can go a long way in helping to meet the needs of the trip. Hopefully I now have more than enough images to submit to my tutor.

Assignment 2

Went to Cambridge yesterday to take photographs to meet the requirements of this assignment. One of the warmest days of the year and because of traffic problems didn't arrive until almost mid-day which is not the best time to be taking photographs.

Although I got images for about half or slightly more of the subject matter I found that cityscapes do not provide (or I could not see them) such things as a 'single point' and 'two points' because of the problems of background clutter and the lack of distance. The river did offer some hope of finding these with the endless stream of punts but I think I need to be there before the crowds descend. Lots of vertical and horizontal lines, curves and diagonals the challenge here being getting far enough away to limit the keystoning effect. There was also a good supply of 'rhythm' and 'pattern'.  These latter two effects really need to have angled light, either early morning or evening, to be effective. Certainly not the mid-day sun.

I am now considering whether to return to Cambridge at a better time or think of another of the suggested subjects.

The lesson learned was "Plan Ahead". My only excuse being that the trip had been planned for some time with friends. Perhaps need to run solo when on an assignment.

Assignment 1

Got my tutor's comments yesterday. Positive, although was picked up on one or two things that I need to give greater thought too. Generally relating to the detail of the photograph such as highlights and shadows.

"The Photograph" by Graham Clarke*

I have finished reading this book.  It is an attempt to answer the question 'How do we read a photograph' and this is done by presenting the reader with a large number of photographs (128) believed to be representative of both the historical development of photography and its main subject areas.  By the very selection the author excludes those photographs that may or may not support his thesis.

Inevitably the author places himself between the reader and the photograph by giving his interpretation of what is offered so that it is very difficult to 'read' the image afresh and then test your view against that offered by Clarke. You can learn a great deal about Clarke's view of the world by how he interprets each image.

Clarke does offer interpretations that are valid but they are his interpretations and are therefore only valid in a limited sense. Other interpretations are equally as valid and as we are not made privy to the reasoning of the original photographer we are left with having to make a choice or simply accepting that in the case of photography there are many versions of the truth. We should be very reticent in imposing our world view on anything particularly when interpreting the work of others.

Having said that there is a great deal to learn from the book particularly if thought is given to what is being said rather than accepting or dismissing it out of hand.

General thoughts

I am about to go out and find the photographs for Assignment 2 so I thought it would be useful to think back over what I have learnt so far.

I am fortunate in so far as I am retired and can devote a great deal of time to the Course. I believe this is helpful because it is possible to tackle a large block of the learning within a relatively short period of time. I recall from the time I was studying with the Open University and was working full-time that if there was a significant gap between one session and the next there was a need to revise the earlier learning. It is also possible for me to spend a whole day finding the photographs to take, assessing them for relevance and re-inforcing the lessons learnt.

I also adopted the practice of reading through the whole of the relevant Part of the Course and noting the required work and its aims so that when I went on a shoot I did not miss the opportunity to get the photographs I would need. Whilst fully understanding the reasons for where the exercises were placed in the Project,  if followed strictly I felt that there would be a lot of down time travelling to and from locations. For example there was an exercise where we were encouraged to take a portrait and landscape photograph of the same place but for some reason the recommendation was to take one set of 20 photographs in one format and then return to take the same shot in the other format.  I cannot see why they could not have been taken at the same time simply by turning the camera.

This exercise was in Part one: The Frame. I enjoyed this Part a great deal as it made me think more about the basics of photography and thus slowed me down when out taking photographs. I was a 'machine gun' photographer snapping in all directions simply because once the initial expenditure has been met digital photography costs very little. The more thoughtful approach and thinking about what I wanted to achieve and how best to achieve it has meant that I now get a higher percentage of acceptable images from those taken. (Still lots of room for improvement).

Part two: Elements of Design was a less happy journey although I have learnt a great deal and hopefully absorbed the learning so that it has become a natural part of my approach.

Too often I found myself thinking that the examples shown were contrived. In particular the picture of the Virgin Mary on page 63 where her eyes are not pointing in the direction arrowed and the picture on page 70 where the imposition of the triangle is in conflict with the message being conveyed by the image. The man on the left appears separate from the group not only because of the physical gap between him and the others but also because of his body language where he is attempting to isolate himself. He is also looking to his right and not at the other two people.

In part my reaction has been coloured by my underlying philosophy. Whilst design has a part to play in photography it is most obviously there in the professional world where the image is required to give a specific message. I am not sure that this ever works because the one thing that the photographer cannot control is the person viewing the photograph. We all bring our own personal baggage when viewing a photograph and can only interpret it in accordance with our experience and set of beliefs.

Presumably as I undertake the assignment my understanding will become greater.

Rhythms and Patterns

Representative of pattern. I photographed these outside a hardware store. The tight cropping suggests that the pattern will stretch beyond the image both at the top and bottom.

