Photographer Research- Dorothea Lange

Dorothy's Lange was a photographer who took famous photographs throughout the Great Depression. I chose her as one of my photographers because she shows journey in completely different way than anyone that I've seen before. She shows a journey that the poor families have to travel to find work, also it shows the journey from the how it was like to live during this time compared to the world that we live in now. 

This photo shows a family travelling down a dirt track , you can tell that they're poor due to the fact that they are weRing rangy clothes and the fact that they have very few possessions. Comparing it from then to now you can see the journey through time that has occurred and the changes that have happened to get us from having to travel to find work to the world that we live in now.  

A vehicle can be seen within this photo which gives the high connection to a journey. I think this photo is really very powerful as she has captured the atmosphere completely. It is black and white however I don't think that this is because of choice but what equipment she had in this time. Again there are near to no possessions tied to the car which indicates their wealth status as being rather low. 

His family siting on the back of a cart shows that during this time the whole family would have to travel around together instead of just the men, to me this means that the family doesn't have a per enact home and is probably living out of the small cart that they are siting on. This photo is really powerful to me and shows a journey in a way that impacts the way I think about how people had to travel in the past.




This is a really strongly linked photo to my theme of a journey because it shows two men walking down a dirt track probably going on their way to try and find work. The board gives the photo a comical sense because obviously the men can take the train because they are too poor. I like that she included the board within the photo as it really add to the impact.

Influence-

Dorotheas photography can influence my own work through the use of a powerful message linked with the theme of journey. I think that it would be a good idea to use black and white if I were to influence her work within my own work because it add to the idea that the people in the photo has nothing not even colour.

Overall I really like the impact that Langes photography has on the theme of journey and that inspires me to add the same style to some of my own shoots.

Photographers Research- Foster Huntington

Foster Huntington is an English photographer who has spent time travelling around in a campervan taking photos of the van and the places that he travelled to. I chose Huntington as one of my photographers because his photography shows many aspects that can relate to my theme, I also chose him because there are many different aspects of his photography that I feel I could relate to within my own work to make it better. I really like the ways he positions the van in his shots to show different aspects of his journey. I think that his series shows a journey as a collective and works best in that way.

This photo shows huntingtons camper an parked on the beach, the props or objects on top of the van show that they are planning on surfing and being quite active. I feel that the fact it's a camper van shows that they are travelling for a long period of time because if they weren't then wouldn't need a camper van they could use a normal car. The photos very light and doesn't have much colour however it still conveys a happy feel. I really like this photo as it shows journey in a nice and traditional way.








This is another photograph of huntingtons that I love, the cars parked at the edge of a cliff so you can see the landscape from a high viewpoint. I also like how he's opened up the boot so that you can see the contents of the car. The sleeping bag indicates that they are sleeping in the car which again links to long journeys. This photo shows colour and a completely different setting from the photo above, which imply a that their journey has moved forward. 

This image of Fosters has changed location from the last photo that I looked at. The setting shows mountains in the background and a handmade fire in the foreground. The campervan has been placed so that the side and rear of the van is in view for the audience. I like this photo because it looks like they've parked up for the night until the morning. There aren't many complicated camera or editing techniques within this image, I think including this could improve the photos. 





This is the first photo of his that I have seen him use two camper vans within one photo. I like this photo but I feel that it's just what you see at first then there's nothing else to the photo. There's some contrast between the darkness of the trees to the lightness of the icy floor and bright white sky. This isn't my personal favourite of huntingtons but I can see how it links to my theme. 

Influence-

I can use one aspect of huntingtons photography within my own work, this would be the use of a vehicle that is typically linked with long distance journeys. I don't think that I would want to apply any other aspect of his images. 

