Urban Landscape: Quality Control & Curation

 After choosing which images I might include in my portfolio from both my class shoot of the cultural quarter and my own 'quiet shoot' of abandoned places I began the quality control of the images and curation in earnest.

Checked the view at 100% and actual size so I did this on Photoshop by clicking onto 'View' then '100%' or 'Actual Size'  then I used the hand tool to check the images and move around.   When I was happy with my checks I then clicked back on the top menu and 'View' and then 'Fit to screen' 

The next check I did was crop and straighten so I clicked on the crop tool the left hand menu and then I could crop anything that was unnecessary on my frame and then I clicked return.  To straighten I clicked on the crop tool again but this time I hung over a corner with me arrow so that I could straighten using the grid that appeared then again pressed return on keyboard.

The next tool I used was using the top menu 'Image' and then 'Adjustments' and then went 'Curves'and gently adjusted the light level to make it a little brighter.  I then wet back to adjustments and then vibrance and added vibrance +23 which made the image really pop. 

I also used adjustments and saturation to bring out the colour images.

After considering how my images would work together I also looked at how other had considered work for curation.  I will here discuss the work of Alexander Dorner (1893–1957); 'Dorner is mostly associated with creating the “Abstract Cabinet” together with El Lissitzky as well as “The Room of the Present” with Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, both at the State Museum in Hanover, Germany.'(Artnet News, 2017).  I wanted to discuss this curator as the work that he curated I consider to be exceptionally important to photographic history, Dornor was one one of the youngest curators every apppointed at only 25 years old.  He wanted to promote the avant-garde work of artists in to 1920s and 30s; 'Dorner was one of the early and great leaders of avant-garde art collecting in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s concentrating in Constructivist art for the collection focusing on Piet Mondrian, Naum Gabo, Kazimir Malevich, and El Lissitzky' (Dictionary of Art Historians 2023). In Germany with the Bauhaus movement, Dada and then the Surrrealists, the constructivists and an explosion of change in art which reflected a society that had come out of war but was on the verge of great upheaval and change with World War II on the horizon, the rise of the Nazis was about to begin. Dorner was innovative in how he wanted to curate and present the artists work at the time to the public.  With Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Dorner commisioned the artist to create '"Raum der Gegenwart" (Room of the Present) which was designed to include film projections, although the space was never realized.' (Dictionary of Art Historians 2023). 

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Photogram (Date unknown) Moholy Nagy stated in 1936; ;Thanks to the photographer, humanity has acquired the power of perceiving its surroundings, and its very existence with new eyes.”;'(Jasminedirectory- et al., 2020)

Dornor worked in America as director of the Art Museum at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1938 and his career was thriving until the outbreak of war and the fact that he was German and had a brother in the Luftwaffe he had to leave his position despite a clear anti-Nazi history and his work on exposing the Nazis and their idea of degenerate art..  Dornor had created dramatic installations and displays that appealed to the public and were full of innovation in the gallery and museum space. Dornor's passion for art and pushing the boundaries should have been more celebrated and considered.  

References

Artnet News (2017) Who are the most influential curators of the last century? 19 art-world tastemakers weigh in, Artnet News. Available at: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/influential-curators-last-century-19-art-world-tastemakers-weigh-1090805 (Accessed: April 23, 2023). 

Dorner, alexander (no date) Dorner, Alexander | Dictionary of Art Historians. Available at: https://arthistorians.info/dornera (Accessed: April 23, 2023). 

-, B.R.G. et al. (2020) The modern self: Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Jasmine's Business Blog. Available at: https://www.jasminedirectory.com/blog/the-modern-self-laszlo-moholy-nagy/ (Accessed: April 23, 2023). 

Den Haag, K. (2018) Laszlo Moholy-Nagy: The Art of Light, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Available at: https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/en/exhibitions/laszlo-moholy-nagy (Accessed: April 23, 2023). 

Urban Landscape 2: Self Study

 For the shoot today of urban landscape I was concentrating on abandoned or quite places near my home in Leicester City Centre, I was lucky to have a good day with sunshine.  Today I was using my Olympus OMD Mark II.  I had been considering the photographs of Wim Wenders however this morning I also had Eugene Atget on my mind the beautiful depictions of the empty Paris streets and as he photographed them over time the effects of modernisation, I will write about Atget in a further post following my own images.

Eugene Atget Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, 1921

These are the contacts from today, I used both colour and black and white.  I believe I did get some of the shots that I wanted but like Atget I want to go back and photographs this again...

The first shot is opposite my block of flats and it has remained an abandoned site for years now I like the jagged edge that cuts into the sky, the sofas that have been dumped outside, there is a beauty to the dilapidated wall.