Representative of rhythm. The flow of the roof line with its rises and falls imposes a rhythm of its own added to by the regular setting of the windows at the bottom of the photograph.

Real and Impled Triangles

REAL

It is not surprising that most, if not all, triangles occur in man made structures. I found that they tend to occur in similar types of building i.e. those in the 'classical' style. The  image above is of a pediment that is part of a much larger structure.

The eye is inevitably drawn towards top of the image because of the bright sky but also because the brickwork appears to spiral towards that point. The photograph was taken within an old kiln that was built in the ruins of a monastery. I am not sure that it truly qualifies as an image for the exercise.  I tend to think of perspective as being of straight lines  where the effect is created by the distance between the camera and the furthest point of the image.

In this image the effect of perspective is more obvious because we assume that the columns and arches are all of the same size throughout the picture. The figure at the far point gives us some sense of the distance between the camera and the furthest point of the image and helps confirm our view about the size of the arches because no-one is that small in our experience.

IMPLIED

I carried out this exercise as required but I am still uncertain why. There is an implied triangle created by the placement of the objects and the inversion of the triangle creates a different tension within the image (the inverted triangle appears less stable).  In order to show that I had actually taken two photographs (instead of 'flipping' the first image) I re-arranged the jars. Interestingly in the inverted triangle there are now a number of more obvious smaller triangles (e.g the three orange tops and the bottom three jars).

I had taken a number of photographs of this small go-kart track but waited to see if the natural flow of the race would produce a triangular group. This image is the result.

Comment

We are asked the question in the narrative on page 71 "Why bother at all". The question is answered "a definable shape organises parts of a picture, and one of the fundamentals of design is to provide structure to an image." The series of exercises in this part of the Course have shown this to be true but that is only to be expected given that this is why they were included to do exactly that.

However I felt that in some cases the structures were contrived to fit a theory. On page 70 the image of the three figures only have a triangular relationship because of the super-imposed triangle. Looking beyond this the image is of the man on the left, separated from the other two. There is the physical gap and the position of his body turned slightly away and the eye line that is looking away and out of the picture that, to me, isolates him.

I found when I was going through my library of photographs that I was too often imposing a structure that really was not there. 

In answering the question "Why bother at all" the answer is probably is "because it can be, in a limited number of circumstances, a powerful tool in the photographers armoury." As the author says "the idea of structuring an image in a simple graphic arrangement is principally professional."

Implied Lines

I was rather thrown by this exercise particularly because the image of the Virgin Mary does not appear to be looking along the drawn in line. I was further confused by the two pictures offered for analysis because in neither case could I see the eyes.

The picture of the Matador and the bull would suggest that he is looking at the bull's horns to ensure that they pass in front of his body. However he could be looking to see how deep the wound is after he was gored by the bull. Perhaps the only safe thing to say is that he is probably looking at the bull.

The man with the two horses appears to be looking at their feet presumably to ensure that they are successfully threshing the corn.

When I went back through my library of pictures I found a range of examples where the implied line was obvious or at least reasonably certain. Usually these were where the eyes could be seen or where there was a specific point that could be seen to be the subject of the gaze. Where there was more than one person looking at the same point then this made life easier because it was easier to establish where they were looking by simple triangulation.

This image illustrates that point. The two adults who are turned away from us are both looking up and roughly towards the same area of the picture. At this point there is a young person performing a somersault. It would be safe to assume that this is the subject of their gaze.

In this image the series of triangles strongly suggest that the cars  are moving right to left and probably in a circle. The implied line is created by the points of the triangles.

Personally I found it much easier to look from right to left as the 'normal' way was uncomfortable

Curves

The curve of the sails and the slight bow wave indicate movement. The yacht is also positioned on the edge of the image that supports the feeling of movement as does the space in front of the yacht.

 

The Opera House roof in Sydney Australia was designed to represent sails and the curving of the individual elements strongly suggest movement.

In this image the curvature of the animal's back is indicative of preparation to move.  

(What cannot be seen is the keeper about to offer food to this and a number of other monkeys and subsequent behaviour was indicative of a high degree of competition with the prize going to the fastest mover)

Indication of movement is provided by the water in the channel at the side of the steps. It is also indicated by the powerful curve  and a sense of a steep descent down the steps.

General comment

Curves were not difficult to find and it was a matter of choice as to which ones to use. As I was not totally convinced that curves always imply movement I used the more obvious examples from my photographs.

Direction is not always obvious and requires interpretation on the part of the viewer.

In the first image it is self evident because we do not expect a yacht with wind in its sails to go backwards. Equally the image of the Opera House suggests that the building is 'moving' to the right. In reality it is landlocked on that side but presumably the architect wanted to give the impression of arriving in Australia rather than leaving.

With the monkey its most likely movement is in the direction of its gaze. However it could be keeping a very wary eye on something that is a threat meaning that its next move would be in the opposite direction. 