Overall Project Evaluation

The final pieces of my photography have been influenced immensely by the photographers that I have researched. I have been able to identify certain aspects of their work that connect with my theme of the journey so that I could develop or use them within my own photographs. An example of this is Lee Friedlander 'America by Car' photography series where he photographed different cities and places across America from the window of his car. I was able to use and replicate this using my own resources and produce a strong series of photographs that show a journey. If there was anything within any of the photographers photos that I didn't like or that didn't fit with the theme then this would help me make decisions on how I could develop them into something that works better, which would also therefore be a unique idea that I myself included within the shoot. From all of the research I can positively say that I have learnt the many different types of techniques and the ways in which they can be incorporated with a journey photography shoot, such as texture.
I have gained new insights into the technical processes and aesthetic processes during this project. A technical aspect that I found worked really well in the majority of shoots that I produced was holding the camera at a low angle, this widened the shot and gave my main object a bigger status within the photo, which then made it more eye-catching for the audience. I feel that using this in some photos added emphasis onto what I was trying to show. An aesthetic process that I learnt within the journey theme was a new way in presenting my work, this was done through the different techniques that I experimented with, as it gave me an insight into what improves the photographs and what doesn't.
Overall I feel that my work that responds to the exam paper shows my chosen topic and has developed on new ways in which a journey can be presented. I am extremely proud of my shoot where I photographed people walking about in town as it shows peoples everyday journeys, while including other indications of journey such as buses. I think that my editing decisions are good and compliment each shoot in its own way, another example is the horse riding photographs. I had to edit these photos the most out of any other shoot, I changed the sky to one that was a brighter blue with white clouds because I wanted the overall picture to feel magical and enchanted, I also used Photoshop to include more grass in some images. This was long editing process for myself as I was trying to learn how to do it on my own, therefore I am happy with how they turned out.
I can see areas that would need improving upon so that the images can be of better quality and a higher standard. One area like this would be more shoots, I feel that if I had taken more photographs that show a journey in different styles then there would be more contrast within the photos and more of a area that has been covered within my work. I feel that colour could have been included within my photographs more, even though this isn't a specification for journey photography. The techniques that I did use within my photography links to the theme however I would have liked it if I had tried more complex techniques that show a wider and more diverse set of computer and camera skills. Overall I am happy with the work that I have produced throughout these photoshoots and can identify places which would use some improvements but all in all my theme can strongly be seen in all photos that I have created and for that I feel that my work is at a good level that I can be proud of.

Framing

Repetition

Connecting Essay 5

This is a photograph by Ben Gold, in this image he has photographed the rear view mirror as the main aspect of the image, so that the viewer can view whats going on behind the car. The camera isn't so close to the mirror therefore you can still see the setting that is in front of the car. The image is in colour and seems really sunny and happy. There is no model or person within the photo its all just car parts and location.

This is a photograph that I took to portray a journey. I have got a close up shot on the side mirror in my car showing the scenery behind. The frame around the mirror is out of focus which allows the viewer to focus their attention on the inside of the photo. I have included a road and cars diving to indicate a journey. I didn't edit the photo in black and white however the setting that my car was parked in didn't have much colour itself which makes it appear as if the image has been changed to black and white. I haven't included any people within my images on purpose anyone that is in the shot were just walking by at the time.

I used Ben Gold as an influence when planning this shoot therefore there are similarities between his work and my photo. For example we have both used a mirror to show whats happening behind the car at that point in time. My photo is a close up however whereas Golds mirror is only in the centre of the photo. We both had included and left that natural colour within the photos, Ben Golds just looks more vibrant due to the sunshine and surroundings. A road can also be seen within both of our images, this is the aspect of both photos that link to travelling and a journey.

Work Record Shoot 4

What I was hoping to achieve-
In this shoot I was hoping to achieve the goal of photographing my own personal journey from my perspective of walking the streets at night time. I wanted to include street lights, parked cars and other aspects of nightlife on the streets. In the editing stages I hope to be able to use different techniques to make the photos look more interesting and so that the journey aspect of each image can be magnified. Techniques included selective colour and the use of texture. I wanted to influence the street light in the images so that they were the only source of light in the whole shot.

What I actually achieved-
I was able to photograph from my point of view of me travelling around the streets, also the lighting from the street lamps were hugely influenced within all of my images which was something I really wanted to include within this shoot. I did use some techniques whilst editing for example smudge and duotone which worked really well and looks really nice. Parked cars and roads of the street are what I mostly photographed, I think with the added orange ting from the street lamps as well that the images visually turned out really nicely.

This is my favourite image from the range that I have produced, this is because the building and surroundings in the photo look really appealing and are completely different from anything in this shoot that i have photographed. I like that the orange ting of the street lights can be seen in the background because this is something that I really wanted to include in these images. I like how the building has shadows on one side that leads into darkness but at the same time blends with the rest of the photo. 

This is my least favourite photo out of all of them. The one thing that In love about this image is the colour that resinates from the light because it flows and fills the entire picture besides the black sky. The quality of this image is poor and not seriously clear, it seems a slight amount blurred. Another thing that i dislike about the photo is the way in which the street moved across the image because it has no significant difference from anything else in that section of the photo. I also don't feel that this is linked in with journey beside the point that its from my perspective. I feel that it could have been improved if a motion blur had been included to indicate movement within the photo.

