Photography Proposal – Visual Stimuli
For this mini-project, I want to look into the theme of ‘Visual Stimuli’, focusing on how light and objects interact to create interesting shadows and how lighting can change the tone of an image. I want my images to have a fine art style to them so I can generate some high contrast prints in addition to my final outcome where I will aim to make a photobook. I decided to pick this topic as I found it intriguing and liked how there was many different ways in which it could be explored.
I want my work to follow the theme of ‘aesthetics’ so I can create some high contrast work and possibly tint my images, so they follow a colour spectrum much like the work of Trent Parke’s ‘Crimson Line’ which has a very dreamlike feel to it. In addition to Parke’s work, I will also look into the work of Uta Barth as her work is very much like how I would like my work to look in terms of the techniques used as well as the soft, neutral colour palettes featured throughout most of her work. The main body of work I will look into from Barth will be ‘Swimming in Memories’ as this was one of the key pieces of work that took my interest and inspired my ideas for my own project.
I will try and capture a range of shadows from both natural and industrial settings with current restrictions in mind as I want to show the difference between the softer, more natural shadows cast by trees etc compared to the harsher more architectural shadows cast off buildings and man-made structures. I also want to shoot in both colour and black and white so I can decide which colour scheme works best to showcase the shadows. I feel high contrast monochromatic photos would look best for the architectonic photographs; however, I want to first try shooting in colour to experiment with a cohesive colour palette, but I shall also play with colour filters and levels on photoshop as well as adjusting the white balance on my camera to experiment with setting a certain tone/feeling by adapting the warmth of my images.
Within my work, I will experiment with shutter speed and bokeh in my images to show the movement of light as well as creating a sense of abstraction. I also want to generate some cyanotypes during this project as I felt my first attempt during my identity project wasn’t as successful as I would have liked so I want to try and build on this skill. Furthermore, I also think this method of working will work well with my theme of shadows as the sharper lines and high contrast photographs will look effective in this medium. I will research the work of both Anna Atkins and Angela Chalmers when generating my cyanotypes and draw inspiration from their work. I also wanted to try and incorporate film photography into this project as I want it to have a more cinematic feel to it and to see the difference in shooting digital vs film as I feel film photography requires more careful thought due to the limited number of frames on the film roll. However, due to the quick turnaround of this project I think it would be better to shoot with a digital camera and perhaps try and mimic the aesthetic a film camera gives by adapting my camera settings and give myself a limit of shots I can take over a set amount of time/per shoot, so I have to look carefully at my surroundings and decide exactly when the correct moment to press the shutter is. For this reason, I think it will be beneficial to research the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, especially ‘The Decisive Moment’ as I shall take inspiration from Cartier-Bresson’s way of working to capture my surroundings at the opportune moment – which is key when working with shadows as it is time sensitive.
I will also try and generate work whilst listening to music to play with the idea of synaesthesia, a neurological trait that allows people to merge their senses (e.g., seeing certain colours and shapes in reaction to a sound) to see how this affects the tone of my work when listening to different genres whilst out shooting.
In terms of outcomes, I want to experiment with photographic prints as my work will follow a fine art style which tends to be used in a gallery setting. I also want to generate a photobook using a selection of my favourite images I intend for this to have no/ very little text as I want my photographs to speak for themselves, so the viewer is able to decide what they take the meaning to be which allows them to create a personal connection to my work. I think it would look visually interesting if I could organise my photographs my colour to create a rainbow spectrum effect which would add to the idea of being aesthetically pleasing. I want to try and experiment with handmade books that have a scrapbook like feel to them which would add a nostalgic element to my work in addition to trying to make my own paper from found papers as well as flowers that I shall collect from places where I shall photograph on walks as I want to experiment with how this would interact with my photographs and possibly even print directly onto it rather than creating a photomontage collage over it.
Due to the short time frame for this project, I intend to begin my photobook after my first shoot and continually update it as I carry out more shoots rather than create the book when I have completed several shoots. I also intend to select some of my most successful images to become prints which I shall print on different types of papers to see what finish my work looks best on. This will also play a part in my decision for paper choice when it comes to printing my photobook.
