Photographer 3 - Harold Eugene Edgerton

Harold Eugene Edgerton was born in Nebraska in 1903 and was proffessor and photographer. He has contributed to the history of photography as most of his equipment he created was the basis for the some of the amazing creations that are being used today. He was a part of the sonar development and deep sea photography.

I am influenced by Edgerton as I adore his close up high speed images of liquid. High speed photography is my favourite way to photograph water and I am including lots of it in my research and my project. 

Edgerton was a pioneer in using short duration electronic flash in photographing fast event photography. Some of his multiflash photographs had strobe equipment that would flash up to 120 times a second. 

This photograph by Edgerton is of water from a running tap, I love this photograph and the way he has managed to make the water look like some form of solid object, like a tap of sludge rather than water. 

This is a famous photograph of milk dropping, this photo has been referenced and re created endless amounts of time and is known as somewhat of a phenomenon in the photography world.

This photograph of a pouring tap with water hitting the glass and splashing out is incredibly special as the water is captured like a body of its own, the water in these photographs becomes a solid rather than a liquid and Edgertons high speed photography almost seems to be defying science and nature.

This photograph of a smashing glass with its contents leaking out over the floor is special. the liquid seems to escape the cup as the fragments lay broken around it.

Shoot 6 - Work Diary

E V A L U A T I O N 

For this shoot I purposely chose a rainy day as I wanted to photograph rain and how people react to it. In order to get the best outlook on a rainy day I travelled to London to see how Londoners and tourists react to a way, also to see how rain effects the city. I really enjoyed the shoot however the error I made was only taking one lens, to get some great photos I wish I had taken my zoom lens. I really love the shots I ahve managed to capture though as I think they look completely natural - some of the people are caught out and have no preparation for rain however most of the time Piccadilly Circus and South Bank seemed to be an endless sea of coloured umbrellas. 

T W O   E X A M P L E   P H O T O G R A P H ' S

P R O G R E S S I O N

If I were to do this shoot again my first change would be to bring my second lens in order to capture more specific lens such as the splashes of puddles and cars driving through the wet. I really did love this shoot though and I would love to do more photographs of people this way, My next shoot I will be going to London again but this time I will be visiting Trafalgar Square as I would love to photograph the fountain. I believe this shoot will be very interesting as fountains are a way of making art out of water instead of about water.

Shoot 6 - Contact Sheets

Photographer 2 - Michael Rajkovic

Michael Rajkovic is a French photographer who was born in 1974. His topic of escapism has taken him all over the world and I am fascinated by his photographs as most of them involve water. He is known for having a classical representation of the world which is why he studies it through the art of escapist and surrealist photography.

Rajkovic's photographs tend to find their essence through ambiguity and they surprise and wonder the people that view them, he is able to transform the landscapes he studies and represent life and a reason to be. These landscapes are known for having a purpose which brings forth inner journey. The meaningfulness of the photographs creates an intense feeling when you look at them

This photograph is beautifully terrifying,  the sunken boat representing so much darkness and the dark waters hiding all their secrets present fear. Rajkovic has used tone here to really develop these feelings

This photograph has so much depth to it but it has been done in an unusual way, Rajkovic has created depth by using leading lines of the bridge into the moutains. The reflection into the water is daunting, the water looks like a block solid and creates an atmosphere which is scary.

Again with this photograph the elements of depth and tone are prominent from first glance, the stance in which rajkovic has taken to take this photo makes this cove in the cliffs seem like a terrifying place to be, the darkness leading to the light however enhances hope for the viewer, the lines lead out to either side and make the eye focus on the pool of light in the centre.

This final photograph is slightly different, the rocks create a line through the photo side ways which makes you focus from small to big, almost like a journey from the dark moutains across the bay to the other side. The darkness of the photograph outshone by the bright message which says you can reach the otherside despite the struggle. 

Print Techniques

Cluster

Image within an Image 

 Multiple Imagery

Black and White 

Duotone

Repetition 

Selective Colour 

Soft Focus

Shoot 5 - Straight Images

Shoot 5 - Work Diary

E V A L U A T I O N

In this shoot i decided to do a follow up from the previous shoot and photographed the multi coloured water going down the plug hole and put the tap on to create an effect of rushing water. I wanted to do this shoot to discuss the importance of wasting water as water is a precious commodity in some countries yet I am lucky enough to be able to have running water. I enjoyed doing this shoot as I think the rushing water with the rose petals looked very dramatic and the multi coloured water and bubbles disappearing down the plug hole create a great effect as it shows a different side the the project.

T W O   E X A M P L E   P H O T O ' S

P R O G R E S S I O N 

Further on from this shoot given the chance to progress and try it again I definitely would however I would focus more on clear water being drained rather than coloured water, or I would us food colouring to colour the water instead of a bath bomb because then the water would be smoother. My next shoot is going to be slightly different and will focus on a rainy day, I am choosing to go to London to complete this shoot in order to study the way tourists and londoners react to the rain. 

Photographer Research - Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer who was born in 1955. He is most widely known for his large-format photographs of industrial landscapes. As an artist he has been featured in over 50 museums including the well known Guggenheim Museum and the Canadian National Gallery. Burtynsky was introduced to photography at a young age by his father who purchased a dark room, this was how he learnt to create black and white photographic prints. Further from this, Burtynsky and his sister opened a small business taking portraits. In his twenties Burtynsky began working in printing and took classes in photography eventually ending up at Ryerson Poly-technical Institute. Some of Burtynsky's most famous photographs are views of landscapes, these include water landscapes of meandering rivers and waste lands.

I have chosen to study Edward Burtynskys work as I love the surrealist look he manages to add to nature, he makes it seem almost man made despite most of his photographs being natural. Edward Burtynsky has influenced me to shoot some natural water areas in my project.

I love this photograph by Edward Burtynsky because at first glance this may look like a tree however this is really a meandering canal that has created a wonderful natural piece of art. This shows just how powerful nature can be. This photo contains so much depth, the main river leading up the central line of the photograph is stunning and the pure colour of the river in contrast with the icy surroundings and brown colour of the earth beneath the top layer really adds a dramatic feel to this image.

This photograph represents the danger that man kind pose to the natural elements, despite the fact water has the power to overpower a million men at once, collectively we have the power to destroy it. Burtynsky captures this perfectly, almost looking like the boat is trapped by our own human disaster. This photograph carries dark tones which adds lots of form to the photograph. The lack of colours emphasizes the importance of looking after the earth.

This photograph is an incredible work of art by Burtynsky, the dark burnt orange lava flooding across the burnt out desolate volcanic land is vibrant and shocking to look at. The contrast of the black and orange add depth to the photograph along with the river of orange lava which leads up the centre of the photograph creating depth in the piece.

This photograph by Edward Burtynsky shows the destruction that we as human kind cause in our search for oil. The competitive industry which makes millions every year creates spaces like this in the world. The image is both beautiful and scary . The reflection of the destruction in the water is terrifying but shows just how powerful water is.

Edward Burtynsky has given me insight to the destruction of humans on nature which intrigues me and makes me want to focus on some natural water. I would love to investigate the power of the water that has the ability to destruct lives but also save lives. 

To summarise my research on Edward Burtynsky, he is extremely talented and not many photographers come close to capturing the pure emotion that he captures within his photographs of these natural elements. These photos tell silent stories of how much the world is suffering at human natures hands. The prospect of what awaits future generations can be questioned, I am thank ful we have artists like Burtynsky who can translate these issues into the modern ignorant world.

Shoot 5 - Contact Sheets

Shoot 4 - Straight Images