Camera set up-
I used a Panasonic camera with a Olympus M.12-40mm f2.8 lens. I changed the Exposure to 1/60 secs, f2.8 and ISO 12800.

What I plan on doing next-
If I were to do another shoot then I would have liked to photograph cars in the day time from a side angle. I would want the photos to have loads of colour and be really vibrant because its not been included within my journey shoot much. I would want the framing of the photo to be very straight and have certain sections such as road-car- then above the car.

Overall I feel that this shoot could have gone better and that I could have included my theme throughout more. However some of the images look really nice due to the lighting and techniques that I have included.

Sharpen

Blur

Invert

Work Record Shoot 3

What I was hoping to achieve-
With this shoot I was hoping to capture images of someone taking a journey down paths in a wooded area. I wanted to use a prop that signifies a journey such as a backpack and take images from behind the model of her moving forward away from the camera. With the feel of the images I am hoping to add in a sinister genre that conveys the woods and the journey they are travelling as scary and unhappy. Im thinking about having them move through the trees swell as down paths to show them travelling through different terrains, this could be good also to show texture.

What I actually achieved-
I used a female model within this shoot, I had her wearing a backpack like I wanted to indicate that she is travelling and taking a journey. The setting that the photos were in is woods which had loads of paths for her to travel down. I believe that I achieved the sinister and unhappy feel in the photos I did this by decreasing the saturation and vibrance of the photos so that they only have a slight amount of colour that isn't bright in any way. Overall I believe that I achieved what I had hoped to at the beginning before I photographed.

This is my favourite photo out of all that I have edited, this is because I feel that the theme of journey can be seen clearly. Also because all the elements that I had been hoping to include were all incorporated within this photo. I am happy with how the editing looks in this image because it definitely  conveys a scary and sinister feel that I was hoping for. The photo looks clear which was problem for some of my other photos in this shoot. 

This is probably my least favourite out of all of the images that I have produced this is because its not completely in focus also the editing has made it look darker and the jacket starts to blend in with the dark shadows of the trees. I think that journey can be seen within this photo but I really don't think that all of the elements work well together to make the photo look appealing to the eye.

What am I going to do next-
In my next photography shoot I am going to be taking photographs at night to show my own personal journey through the streets at night time. Im going to be taking photos of parked cars and streets with the street light as the only thing lighting the photographs. I think that using selective colour might be nice in this shoot also duotone would be a really nice technique to try and include.

Overall I am happy with the photos that I produced as I have used a different genre than what I have used in any photography shoot. I do think that a journey can be seen within these photos and am happy with my work.

Work Record Shoot 2

What I hope to achieve-
With this shoot I was hoping to use suitcases as my main objects within the photos and filling them with different items of clothing that all link to a certain place, this would then create the idea that someone is going to travel to a certain country. In the editing stages I would want to try and create a multiple imagery to show a contrast between each of the different props. Im hoping to keep them in colour as I feel that it would be easier to see the items that describe the location that would be travelled to.

What I actually Achieved-
I was able to photograph suitcases that hold different specific items that relate to beach, ski and formal holidays. I experimented with the editing and used multiple imagery and selective colour, I only edited two photographs in this shoot and used the different techniques on each photo. I also did manage to keep one of my straight images in colour which I think worked really well but the other only has a selected  amount that stays in colour, I am happy with this one also because the passport which is what is in colour is what I wanted to be the main focus of the photo.

I don't have a favourite photo from this shoot, however this one I am extremely happy with. The technique of selective colour fits in really nicely in the photo and draws the viewers eye to the passport, which is what I wanted. Usually when I do a selective colour you can tell the difference between the colours of the passport and the black and white image, however with this image the transition from the selected area and the black and white is really clear and makes the photo look natural. Therefore this is one of my favourite photos from all of my photographs overall.

I really like this image also because the multiple imagery shows the journey from one place to another that each photo is representing. I also am happy with how the white flooring smoothed out in the editing and didn't show any cracks in the flooring. I feel that this photo could be improved using more props in some of the photos because the suitcases in two of the images look a bit bare and therefore don't keep up to par with they entire photo.

What am I going to do next-
Next I would like to photograph something completely differ as I feel that showing contrast in my shoots would be nice overall. Therefore I would then like to photograph in a wooded area that has lots of paths, I would want to use a model for this shoot also to link in with the journey of a singular person.

I really enjoyed photographing this shoot as it was a lot of planning and placing props, so it has been a new experience for me compared to any of my other shoots for this theme.

