WonderMedium : Photography
Completion Date : November 2021 Wonder depicts a perspective of an eye level view that shifts upwards. It represents an individual that breaks away from distractions to admire their surroundings, something that is rare at times. This is the basis of Alfred Stieglitz's artworks as he captures photographs of landscapes provided by society from obscure to refined, as well as nude portraits. The honesty of his photographs is what inspired me to capture this photograph of a city landscape.
|
Artist Inspiration
Alfred Stieglitz is a photographer who enjoyed capturing the modernized moments of life. His intention was to portray society in a different lens compared to its professional and tense captures within photographs. Individuals preferred portraits but Stieglitz did the opposite as he took photos of ominous landscapes that were often depicted with a smoky effect. The artist consistently took pictures in black and white, while some held a tanned quality to them. These were generally captured to illustrate the darkness within positive locations. At times Stieglitz would use people as subjects but took close up shots. These were often obscure and close to or nude.
The photographs presented a mysterious glance without any intentions of being vulnerable despite the nature of their meaning. Stieglitz focused on integrating as much detail as possible within his pieces and allowed the examination and thoughts of viewers. Often times the level of detail within his works can be seen as blurry or up to interpenetration as he focused on a certain location within his photograph. The photographer was particularly interested in capturing landscapes, nude portraits and clouds. With the latter, he was sure to capture in black and white to highlight the shadows and open space within the subjects. |
Planning
The tone of the photographs would vary from subject to subject such as Stieglitz has done with his works. They would consist of black and white, as well as colored. From this point I decided to color code the locations that will be either black and white primarily or colored. This was done by figuring out which locations would be best fit for somber moods and others for joyful ones.
Another option that needed to be decided for the locations was focus points. If the camera is brought too close to the subject, it can focus on the background or the foreground. I decided subjects that have fences or wooden objects would be best fit for this and selected parks for this experiment. |
Starting this project I knew what artist I wanted to use as an inspiration, so from there I browsed his works. His portfolio is very broad and has no clear subject that is consistently photographed. Due to this, I decided to list locations that I thought would have the best subjects to capture or influence me to take pictures. These included cities such as Chicago and downtown Milwaukee, as well as natural landscapes with water and forests. I was confident in the selection and sketched a viewpoint of an alley to see if it was something I would be interested in capturing. The city holds many buildings and life and I knew it would be one of the main points where I take pictures. |
At this point I had mostly everything planned, it was only a matter of figuring out the subjects more. Stieglitz favors cloud photography and makes up a handful of his works. I decided to sketch out a sky with clouds and determine whether it would be colored or not. Following these lines, it was determined that editing can play a role in the artworks. It will be used to revert the images to black and white, and to enhance the lighting. This can be used to demonstrate the difference between natural and edited photography and illustrate how they can conjure different emotions. |
Experimentation and Process
The next set of photos were primarily colored and varied from vibrant to dull. Although most of Stieglitz's works were black and white, I took inspiration from the subjects he photographed. The locations I traveled were Milwaukee, South Dakota and Chicago. It allowed me to capture different skies which would be in the middle of a transition to sunset or sunrise. These held the most color yet the flowers I photographed were vibrant and on par with the skies. Mountains and forests were captured in South Dakota and released energetic moods through the bright colors. The gated picture with both the foreground unfocused and focused were content and had bright values for the highlights.
Once the pictures were collected I edited the one that I thought correlated to Stieglitz's style the most and left the rest as is. The choice in doing so was to keep the work honest to what another would see if they were standing in the location. However, the edited photo would demonstrate how much exposure and shadows can change a photo. To edit it I used the following arrangements : -65 brightness , 44 contrast , 63 structure , 27 warmth , -71 highlight , -46 shadows , 58 vignette , 19 sharpen |
I started to take pictures of subjects that I found interesting within the Milwaukee area and downtown. These consisted of the buildings and how different vantage points will curate the best pictures. This was done by taking numerous pictures from eye level, below and above. When riding my motorcycle around Wisconsin I would stop and take pictures of things that I found fascinating. A particular church had statues and I felt that it would correlate to Stieglitz's style as it is seen as honest and pure to a certain religion. The next set of pictures I took focused on landscapes and nature, such as forests and rocks to enhance the quality that is often perceived by onlookers. Clouds were one of Stieglitz's main style when it came to photographing life and that is why I took a handful of the sky.
