Assignment 1 – Contrasts

The purpose of this assessment is to draw pairs of photos together, that are opposite and form contrasts to one another. This opposition may not be obvious and we have to think in terms of more creative contrasts than more than just obvious light and dark, but soft and hard, diagonal and rounded and so on. Looking at the photo pairs and seeing what we can see beyond the obvious and then drawing up these contrasts, that perhaps we wouldn’t normally see.

Contrast Pair:

Wooden Bench (above) SMOOTH.
Rock on grass (below) ROUGH.

Wooden Bench:

I love how this bench despite being in all weathers, has still retained its lustre and finish. You can see the grain as the sun beats down on it, hightening the smooth texture. The vivid green grass brings out the darker browns in the wood further, making this bench appear perhaps more beautiful that it should be.

Smooth:
Smooth from years of people sitting and wating for the their school children outside where this bench is placed.

Rock on Grass:

I love the textures found in this rock, it’s not a particularly attractive rock at that, made even more ugly by resting in what is lush green lawn grass.

Rough:

Certainly rough in every respect. It hasn’t changed in many years, unlike the bench, which has been been. In fact there are many contrasts that you can draw against these two; ugly / pretty, untouched / fabricated.

 

Contrast Pair:

Stone Plynth (above) ROBUST
Small Yellow Flower (below) DELICATE

Stone Plyth:

I loved how the shadow being cast by the sun, made this plyth appear more square, strong and almost out of place in it’s surroundings of natural beauty.

ROBUST:

Converting the photo to a B&W, makes this stand out more, making the object, despite not having any detail almost, appear strong and overpowering. It’s almost defiant in this photo, standing out despite of the natural beauty surrounding it everywhere else.

 

Small Yellow Flower:

This flower was taken by hand, so it’s a minor miracle I get this without too much shake on the lens. I loved how this small delicate flower appeared from nowhere, with the background acting as a perfect backdrop to it’s stunning bright and vibrant yellow.

DELICATE:

Everything about this photo is the opposite of the stone plyth. It’s delicate, will only last a few days, maybe weeks at most. It’s almost perfect in its symetry where as the plyth is a chaos of different stones, hard textures that will stand the test of time. This flower is beautiful, but fleeting, delicate, fragile and also perfect.

 

Contrast Pair:

Yellow Flowers (Top) – BRIGHT
Dirty Path (Bottom) – Dull

These photos couldn’t be more different. One vibrant and aive, bursting with colour as the flowers reach up on their stems to grab even more of the bright life giving sunlight. Instantly beautiful and mood lifting. There is a sense of health, vibrancy, living colour. Of sunny days and fresh scent. It’s alive and blooming. The contrast below couldn’t be greater. Natually there is little colour and I emphasised it more making it B&W. It’s dirty, dull and what life there is, consists of dead items, the soil is sodden and dirty, you get an immediate sense of wanting to leave it alone, to walk away from it.

 

Contrasting Pair:

Rock Graphiti – Top – Dead
Green Leaf – Bottom – Alive

I thought these two were interesting. The top feels dead, almost tomb stone like, with years of etching and scratching of names over the years. It will last an eternity, scored into the rock face at the top of a hill. It’s ugly, damaging and pointless. Yet below, on the same hill, we have the green fresh leaf, bathed in Sun, fleeting but beautiful and the complete opposite. It feels alive, feels of spring and summers, new beginnings. Where as the top image feels dead, lifeless, still.

 

Contrast Pair:

Lines / Straight – Top
Curves / Bent – Bottom

I thought these two were interesting, because they are the same essentially, fencing, gates, stopping access to a playground or car park. However, from taking the photos from different angles and of different parts of the fencing, we get a different feeling. The straight, strong lines of the top image, flat, straight, orderly. Contrasts completely with the almost smooth, flowing of the curves of the top and way the fence adds depth in the image.

 

Contrasting Pair:

Bark of a Tree – Near
Same Tree in distance – Far

This one is obvious, there is not much to read. However it is interesting, to me at least, that it’s the same tree. Here we see the detail of the bark, the scaring of a missing branch, the minutea of the tree through it’s years. Then in the more open distant view of the tree, we see it as a whole, rather than in detail. We ignore the imperfections and see it for what it is.

 

Contrasting Pair:

Cricket Field – No Frame
River & Trees – Framed

These two photos were taken at the same location, on a cricket field in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. At the back of which runs the River Severn. By facing in one direction, we have no frame, just the open cricket field and the trees in the background. It feels empty somewhat. Where as the River & Trees photo, from simply turning around from the same location and spot, we get a different feel and a totally different photo. A framed river scene, flowing, natural and framed with these lovely trees.

 

Contrasting Pair:

Fencing (Top) – Fabricated
Tree Trunks (Bottom) – Natural

I thought these two were interesting as they are essentially the same thing. One is made from the other, but still retains most of what makes the wood beautiful. The Contrast being that one is manufactured from the other, into something very different, but still, comparing the two photos, as they both lean in a similar fashion, there is a strange symmetry there too.

 

Contrasting Pair:

Panoramic Landscape View – Wide Open Space
Closed Limited Landscape View – Limited, blinkered

These two photos are quite different and contrast well I think, also in terms of the type of photos they are too, in terms of format. The top image is a panoramic image, showing the expanse of the the Shropshire plains, but below, on the same day, on the other side of the hill, we have a closed view, limited by the wall, as we peek out and try and take in the view again. One is open and spacious, free and full of light. The other feels closed and blinkered, with the hope of more if only we could see past the blinkered view created by the wall.

 

 

The Art of Photography 1 – A Student Blog by Stu Whisson

The purpose of this blog, is to act as a means to document my progress with my Open College of the Arts, BA (Hons) Degree in Photography. This blog alone will just concentrate on one course module ‘The Art of Photography 1’, with other future blogs, being associated with other modules and these will be produced as and when I move onto each module.

I do have a personal photography site, where all my work can be seen in a more traditional, pretty way www.stuwhisson.com however, for the purposes  of the course, I need to produce a blog that perhaps may not be so pretty, more functional, but also provides a no nonsense view of both my photographs, any commentary, view, review or otherwise, in a form that is easy and immediate for my tutor. So, if you’ve stumbled across this blog and want something pretty to look at, go to my website above, if you are here because you are interested in learning about my progress through out my module and also the degree (as I will link to other blogs I create from one to the other – so they can be seen as a whole), then welcome.

Just as aside, I’ve already started my first assignment on my website, but with the gentle persuasion of my tutor, was shown that it’s not really suitable for a academic work. That first assignment will be posted in this blog also.