Work Record- Shoot 1

What I hope to achieve-
With this shoot I am hoping to replicate the style of photography that Lee Friedlander uses within his 'America by Car' photo series. Although I want to add in my own touch to give the photos a slightly different and more unique feel. I would like to take images from inside my car looking out onto the street, capturing certain aspects of my interior, for example side mirror, steering wheel and dashboard, whilst still showing the location surrounding the car. I am hoping to edit the shoot in black and white such as how Friedlander does with his own, this is because I feel that it would allow the viewers eye to focus on the journey instead of the various colours that change with each location. I would like to show that I can take aspects of different photographers work and apply them to my own . The overall photo should show contrast between the inside and outside of the car and clearly convey the aspect of travel.

What I actually achieved-
I was able to replicate Lee Friedlanders work quite well, by using the interior of my car and the surrounding locations. I didn't leave my own mark on the photography as much as I had hoped to which means that the photos look exactly the same as the photographers. I managed to include wing mirror, dash board and steering wheel as well as other aspects into the images. During the editing stage I used black and white as the overall colour like I had hoped to do before shooting, it does make it easier for the journey to be seen rather than other eye catching features. I feel that the overall photo does show contrast between the inside and outside of the car and I was able to capture the theme of journey within my work.




This is my favourite photo out of all of the ones that I decided to edit. The reason for this is because the contrast between the outside and inside of the car is clearly different through the lighting. The inside greys seem darker compared to the closer to white outside. I also really like how I managed to include a range of elements of the car within the photo all at once, this is what I was aiming for when planning this shoot. The angle that I have shot it in looks really appealing also and gives the image many different layers for the viewer to look at, for example the two windows create framing for the outside, the inside of the car and the shapes created there and the side mirror that allows the viewer to view the scenery behind as well as what the camera has captured in front.  Therefore I am extremely happy with how this image turned out and feel that its my best piece of work from this shoot.


Out of all of the images that I edited from this shoot this is my least favourite. This is because the car is very plain and doesn't show the audience anything other than the side mirror that links it to being inside a car, I feel that it would have looked better if it had other objects to imply travel and journeys. Also I feel that the surroundings outside look closed off and very flat, there nothing that you can look past to be able to see anymore. However I do like the wing mirror and how it shows the path and parked car behind because it gives the photo a more interesting factor to it, which in my eyes makes it better. The editing stays within the theme that I used for the other photos, which is what makes it work so well within the series but on its own I don't feel that its anything to want to look at and study that clearly indicates journey.

Camera set up-
I used a Panasonic camera with an Olympus M.12-40mm F2.8 lens. I set the exposure at 1/80secs, F/9 and ISO1600.

I started off editing this image by adjusting the curves and levels, this was to brighten the photos and to create more of a noticeable difference between the lighter and darker areas once I had turned it into black and white. To coincide with Lee Friedlanders photography I then transformed the images into a black and white overall colour. I did this by going to image on the top tool bar, the adjustments and clicking the black and white option. This then transformed the photographs into the black and white setting that I wanted. The editing stage within this shoot was rather easy and didn't take me much time.

What am I going to do next-
For my next shoot I feel like progressing and trying to show journey through props such as suitcases and passports, I feel that this is a really subtly and vintage way of conveying my theme. Id like to show journey to different places through clothing and accessories that would be worn and used within different countries and weather conditions, it would show the before mass of travelling and a journey with indications on the future aspect of the trip.

I really enjoyed using Lee Friedlander as an idea for this shoot and the work that I have produced meets up standards that I set during the planning stage. I do wish that I had used more of my own ideas within the shoot to give the photos a fresher perspective however even without inputting my own ideas I am happy with the photographs produces and feel that they show journey as a unit in a clear and interesting way.

Connecting Essay 4

This is a photograph by William Eggleston he's used a sign to indicate the journey within this image, he's placed it close to the centre of the photo to indicate that its the main focus of the photo. He's famously known for his influence of colour within his photographs, this can be seen in this photo as it gives a high saturation feel to the photos. A road can be seen on the right hand side which is another indication of journey for this photo. 

This is my own image that I have taken as a part of my journey photography series. I decided to take the photo with the signs as the main focus this was because they indicate direction and are often used by people who are on a journey. The whole setting was really lovely and I wanted to capture the road within the image also. Its been edited into a black and white format, I decided to do this because even though the colours in the original photo looked amazing I wanted the photo to be looked at and studied which I felt would be done if it was in black and white.

I actually had taken inspiration from Egglestons photo when photographing this shot myself. Therefore there are some key similarities between the two images. Firstly they both have signs as the main feature of the photo, as well as this the whole setting of the photo is very similar with the road on the right hand side of the image. The one key difference between both photos is the presence of colour, Eggleston has included it within his images whereas I decided to use black and white.