Once I had a good amount of photos I edited them to black and white. After they switched from colored, I applied the same adjustment to all the photos with : 13 exposure- , 89 brilliance , 100 highlight , -89 shadows , 53 contrast , -22 brightness , 7 black point , 44 sharpness , 13 definition , 42 vignette These all created somber moods to the photos whilst others seemed more ominous than before. |
Reflection
This project was particularly enjoyable due to the lack of restrictions and the ability to capture any subjects that caught my eye. This meant that I focused on general landscapes as well as obscure portraits. However, I felt that the later was lacking and would like to put more emphasis on it if I were to do this project again. Taking pictures of people in their everyday life or in moments that hold the most emotion would be best to try out. I feel this would correlate greater with Stieglitz's method and how he portrays his art.
Despite the interest in trying out new concepts for next time, I am confident in the portrayal of this project. There is no specific location that is discernible and it allows it to present as a product from traveling. Due to my environment lacking much creativity, I traveled beyond my city to capture subjects that I either haven't seen before or things that were interesting. The mood between each subject is much different from the next, although there are common ones. They switch from solemn to simulating which allows for a freedom to capture anything.
Despite the interest in trying out new concepts for next time, I am confident in the portrayal of this project. There is no specific location that is discernible and it allows it to present as a product from traveling. Due to my environment lacking much creativity, I traveled beyond my city to capture subjects that I either haven't seen before or things that were interesting. The mood between each subject is much different from the next, although there are common ones. They switch from solemn to simulating which allows for a freedom to capture anything.
Compare and Contrast
DifferencesColor -
Symmetry -
Movement -
Gradation -
|
SimilaritiesTheme -
3-D Form -
Emphasis -
Value -
|
ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
I found that my artwork held more depth when I took into consideration of how Stieglitz takes pictures, in certain stances and angles. He often takes landscape pictures from eye level or an above view, yet I took the former's technique and applied it to Wonder.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The artist is an advocate for transparency when it comes to photographs and often times takes photos that aren't planned. He is a fan of art that is pure and nude of any outside influence. That is why he is supportive of my topic as it demonstrates an individual that breaks away from distractions.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While I researched my inspiration I have found that people are oppressive when it comes to new topics that aren't often shared openly. They are uncomfortable to things that aren't common and as a result will do anything in their will power to diminish the concept.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my research was breaking away from society. People are too dependent on their habits that they forget to look up and admire their surroundings every once and a while.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I have made the inference that there are two different pictures in the world : intentional and unintentional. They aren't too contrasting because one is no better than the other. The only difference is the outcome of a photograph and that is how photographers develop their styles.
I found that my artwork held more depth when I took into consideration of how Stieglitz takes pictures, in certain stances and angles. He often takes landscape pictures from eye level or an above view, yet I took the former's technique and applied it to Wonder.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The artist is an advocate for transparency when it comes to photographs and often times takes photos that aren't planned. He is a fan of art that is pure and nude of any outside influence. That is why he is supportive of my topic as it demonstrates an individual that breaks away from distractions.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While I researched my inspiration I have found that people are oppressive when it comes to new topics that aren't often shared openly. They are uncomfortable to things that aren't common and as a result will do anything in their will power to diminish the concept.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my research was breaking away from society. People are too dependent on their habits that they forget to look up and admire their surroundings every once and a while.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I have made the inference that there are two different pictures in the world : intentional and unintentional. They aren't too contrasting because one is no better than the other. The only difference is the outcome of a photograph and that is how photographers develop their styles.
Bibliography
https://archive.artic.edu/stieglitz/alfred-stieglitz/
http://www.frankpicturesgallery.com/artists/emmaferreira/index.html
http://www.frankpicturesgallery.com/artists/emmaferreira/index.html