ISO 200, F6.3, 1/640, 14mm

The next shot includes The Prince of Wales, old pub sign next to the now unused and unloved industrial building, as people are awful, the windows have been smashed in and the building battered

ISO 200, F6.3, 1/125, 14 mm

This next image worked well with the black and white with a leading line, this with the run down building and factory which has the overlocking and stitching reminding us of Leicester's industrial history in textiles, also I do enjoy the turn left sign on the road 

ISO 200, F6.3, 1/400, 14mm

The next image is the site of 'Olympia', a search online for this did not reveal what exactly it is although it looks like a nightclub and I was quite taken with the scene, again the industrial factories and building in the background and the winding road work well in the image.

ISO 200, F6.3, 1/400. 26mm

These are a few of the the ones I was taken by when considering the images for portfolio I have started to have a feeling for what I would like in my final en images which I will discuss in my next post.

Wim Wenders: Place Strange & Quiet

 As a photographer I enjoy the stillness and silence of the image, the perfect frame where contained within it is a whole world to be enjoyed and explored.  In Wenders' Places Strange and Quiet, Wenders states; “When you travel a lot, and when you love to just wander around and get lost, you can end up in the strangest spots. […] I don't know, it must be some sort of built-in radar that often directs me to places that are strangely quiet, or quietly strange.”(Wenders 2023).  The image below shows a looming sky, just before a storm and the dilapidated wall with the old painted advert seems to cut into the sky itself.  The street behind is empty and the cars seem unloved and abandoned the blue-covered car pointing one direction and the red van behind seems to perfectly balance the images and the colours of stone and the red car and sign make this picture a wonderfully empty but perfectly full image. Whimsylph writes considers that; 'In Black Square (2002, New Mexico), the hues of blue and red contrast with, even highlight more saliently, the decaying wall and tatty old advert, which poignantly includes the words Why Not Now. This photograph shows a deft painterly skill with colour and composition' (Whimsylph Writes 2014)

Wim Wenders Places strange and Quiet, Black Square 2002

This next image I chose to look at the as it included a bench just like my own in my final Traces image.  This empty bench looks out onto what looks like some kind of military ship, a horrible battle grey metal construction that with a walkway up to what looks to be an unpleasant experience. The empty bench here is red so contrasts with blue border to the walkway and the picture kind of works in thirds, our eyes begin at the bench and move upward to see what sitting here what would be the view.  Wenders took many of these images while scouting for film locations, he states; 'My first films were basically landscape paintings, except that they were shot with a movie camera. I never moved the frame. Nothing ever happened in them. Each scene lasted as long as a 16-millimeter daylight reel, which was about four minutes. There was no editing involved, other than attaching one reel to the other.' (Barcelona, 2011) this is a place where some soul-searching could certainly be done.

Wim Wenders, Places Strange and Quiet, (date unknown)

This next image I show in class and it is still one of my favourites as the empty street corner with the old furniture shop and telegraph wires are made so much more interesting by the slightly bent lamppost that human touch to an otherwise deserted place makes this work beautifully.  The place is called Butte which just adds to the joy.  Whinsylph writes; 'with its sharp vertical and horizontal lines and stark contrasts that render the shadows almost black. With the bleak isolation and uncanny feel here, this could be a scene from an Edward Hopper (1924-67) painting' (Whimsylph Writes 2014)  however I disagree with this reading, in that I do think rather than uncanny it feels odd in a more joyous way, its empty but is sunny and broken, always makes me smile.

Wim Wenders, Places Strange and Quiet, Street Corner in Butte, 2003

I looked at Wenders as I do want to base some of my own work on these ideas and I will be exploring the strange quite places of Leicester very soon...

References

barcelona, dpr (2011) Places, strange and quiet: Wim Wenders, dpr-barcelona. Available at: https://dprbcn.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/wim-wenders-photos/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023). 

Poyner, R. (2021) Wim Wenders' strange and quiet places, Design Observer. Available at: https://designobserver.com/feature/wim-wenders-strange-and-quiet-places/26548 (Accessed: April 20, 2023). 

Wenders, W. (2023) Wim Wenders: Welcome to the official site of Wim Wenders, Wim Wenders | Welcome to the official Site of WIM WENDERS. Available at: https://www.wim-wenders.com/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023). 

Whimsylph (2014) Strangely quiet or quietly strange: Wim Wenders' photography, Whimsylph Writes. Available at: https://whimsylph.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/strangely-quiet-or-quietly-strange-wim-wenders-photography/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023). 

Creative Media Production: Urban Landscape Photography Two

 Today we looked at images by Thomas Struth, Micheal Wolf, and Wim Wenders.  The last term I concentrated on taking images thinking about the composition and framing of Thomas Struth.  I did still employ these techniques this term but I also wanted to get more images like Wim Wenders Places Strange and Quiet.  as it is always good to find places in the city that are abandoned, unused and unloved but have a stillness that is pure beauty. 

