Artist research - Justin Quinnell

Justin Quinnell

Justin Quinnell is a photographer which specializes in pinhole photography. Quinnell's pinhole photography is very abstract. The context of which he has taken some of his pictures in are 20 years ago and of living art. 

As you can see from the photograph above the image is of a persons hand but the perspective is from the ground.  The image was clearly taken on a bright day, with the camera facing away from the sun. Quinnell used the vignetting effect of his camera to give the feel that the hand was the dominant feature of the picture.

Some of Quinnell's pin-hole pictures also show a different perspective to the way things are viewed in life. For example, this picture here, shows the Point Of View (POV) of a persons mouth. The way the lighting is constructed makes the babies head seem small and "chewable". The picture has a very similar vignetting effect to the first one but this time, it gives the effect that the mouth is engulfing the babies head. The whole image has a slight, blue-ish tint and a grainy effect.

The image above shows the curvature of the paper in the camera and it looks almost like its been taken using a fisheye lens. The image was taken using a long exposure time. The long exposure time blurs moving objects which are captured by the camera. However this specific image is a solargraph. Solarography is a technique in which a pinhole camera is fixed and cannot move. It is then used to expose photographic paper for an extended period of time (sometimes half a year). It is most used to show the path the sun travels across the sky. 

I find Quinnell's work rather captivating. This is due to the range of work he produces. So far his work has inspired me to use forced perspective in my work, just like he uses in a lot of his images. He has also inspired me to do some of my own Solar graphs. I think Quinells work is very popular because of the small pinhole camera he uses in his mouth! It gives his images a new perspective that many viewers havn't seen before and this is very captiving. I also think his solar graphs are so entrancing because i dont think many people are aware that photography can be stretched to such lengths and capture such beauty. The only flaw I can find in Quinnells work is the size of the pinholes he uses. Because the cameras are so small the photographic paper that he uses must be very small aswell. The problem with this is that enlarging the images causes a lot of noise  on the photograph therefore there are limitations as to how large it could be enlarged or printed. 

Artist research - Man Ray

Man Ray

Man Ray, born August 27th 1890, was an american modernist that spent most of his time in Paris, France. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties with both are informal. He produced work in a range of media but considered himself a painter at heart. He was best known in the art world for his 'avant-garde' photography and he was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. Ray is also known for his photograms which he called 'rayographs' in reference to himself. During his time as an artist Ray allowed few details of his early or family life. He even refused to acknowledge that he has any other name other than Man Ray. The surviving pieces of Ray's early art show that from the beginning of his artistic career he was a great fan of the avant-garde, modernistic art. In 1963 he published his biography 'Self Portrait' which was then republished in 1999. He died in Paris on November 18th 1976 from a lung infection. 

Here are some examples of his work: 

I like Man Ray's work because he pushed the boundaries of art and the boundaries of what was acceptable and I admire him for that! He produced quite the range of photographs in his time and did his fair share of photo manipulation and he wasnt scared to try something new. I think Rays images work so well because at the time they were very controversial.  He also (obviously) created all of his work in the dark room, which in my opinion is very skilfull! The only thing I think could work better with man rays work would be the clarity , but obviously due to the times he was working in and the means he was working with this is to be expected. I would love to recreate some of man rays work digitally to see what they would look like. 

Artist research _ Maggie Taylor

Maggie Taylor

Maggie Taylor received her BA degree in philosophy from Yale University in 1983 and her MFA degree in photography from the University of Florida in 1887. After more than 10 years as a still-life photographer she started to use computers to create her images in 1996. Taylor's images have been presented in one-person exhibitions all over the U.S and many other countries in both public and private locations. In 1996 she received State of Florida's individual artist's fellowship. In 2004 she won the Santa Fe Center of Photography's project competition. Here are some examples of her work: 

Maggie Taylor uses a lot of texture in her work and thats what i like most about her work. The contrast between the pallet of colours that maggie uses in her images are very soft and pleasing to the eye. She takes very innocent images and turns them into something quite dark and almost sinister. Almost like lorretta luxs photography, there just isnt something quite right about it. Whilst Maggies work intrigues me and there is a lot of focus, effort and creativity put into her images, this necessitates a prolonged production process. This results in a very detailed end product with depth, perspective and attention to light to produce a soft almost glowing effect. Maggies work has inspired me to use montage in my final work. 