The final image is most likely be seen as going from top to bottom because of the presence of the water which does not normally flow up hill. However, to me, the steps seem to be rising so that the image can be 'read' from bottom to top.

Diagonals

This first example of diagonals in an image relies upon the effect of perspective. The lines of the roof going away from the viewer are strengthened by the lines of the balcony and the frontages of the lower shops.

The diagonals in this image of part of a roof have been photographed to create a strong abstract image. Interestingly I find that my eye is always drawn back to the centre of the image possibly because of the suggestion of a 'bend' in the trusses in the middle.  The trusses are two sides of a triangle meeting at the apex of the roof but the camera has flattened the angle offering apparently straight lines.

When taking this shot I deliberately placed myself so that the rope created a diagonal from the corner of the photograph to the bow of the boat. The effect is to draw the eye of the viewer towards the centre of the image and the main subject - the boat. 

If the subject of the photograph is heading directly towards the camera and, other things being equal,  it will appear stationary. In this particular case the angle of the people and the car they are in suggest movement because our experience tells us that such an angle is the product of speed.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

The steps seen from the underside are the most noticeable feature of the image but they are joined by the horizontal lines of the lower steps.

The horizon is the obvious horizontal in this image that is enhanced by the large area of sky. There is also the difference between the yellow of the field and the dark of the town (Southwold in Suffolk) providing a strong horizontal line.

The horizontal lines in this image are formed by the upper windows and the feature between the upper and lower windows. 

Whilst this image has strong horizontal lines both in the steps and the brickwork the nature of the image draws the eye upwards towards the light grey wall on the left and the banister rail on the right. At the top the eye notices the slight curve of the top four steps created by the light catching the worn edges.

I was unsure whether to include this image but the other two that I gave serious consideration too:-

one was of a very similar type to the horizon picture and the other the horizontal (the base of the riders platform) is perhaps dominated by the paintings underneath.

One of the other images that made it to the 'short-list:-

was also an horizon but the horizontal line is marked by the difference between the dark, almost black, of the ground and the paler evening sky. I did wonder if this was sufficiently different to warrant inclusion but in the end decided against it.

The next four images contain vertical lines.

I found this to be an easy choice. The rigidity of the figure and its dominance in the image makes it a very obvious vertical.

Here is a slightly less obvious one. The vertical nature of the fountain and its 'brightness' draws the eye towards it despite the clutter and colour around.  

Here there are verticals in abundance that are emphasised by the angular nature of the structure. 

Another dominant vertical that dominates the image. Although there has been some cropping of the original image to isolate the object from the surrounding machinery it was the eye-catching element by a long way.

The most interesting part of this exercise was finding examples that were different. Horizontal and vertical lines are not difficult to find although they majority lie in the man made environment. Of those shown above only one, the horizon, is not man made.

Multiple Points

Having wrestled with the tripod and camera to ensure stability I then found that focusing presented some problems. Originally I had used an ivory white card as a background but the camera had difficulty focussing. Changing to the background seen above resolved the problem. I also found that because of the low level of light (I didn't want to use flash) best results were obtained by using a remote control.

The second element I placed in the top right corner. It is a small vase of which only part can be seen. I used the opening of the vase to point towards the first element providing an implied line between the two.

The third element was placed so that the point was  towards the vase thus providing a visual path between the three elements. Although it could be argued that there is a triangular relationship between the three I personally feel that this is not the case because of the shape and difference in sizes.

The inclusion of the fourth element was primarily designed to provide balance by filling the void in the bottom left corner. I find that it is difficult to scan the photograph because of the strong diagonal that is broken by the out-of-line element.  Perhaps it says something of me that I feel a strong urge to push it into line. 

The fifth element was chosen for its colour and size. Its placement seems to split the image into two parts. The bottom three form a strong triangular shape that has the effect on locking the eye (the tendency is to follow the pattern of the triangle). The two other elements seem separate and I found that I have to make a deliberate effort to see them and find it difficult to resolve the tension created.

The sixth element was placed to resolve the tension by creating a second triangle and also by linking to the triangle at the bottom of the image. In doing this there is now a flow round the image that takes the eye from the red vase via the just added element to the small red object that has a slight curve to the bottom left and then back up the image.

The final element was chosen for its colour and placed so that there is a triangular relationship between the three red items that encloses a second triangle, the three pale objects. At the same time the two small red objects form another triangle with the bottom left corner element thus the whole image is tied together as one.

There are other relationships throughout the image, for example, the four sided figure created by the two small red elements and the two pointed objects. 

I have to confess that the apparently thought out approach described above is rationalisation after the event. I placed each item where I thought it fitted best and viewed the result through the viewfinder of the camera. On most occasions I had to move it slightly but I was unaware of any conscious process taking place - I placed everything so it looked right to me at the time. Furthermore I had no end result in mind when I started out and took it one step at a time. Of course the greater the number of elements present the more constrained the placement of the next element became.