For my pastiche photo's , I decided to focus upon the photographers, Robert Adams and Brassai, imitating the photos, “On Signal Hill” and ‘Paris after Dark, No.27’, 1933.
For this task I had to imitate the photographic language of the images by
researching and reproducing compositional form, camera setting, lighting conditions, depth-of-field, and scale. My work had to recreate the artistic and feeling/mood of my chosen images. My images show a reconstruction of the visual style of the chosen reference photos.
On Signall Hill
For my pastiche photo, I decided to focus upon the artist Robert Adams, researching the image titled “On Signal Hill”.
The subject of Adams black and white photographs document the evolving landscape of the American West and the impact human destruction has on our environment. The visual strength of the destruction creates a strain, recording the documentary of human’s interference, and the anxious control over landscape.
The conflict in landscape between cultural occurrence, emphasizes the environment before the American growth both in residential and commercial development, is an important aspect in relation towards Adams work.
The two thin trees in the photo, overlook the grey fogged, compact landscape of the photo “ On signal hill”. The trees frame the remote view of the settlement city, embracing the concept about 'communal landscape‘, I also think the trees depict the threat of industrial growth, and how the objects convey an elderly appearance, (trees being around for many of years) This suggests the old I watching over the new , almost reminiscing what was young, and new. The object of the trees are used as a normal everyday life reminder of what is naturally seen as a natural beauty in the landscape environment. The sense of scale and cluttered, unstable perspective, contradicts the medium used in traditional landscape photography. Horizons are often used in artistry and landscape photography, to convey a scene of everlasting land, a stability between land and sky. Although when observing long beach California, the photo looks challenged, struggling with the balance between man and land.
Both Ansel Adams and the photographer Timothy O'Sullivan share similar qualities. Both artists have managed to capture the dignity and greatness of vast open space and landform. There are similarities of the method Friedrich has also used to represent land. This reflects towards peoples attitudes, and how a landscape can bring pleasure, whereas today landscape sometimes can be overlooked.
Robert Adams "On Signal Hill overlooking Long Beach California 1983"
Gelatin silver printDimensions: 16 in. x 19 7/8 in.
When taking my own photos, I tried to capture a similar style as Adams imagery. I captured several components from the original composition, and used these aspects in my pastiche photo.
For example, I used a small aperture on the mamiya Rz camera, as this enabled me to gain more detail, and structure in the photo. I also experimented with high view points, as this enables me to construct a similar method between the nature and city positioned both in the foreground and background.
On the day of my shoot I tried to photograph on an overcast day, as I wanted my image to relate well towards Ansel Adams composition. I also waned to emphasize the natural forms such as the trees and natural landscape scenery as this will frame the image drawing the public eye's attention.
I tried some test shots, but have decided to re-shoot as the sky was seen as blue applying a pictoresque style, and the standard lens i had was not suitable for this type of shot, therefore will borrow a 210 or 240 lens, as this will make the viewer feel more involved, emphasizing the main subject of human industrilization impacting on natural landscape.
DIGITAL PHOTO`S
When retaking my pastiche photos, I tried to capture a similar style as Adams imagery. I captured several components from the original composition, and used these aspects in my pastiche photo. For example, I used a small aperture on the mamiya Rz camera, as this enabled me to gain more detail, and structure in the photo. I also experimented with high view points, as this enables me to construct a similar method between the nature and city positioned both in the foreground and background.
On the day of my shoot I tried to photograph on an overcast day, as I wanted my image to relate well towards Ansel Adams composition. I also waned to emphasize the natural forms such as the trees and natural landscape scenery as this will frame the image drawing the public eye's attention. I captured some test shots, but re-shot as the images did not come out the way I wanted.
When capturing my final images I explored many areas, as I wanted my pastiche to be a direct imitation of my original photo. I wanted to imitate the language, reproducing the same compositional form, camera setting, lighting conditions, depth of field and scale etc… I wanted my final photo to reconstruct the visual aesthetic and feeling/mood, and not capture my interpretation. Unfortunately due to time, I was unable to locate a destination that was identical as the original photo.
I think it captures a similar image, but found the task challenging due to the season and the display of no leaves on the trees. This became an issue and due to time I had no choice but to copy a similar style.
ASSESSMENT
For the environment project I had to produce three images that I thought represented my perception of the ‘landscape’. The year group and I had to also produce a pastiche reflecting a certain image. We had to analyse and recreate similar compositions, theme, framing and type of film ( black and white or colour?)
For my pastiche I chose the image ` On Signal Hill` by Robert Adams. When recreating this image I found it hard to choose a suitable location that I thought best reflected and was similar to the original photo. Due to time, I took some test shots of the place where I thought I could photograph was Blue Bell Hill. When creating my test shoots I tried to think of the composition and theme. I don’t think the photo was perfect, as I knew with more time I could research into better locations, and practice my darkroom printing. Therefore had to reshoot.
When shooting my own choice of 3 images, it enabled me the freedom to express my own viewpoint about the landscape around me. All three shots centred around the concept of looking at the relationship between humans and the environment, and what effect this question had on the landscape environment. In each photo I tried to represent my chosen theme (deforestation) and what effect it could have. My inspiration for this series of work was by the photographer Thomas Struth and how he reflects upon this chosen topic. When viewing the images you notice the composition is similar as I tried to create a sense of confinement through the use of trees and structures. I wanted to symbolise the control that man has on landscape. I think in each image there is a sign of human invention on landscape highlighting a political manner of greed for resource.
When looking back I do think I could have shown my images in a more noticeable aspect, maybe travelling to a different location and finding valuable research about deforestation. When reshooting I would like to experiment with using different angles and heights, as this could vary my shots, and play around with the concept of confinement and the straining relationship between man and land.
For my reshot of my environment pastiche, i thought i could research other pieces that came from Adams series 'Los Angeles Spring' to get an idea of what he was trying to achieve when taking this photo. Adams played a big part in the New Topographic movement which relates to the man-altered landscape.
Before i researched into my next project, i reshot my pastiche `On Signal Hill`.
Adams wrote: "The pictures reveal a persistent verdancy that is unexpected. How could anyone explain the bird in the defoliated orchard, the suddenly clear day on a quiet road, or the astonishing silhouette of a eucalyptus in smog?".
Before i researched into my next project, i reshot my pastiche `On Signal Hill`.
Concerned with human destruction of the landscape of the American West, Robert Adams has for many decades used his camera to sadly document what he sees as the fallen state of a former Eden. For this particular project he quoted, “The operating principle that seems to work best is to go to the landscape that frightens you the most and take pictures until you’re not scared anymore.”
Doing my best to replicate this shot, I chose a location on the edge of a hill, in Rochester, overlooking Chatham. This allowed my view to be a popular area replacing a smog's-choked landscape or urban sprawl. Unfortunately I still struggled locating two trees, so instead found one, and appropriately angled my camera to proportion the sky, city and foreground as close to Adams photo as possible. The tree you notice is perched on the hillside, and the neglected tree is a poignant reminder of what was once naturally beautiful but now spoiled.
From my lighting reading I chose a low aperture of f5, but unfortunately after printing was unable to achieve everything in focus. The background was perfect in focus but the foreground was a tad blurry, not much detail was shown. Instated I should of choosing a high aperture of f32 to make sure I maintained focus as much as possible in the foreground and background, and exposed for the urban area at ½ a second to silhouette my foreground. I shot this photo at 08.00am in the morning hoping to replicate the fog hovering above los Angeles.
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