Artist research - Erik Johansson

Erik Johansson

 Erik Johansson is a swedish photographer born in 1985. Erik was an enthusiastic drawer as a child, due to his grandmother who was a painter, and became interested in computers very early on. At the age of 15 he was bought his very first digital camera and became involved with photography. Having an interest in computers it made it all very easy and natural for Erik to start playing around with the images and creating things that you couldn't catch on camera. In 2005 he moved to Gothenburg to study computer engineering at Chalmers University Of Technology, in which he revisited his love for retouching images. After publishing some of his work online he started to get commissioned work from local agencies. After finishing his studies with a Masters in Interaction Design he moved to Norrköping in the eastern part of sweden and became a full time freelance artist. In 2012 it was time for something new and he moved to Berlin, Germany, a very artistic and inspirational city. Today he still works on both personal and commissioned projects but the personal projects will always be most important to him. Here are some examples of Erik's work: 

December

As I said in my previous post, for our project we have to produce two-four images (at least one digital and one analogue) for a december themed issue of Oh Comely magazine, so I have decided to do some research as to what happens in december as opposed to the obvious like christmas and new year. 

December 1st: World AIDS Day: 

World AIDS day, observed on the 1st of December every year, is dedicated to raising the awareness of the AIDS pandemic, caused by the spread of the HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day usually with speeches and forums on the AIDS topic. Since 1995 the president of The United States has made a proclamation on world AIDS day. Governments of other countries have followed suit and made similar announcements. 

December 2nd: Cyber Monday


Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the monday after Black friday, the friday following Thanksgiving in the united States. The term 'Cyber Monday' was created by companies to persuade customers to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28th 2005. Cyber Monday quickly became one of the biggest shopping days of the year with a 77% increase of sales on this day. 

December 3rd: World Disability Day

The 'International Day Of People With Disability' is an observance promoted by the United States since 1992 and it has been celebrated with varying degrees of success around the planet. The observance of the day is to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, well-being, and rights of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. 

December 5th: Walt Disney's Birthday

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5th 1901 and died on december 15th 1966. He was an American business magnate, animator, producer, director, screenwriter and voice actor. A major figure within the American Animation Industry and throughout the world, he is regarded as an international icon. As a Hollywood business mogul, he and his brother Roy O. Disney, co-founded The Walt Disney Productions, which later became one of the best known motion picture producers in the world. 

December 8th: Bodhi Day

Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddah, Siddhartha Gautauma, experienced enlightenment, also known as Bohi in Sanskrit and Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a peepal tree and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering and how to liberate oneself from it.

December 21st: Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is the time at which the sun appears at noon at the lowest altitude above the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Southern solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its southernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs on December 21 to 22 each year. In the Southern Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its northernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs on June 20 to 21 each year. The solstice itself may have been a special moment of the annual cycle of the year even during neolithic times. Astronomical events, which during ancient times controlled the mating of animals, sowing of crops and metering of winter reserves between harvests, show how various cultural mythologies and traditions have arisen.

December 21st: National Flashlight Day

National Flashlight Day is celebrated every year on December 21st. It is not known as to where the holiday comes from but some believe it may have come about from all the late night visits with family and friends during the holidays! In 1896 the first dry cell battery was invented. Unlike previous batteries, it used a paste electrolyte instead of a liquid. This was the first battery suitable for portable electrical devices, as it did not spill or break easily and worked in any orientation.

December 26th: Boxing Day Tsunami

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake. The resulting tsunami was given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, South Asian tsunami, Indonesian tsunami, and the Boxing Day tsunami.

The earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (98 ft) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

With a magnitude of Mw 9.1–9.3, it is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. The earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre (0.4 inches) and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Indonesia. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $14 billion (2004 US$) in humanitarian aid. This isnt an actual holiday, however it is remembered by everyone and every boxing day it is in our hearts. I personally think it would be nice if it was an observed holiday each year, as it was a ruining time in all of our lives.