Fading

Final Pieces

Electronic portfolio from darbysavage1

Photographers Research- William Eggleston

William Eggleston is an American photographer whose work is widely linked to colour photography. However his photography also has many links into the journey style photography. I have chosen Eggleston as one of my photographers because his influence of colour within his photos are quite unique and give a completely diverse feel than any other journey photography that I have been able to look at. His aspects of era specified objects within his photos allow the viewer to understand the time in his career that the photo was shot in. Personally, I connect to his photography a lot and find many different things about each photo that speaks to me.

This photo is interesting on so many levels, starting with the low angle that Eggleston has decided to shoot with it gives a different viewpoint of showing a car, whilst allowing the road to fill the bottom half of the image. The blue of the car is the brightest aspect of the image which draws the viewers attention. The car itself is what links this image to journey for me. Another reason the viewers eye is drawn to the car is because of his use of depth of field, the front half of the photo is completely out of focus until the road leads up towards the car and the image becomes focused. I like this image and the connections to journey can be seen, however I feel that it could be applies more within the photo so that at first instant the viewer can tell that journey is what should seen when looking at the photo. 

Colour is what drew my eye to this photo at first, the bright colours from the blue sky, green building and red signs. The theme of journey and travelling can be assumed through the fact that there is an esso sign hanging and as we know esso is a brand of petrol station. I personally link petrol station in with journeys because on long journeys there can be many stops to fill up the petrol tank. Another reason is because of the cars driving down the road and parked at the station. This is one of my favourite photos from Egglestons range because of the combination of colour and signs makes it different from anything I've seen in the journey genre. 

This is another of my favourite images from William Egglestons series because of his use of one sign as the main focus for the image. The bright red indicates that its what should be mostly looked at in the image. He shows journey in way without using any vehicles or modes of transport which I like and think is refreshing within journey photography. The photo looks as though its been slightly burned because it hasn't got that clear crisp pixelation. I feel that this is an area with this photo that could be greatly improved to make the photo look better overall. 

I can see the theme of journey within this photo because it makes me think to bathrooms that are in hotels and motels, which are places that people stay in when on a journey or whilst travelling. Again colour is a strong component with this image as the pink overtakes the entire image. I do like this image and I feel that it can relate to journey however I would use this specific image to influence my own work because it has no link with anything that I have already photographed and wouldn't particularly work within my own personal series of photography. 

Influence-

There are certain aspects of William Egglestons photography that I am planning on including within my own work such as his influence of colour within his work. Including this is important for me because it would show camera skills and also because it would show a contrast between a large quantity of my photographs that have been photographed or edited in black and white. I would also like to influence the use of signs within my photography, its a unique object to use that most people wouldn't initially think of when thinking of my theme, therefore making my own work more engaging. 

Summery-

Overall I can identify aspects of his work that works well with my own theme and others that I could develop and change to link in with journey. I think he is a very talented photographer and there are many photographs if his that I personally love. 

Image within Image

Multiple Imagery

Connecting Essay 3

This a photograph by the photographer Yuval Yairi, he has captured the theme of journey within the image by imprinting a photo of a childhood place onto a suitcase. This photo links to journey on more than one platform. He shows a journey from the place on the suitcase to the setting that he is photographing in no. Another way is through the use of a suitcase as it is an object that is immediately connected with travelling and journey taking. He has places the suitcase in the centre of the image, it nearly inhabits the whole space however leaves some room for the viewer to see where he is photographing, which in this case is a field. He has used colour within the image that makes me think that he wants to show the overall image in a happy light. 

This is a multiple imagery photograph that I have taken as a part of my own journey photography series. The photo shows four suitcases that hold different contents. Each suitcase indicates a different journey through the props. I places the suitcases within the centre of each shot so that the viewers eye will be focused on looking inside, I used a white background as well for this purpose. The photos I edited in colour because I felt that with this shoot it should convey a happiness, due to the fact that theres a possibility of travelling to contrasting locations. 

The similarities between the two photos can be seen, I do feel that there aren't that many however the few similarities that there are can obviously be seen. Firstly the use of colour within both photos creates the same feeling and lets the viewer know that they should feel happy when looking at both photos. Another thing in common is the use of a suitcase as the main object and an indication of where they will be travelling to or from. Yairi uses photo printed on the suitcase to show this whereas I have used props that link to specific locations and weathers. I feel that the link to journey can be seen as the main theme within both photos and the strong similarities between the two photos.