Final 20 Images

Light and Shadow

Although these images are of two different structures I feel that they are related in a way as they both convey light and shadow in a contrasting way. When doing this, I was influenced by the works of Charles Sheeler as he also portrays light and shadow in his images to create visual contrasts.

In the above image there is also an element of symmetry as well of line.

Competition Entry

I decided to enter a competition called "The Art of Building" which was advertised on the Chartered Institute of Building website. 

"The competition is an international showcase for the very best digital photography of the built environment. The compeition is run by the Chartered Institute of Building and celebrates the creativity of the industry, the passion of the people who work within it, and the impact their work has on those who make use of the final construction." - Taken from (CIOB) website.

I chose to enter the three photos below as I thought they were most suited to the brief and I thought it was better to select a series of relatable images than three different ones. 

What is an invoice?

The dictionary definition of an invoice is "a list of goods sent or services provided, with a statement of the sum due for these; a bill."

An invoice is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer. The payment terms are normally stated on the invoice. This means it would say that the buyer has a certain number of days in which to pay and could receive a discount if they pay before the due date. Another example could be that the buyer could have already paid for the product of services stated on the invoice.

For a seller, an invoice is a sales invoice.
For a buyer, an invoice is referred to as a purchase invoice. 

The term invoice indicates money is owed or owing, the document itself indicates the buyer and the seller.

A typical invoice includes:

• The word invoice
• A unique reference number
• Date of the invoice
• Credit terms
• Tax payments (not always relevant)
• Name/contact details of the seller
• Name/contact details of the buyer
• Tax or company registration details of seller 
• Date the goods or service was sent/delivered
• Purchase order number 
• Description of the product
• Unit price of the product
• Total amount charged
• Payment terms (this included the method of payment, date of payment, details about charges for late payment)

Photoshop experimentation

After adjusting the brightness and contrast of the photo I then experimented with the crop and rotation tools. By cropping the image I was able to create a completely different aesthetic which I preferred.

 Above you can see the original and edited image. By cropping this image I have changed the visual focal point, drawing the viewer further in. I chose to do this because the two buildings show different architectural structures and contrast well against one another. 

Shape and form

This set of images focuses on shape, form and line.

When shooting I chose the viewpoint from below looking up to create alternate imagery to my previous shoot (which focused on looking down from above). By capturing the structure in an abstract way I aimed to make the viewer question the composition, I wanted there to be some confusion as to what the structure actually is. Thus, I wanted the composition to be unrecognisable from an initial glance. 

I chose three images to work on and manipulate. By adjusting the contrast I wanted to create harsh tones to outline the different levels of the building (especially in figure 3). Light and shadow played a big part in these images too, as it was a very bright day when I was shooting. The result of this can be seen as severe tones ranging from light to dark.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Shoot 2

For my second shoot I decided to revisit the location I had previously gone to in order to capture better quality images. Instead of shooting from above a carpark (like last time), this time I shot from ground level with a viewpoint looking up. I did this to provide a contrast between the two sets of photos. I now have a series of images that show different perspectives; from above and below.

Contact sheet:

On the day that I took these photos, it was a bright sunny day so that helped with the exposure of my photos and created more of a contrast. 

The Bechers

The Bechers- The duo German artists (Bernd and Hilla) were best known for their work of photographic images that focused on industrial buildings and structures. They collaborated their ideas and began photographing the disappearing German industrial landscape which included the steel and mining industries. Something that fascinated them was the shapes and structures of buildings. A variety of angles were used when photographing and they discovered that photographing on over cast days and early in the morning was best when aiming to avoid shadows.

I think that the work done by Bernd and Hilla Becher was very successful as they had their own distinctive style that can be recognised easily. I like their style because they present the images in a way that make them look alike from a far, but up close one can see the individual differences. I am not sure if I will use this style in my own work but I will learn from them, and i will experiment with a variety of viewpoints just like they did. 

Charles Sheeler was an American painter and commercial photographer. He was known for being one of the founders of American modernism, and a master of photography of the 20^th century.

His images focus on architectural subjects in a simplistic cubism form. Extreme contrast between light and shadow can be seen in his photos and the warm colours used create a soft tone.

Although these images are more of a painting style than a photographic one, I still find them useful as Sheeler has clearly thought about form line and shadow and these are some key elements which stand out to me. I feel that I can use this research to benefit me and ensure I am thinking about these factors when shooting.

Practitioner Research

David LaChapelle - "Land SCAPE"

The structures are shot in a way to make them appear life size. The vibrant colours and high saturation levels make these images eye catching and individual, because of this I think that his work is successful and very influential. However, I don't feel that they are relevant enough to be able to relate to my project and would not be seen appropriate by the client.

Further inspiration

Walker Evans was an American documentary photographer. Below are photos he captured while working for the FSA. 

I feel that his series of images are quite simple and straightforward and because of that I do not find them that interesting. However, I like the way he has thought about his framing, viewpoint and composition. Also, I think that the tones he has chosen to use has an impact in creating aesthetically pleasing images. 

Alexander Rodchenko was a Russian artist, sculptor, photographer and graphic designer. He was a main founder of constructivism and was known for being one of the most versatile constructivist artists to emerge after the Russian Revolution. Rodchenko often shot his subjects from different angles; either high above or down below. The purpose for this was to get a surprise response from the viewer.

Above to the right is my favourite image of his, the way in which he has chosen to capture the building makes the image. He has carefully thought about his framing and composition. He has captured architectural beauty and made a structure visually interesting. I felt that significant elements of line and symmetry stand out here. I am very much influenced by the works of Rodchenko and aim to use this research to my advantage in my own work.

A famous quote from Rodchenko stated:
“One has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again."

This has taught me to be creative in what I do, to look for the ordinary and unexpected. Taking simple forms, and making them seem complex. Providing a surprise element to the viewer is something I aim to achieve so that they can question the composition, taking time to understand it.