Oh Comely Magazine

For this project, we have to produce 2-4 images ( at least one digital and one analogue) on the topic of December for a magazine called Oh Comely. On the Oh Comely magazine website they have written 'It is a magazine that makes people smile, full of quiet moments and stories. Read it with a cup of tea or a toddy.

It inspires people to be creative, talk to their neighbours and explore new things. There are adventures that capture the feeling of being free, stories from people with tales to tell, recipes to warm your heart, and crafty things to make. All these things, wrapped up in beautiful words, illustration and photography.' 

I have found that the magazine is targeted at a specific audience, maybe the post-grad 23-35, 'artsy' kind of people, in my opinion. Its very simple and the layout isn't anything out of the ordinary. There is a lot of white used in the magazine and it almost reminds me of a gallery. They have an online archive of past issues and a separate blog about the magazine aswell. Each issue seems to have a different theme, the current issue as im writing this is about space. 

Double exposure

In photography Multiple exposures refer to a single image made up of multiple images. Double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images made into one. The exposure values of the images do not have to be the same. In the analogue world a multiple exposure is a technique as to where the shutter of a camera is opened more than once to expose the film multiple times usually to different images. On a camera this technique is achieved by bracketing and shooting the images 1 stop under exposed. 

Here are some examples:

Here is how I made my images digitally: 

First of all i opened both images that i wanted to merge.

Then I dragged the top image over onto the bottom image.

Then i turned down the opacity on the top image so i could see the bottom image through it. 

Then I used the free transform tool to stretch the top image until it fit over the bottom image. 

Then I changed the opacity until I was happy with the image.

This was my final result:

Double exposures are something I use quite a lot, i like the effect. I think double exposures work well because they give an image a whole new meaning of depth. I think planned double exposures work a lot better, even though you sometimes get lucky with the mistakes! 

Mirror Images

Mirror images in photography are an image that has been rotated or 'flipped' as to create an exact copy of the original image as if you were looking into a mirror. Another addition to this is to replicate the image and position it and add an effect so that it looks more like a reflection. This effect can be achieved quite easily using Photoshop.

Here are some examples of mirror images: 

Here is how i made my images.

First I opened my image in Photoshop and made a copy of the layer.

Then I made a not of how big the image was so that I could make a new canvas to place the images on for the mirrored effect. I chose to mirror my image horizontally.

I made a new canvas at 48.22 cm wide and 36.31 cm high and 300 pixels per inch resolution.

Then I dragged one of the images onto the new canvas.

Then I flipped the original image horizontally.

I then moved the flipped image onto the canvas and positioned them.

This was my end result.

Sepia

I've always been a fan of Sepia images, I like the feel they give the picture. 

Today I made my own in Photoshop, and its very easy!

First i converted my image to greyscale, make sure you use the adjustments panel so that it adds a new layer and you also get this dialog box. 

There is then a little box that comes up with the word 'tint', click that box.

The drop down box at the top of the dialog box allows you to change the colour of the tint. 

This is the colour i used and this is my final result. 

I use the sepia effect in my work quite a lot and ive become quite a fan of it over the years. I think it almost gives the viewer a new take on the image almost like it has a history. After doing some research I found that a lot of people have thought it looks very fake when done digitally but i disagree. I think if its done well, it looks very good.

Nadav Kander style

Kander is famous for his portraits and has photographed many celebrities in his career. His portrait of Gary Barlow really stands out to me. 

Today I used Photoshop to create my own 'Nadav style' portrait.

The first step I took was to convert my image to greyscale. 

Then I made a copy of that layer.

Then I turned the opacity down to 35%. 

Then I used the move tool to move the copied layer slightly to the left. 

Then i added a layer mask and used a black brush tool to take away the movement effect from her face. 

Then I flattened my image and created a copy layer. 

Then i added a gradient to my image to give it some colour.

Then I changed the blend mode of my image to get the result I was looking for. I used Overlay. 

This was my final result. 

Kander's work stood out to me because its different. He's taken a completely different look at the simple portrait and it works remarkably well! I'd never seen anything like Kander's work before I was recently introduced to him and I was instantly captivated! I think his work is so popular because even though its so simple, its so different!