Wim Wenders Places Strange and Quiet,  Moscow Back Yard, C-print, 2006

The image above exemplifies the places I was thinking about in my own city and is strangely similar as you will see from my own images.  Poyner states;  'In a secluded back yard in Moscow, he chances upon a framed painting of a stag done in orange, green and yellow, which is in curious, almost too perfect harmony with the walls and fallen leaves.' (Poyner, 2021)  

Before we set off we set our cameras to ISO 200 as it was sunny and although a windy day quite bright.  A wide aperture at F4 and then we could adjust from there.  I also used the Landscape pre-set for some images on the camera.  Here are the contacts for the shoot.

 

My test shots

These colour images I really wanted the depth of colour and texture to come through and here the triangular shapes against the arched really work and the red brick colour in lessening shades really work.

Here the blue sky really sings with this flat images of the Sound House that is in vibrant blue.

Here like the Wim Wenders I loved the quiet place and the abandoned shopping trolley, I shot this in both colour and Black nd white I think both work well and I will definitely use this in final portfolio.

A good shoot of the Cultural Quarter I think my own images this time will be of other quiet places in the city which I find interesting.  I am hoping for good weather at the weekend however maybe images in a storm would be good too!

References

Poyner, R. (2021) Wim Wenders' Strange and quiet places, Design Observer. Available at: https://designobserver.com/feature/wim-wenders-strange-and-quiet-places/26548 (Accessed: April 20, 2023). 

Creative Media Production: Photography Traces Task

 Today I started photography in creative media production and we began by looking at basic functions such as ISO, Aperture and Exposure Compensation.

We then looked at artists who used traces of themselves in their photography, looked at Francesca Woodman, Ana Mendieta, and others 

I created contact sheets on Photoshop by clicking on File, Automate, and Contact Sheet, and then IO chose my 'Traces' file and clicked okay and Photoshop created three contact sheet 

I added these to my google drive as well as my desktop

There were a couple of images I liked from this task using my clothes as a trace of myself 

In these images, you can see that I used a wide aperture and I completed this set in black and white which was an artistic choice before I began the shoot.  The sky was overcast so I used an ISO of 400.

The final image I decided should be the coat I am hoping leaving my winter coat on the bench signals the beginning of Spring.

I added this image to Photoshop and I created a canvas in A3 Black at 300dpi resolution at printable high quality.  I opened the image and used adjustments and curves just to brighten the image very slightly then I selected the image and went edit copy and then back to my canvas and edit paste.  I adjusted the size using transform controls and centred the image with guidelines and then I clicked off the text tool on the left-hand menu and changed the text to white and chose Book Antiqua font to create my title at 26 pts.

I quite enjoyed creating this image and given more time on this I would have created further images that worked consistently as a set to create a traces collection.  I do think this is well framed and composed and the texture of the ground and the wood bench contrast with the softness of the coat which gives this the human touch. 

Biteable Resume Video Process

 

In class this week we are making a Biteable video this is to promote ourselves to employers and to consider the skills we have and are developing so that we can show an employer our potential.

I edited the first slide by first changing the title and my name by clicking on this so that the text menu came up on the right-hand side I then changed the font to Arbutus Slab 14 pts and then I added a picture of myself by clicking on the image and then clicking on 'replace background' and I uploaded my own image.

I also then wanted to change the colours throughout so I clicked on the background and then went to 'Style' in the right-hand menu and changed the colour combinations to one that I found more aesthetically pleasing.

I then check the next slide which states which job I intend to do for I typed in the job of Creative writing programme leader as I have not done this previously.  I then clicked on the image and changed the graphic to a video of writing to illustrate this.

I then added the reasons on each slide and on each slide I replaced the graphics with an appropriate video clip.  I began with teaching experience and as I have quite a number of years of experience I thought this would be a good way to begin.

I then went onto management skill as I have worked in managerial positions in many places including being the manager of a residential care home and a safe house for young people and then after I had a child I moved into education. 

Through my teaching career I have found that one of my strongest skill is curriculum design and I wanted to highlight this here.

On sifter skills I have added and ended with commitment and dedication and from my CV employers will see that I stay in jobs for many years and I have shown dedication to these though CPD and clear progression in my career. 

I added my professional DMU address so that people could contact me and as this was on my website people can also use my website contact page. 

I then needed to look at the length of transitions and the music.

I clicked on the music symbol in the bottom left hand corner and chose the music I wanted for my video. 

I then checked the transition time and number of seconds and that each slide was readable in the seconds given.  I could shorten or lengthen the clips by dragging them out or in on the timeline at the bottom of the page. 

Once the video was complete I went to publish and then I copied the link.  I then went to my editor on Wix and my menu on the left hand side and clicked on the link button and added the video as a web address. This then meant I could view the resume on my Wix site and it was ready for assessment. 

Reflection

I enjoyed creating this video as it was for a job I had never applied for before and it was interesting to see what skills I have and would need for this position.  I believe I have outlined my relevant skills well here and the video works well and is short and snappy.  If I was doing this again I might use a different Video editor as I have run out of credits so  could not add this terms video for free on my site but I could use Adobe Spark or even Movie Maker to edit a good video for an employer if i wanted to show  my skills in the future.