PH2004 Exhibition
Visual Language
These images are experiments in visual communication. The book, On the Road is literally on a road, similarly, the book, Vice is in a vice. I needed to go through this exercise in order to find my visual ‘voice’ before attempting to communicate complex concepts through visualisation.
The aim with this image is to communicate the fragile and unstable feature of natures balance, but after critical examination, I decided to leave this image out of the final exhibition since, though aesthetically pleasing, it does not contribute to the conceptual narrative.
The aims of this assignment are to produce a series of digital images that explore the metaphysical nature of reality through the depiction of sunflower seeds as a metaphor for the nature of existence. A conceptual approach is utilised to achieve this aim, together with presenting and curating the images with an aesthetic that compliments the theme. The conceptual approach to crystallising sunflower seeds were, in part, inspired by Roger Hiorns who undertook crystallisation on a large scale, and Matthew Brandt, who used the environment to shape and form the images of that same environment, eg he used lake water to form images of the lake. Similarly, I wanted to have a seed growing medium, effect an image of a seed. All this in support of the relationship between what is real and what is visualised. Rock crystals were firstly grown on sunflower seeds and photographed. A print of this image was then re-photographed in the seed’s growing medium, producing the following ‘modified’ image. A print of a seed was used in this context to further examine the relationship between what is real and what is visualised. By adding this additional layer, it also allows the real environment to shape and modify an image for the final outcome.
The images above contain signifiers of natures natural destruction. After critical examination of the above image of crystallised seeds, I decided to omit this image from the exhibition since, whilst possessing strong aesthetic qualities, it did not contribute to the conceptual theme. A significant lesson learned from this assignment is that it is important to adhere to the methodology and not get side tracked by aesthetics.
Happy Accident
When researching different types of light and their affect on image quality, the image above was taken using sunlight reflected off a window, this partially polarised light has less glare and produced a warm quality and as a bonus an interesting reflection. Opportunities for a separate project?
The main problem encountered when trying to capture these images was the lack of access to a studio and very limited experience in this type of photography. An ad hoc temporary home studio was constructed utilising trial and error. Trial and error was also the guiding principle in order to build experience in attempting to achieve satisfactory results.
Curating the Images
In using seeds as a metaphor for the circle of life, I wanted to simply curate the images in a circular fashion.
Final plan for curation
PH2004
This collage is in response to the temporary removal of this painting from public view at the Manchester museum of Art. The painting is titled Hylas and the Nymphs by JW Waterhouse 1896. The use of the cartoon images of Hitler denotes censorship.
PH2004 Sunflower Inflames
I want to create a series of images depicting the cycle of life using the sunflower as a metaphor. I need to wait til summer to capture an image of a sunflower in full bloom to represent life, but started with a sunflower inflames.
A two camera set up was used to capture the flames, each camera set to a different shutter speed. Dried carnations were used as substitutes for a sunflower as a test shoot. A little white spirit was used to start the flames, the amount used determined how high the flames went, which dictated how to frame the shot. Three flowers were burned before a satisfactory result was achieved.
After the test shots, the set up was adjusted to shoot in portrait and to position the cameras below the subject in order to capture the full extent of the flames. The sunflower was ignited and images captured using a fast and slow shutter speed. The different effects can be seen above, with the slower shutter speed being the image on the left. My view is that the image on the right is the more impactful.
PH2004 Crystallised Sunflower seed
Having successfully grown crystals on sunflower seeds, the next challenge was to capture an image in a make-shift home studio set up. Achieving suitable lighting conditions meant being dependent on sun light, since artificial flood lighting proved to be inadequate. This, combined with limited space were the main obstacles. The image capturing device used was the canon 5d mark iv and a macro lens.
Further development work resulted in an improved image, paradoxically achieved using a normal lens as opposed to a macro lens in the configuration shown below.
Developing this idea led to the construction of a sunflower formed by seeds and crystals. The image could be improved by more dramatic lighting to enhance the crystal structure and to mimic a sunflower more accurately. The image of the dried sunflower below, suffers from rot and is distorted, it would be improved by a better quality of subject. The images below do not fully reflect what was originally envisaged.
PH2004 Ashton is my Manhatton
Thinking about an aesthetic that reflects Preston and doesn’t fall into the cliche of stereotypical northern tropes, is not easy. My starting point was Accrington brick buildings. The glazed red finish on Accrington brick produces an aesthetic that is both a signifier of geographical location and a northern aesthetic.
The image above, of a quirky flat-iron style building in Ashton, was captured using a 35mm prime lens, however, it didn’t create the impact I was attempting to achieve. The building was re photographed using a 23mm lens and an improvement.
This still did not produce the image I envisaged, so tried a cheap fish eye lens over a camera phone, this was the nearest to visualising my original idea.
Fish eye lens
Crown Green Bowling Clubs.
Developing this idea, led me to capture images of crown green bowling greens, something that is characteristically ‘northern’ and having the additional benefit of, in most cases, being attached to club house buildings constructed from Accrington brick. I captured some preliminary research images on my phone to determine the feasibility of this idea.
I determined that the images could be presented as types and so noted that the image must be captured from a similar position and under the same lighting conditions.
The images above were captured with a 35mm prime lens. Re photographing using a 23mm prime lens (see below) gives more flexibility in reproducing a similar building size.
PH2004 Sunflowers Reflecting Coronavirus
Image of sunflowers on water & an Electron microscope image of the Covid19 virus, Nature Magazine.
PH2004 Aesthetic
Inspired by David Bailey’s images of Marie Helvin, I attempted to emulate some of his compositions. It quickly became clear that this was not going to be easy. The combination of posing the model, both direct into the camera and via the reflection in the mirror, controlling the lighting and thinking in black and white, together with shooting in a make-shift studio set up, proved to be not as straight forward as I anticipated. However, trial and error eventually paid off by producing a reasonable outcome given the circumstances. A mask on the model was used to signify the covid19 climate that prevented the use of a real studio.
Processing, cropping and masking in Lightroom was performed to disguise the unwanted features. Triangles are the recurring feature in this composition, something that was not immediately apparent prior to attempting this work.
Marie Helvin (D. Bailey 1983) 
PH2004 Taste.
More research and experimentation, taking advantage of the light, produced the image above.
An individuals taste and identity are often reflected on wall decorations in the form of framed paintings, photographs, ceramic flying ducks etc, so we can see above a section of my wall.
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