week 5 - reading the image introduction to assignment 3 - urban landscape

Week 5 - Reading the Image>Introduction to Assignment 3 - Urban Landscape

ACM101 – Still Images

Reading the Image

Group Exercise

•Form small groups of 4 or 5

•Spend 20 minutes looking at the images that have been distributed.

•Appoint someone to take notes.

•Be prepared to present your notes to the rest of the group.

Group Exercise

For each image ask yourself:

what was the first thing that came to mind upon viewing the image for the first time?

does the image remind you of anything?

what do you think the artist’s intention or meaning was?

Reading the Image

What might determine how we interpret (read) an image?

Reading the Image

Age?Gender?Religious or political beliefs?Race?Socio-economic status?Level of education?Sexual orientation?

Roland Barthes

•Barthes’ project was to subject the image to a spectral analysis of the messages it can contain

•Looked at advertising images

•Theorist known for his work on semiotics

Semiotics

•Semiology is the study of signs

•Deals with all processes of information interchange

•We constantly produce and interpret signs

Communication Theory

•Semiotics belongs under the umbrella of communication theory

•Dates back to 1949 - Shannon & Weaver

•Mathematical theory of communication/telecommunications industry

Communication Theory

The urban landscape

Photographing the Urban Landscape•Can be viewed both as a series of structures and panorama of social and cultural histories

•Challenge for urban landscape photography is to not only record the physical manifestations but to make visible the underlying social and cultural forces which ultimately determine their form and meaning.

Urban Landscape Photography•in some way describe a town or city

•represents an attempt to understand our experience of the city

•shows a dedication to the subject, expressed through a body of work ratherthan isolated images

•concentrates on structures or processes rather than on people

•may deal in either details or a broader view

Peter Marshall, 2003http://www.urbanlandscape.org.uk/

Urban Landscape Photography•Urban landscape is distinct from 'street photography', which looks at urban experience largely through a study of the people who live it, although the two genres may overlap.

•Urban landscape photographs often include people, but they are cleary situated and existing in the structures of the town or city.

Peter Marshall, 2003http://www.urbanlandscape.org.uk/

Eugene Atget• French, 1857-1927

•Considered one of the first social documentors

Eugene Atget

Lee Freidlander

•Multilayered vision

•Challenges photography’s formal conventions through juxtaposition and abstraction

•Reflective and semi-transparent surfaces creating ambigutities of space and meaning

Lee Freidlander

Joel Meyerowitz

•Considers himself a "street photographer" in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Garry Winogrand, although he works exclusively in colour.

Joel Meyerowitz

James Wakefield

•Social documentary photographer, based in Yorkshire, England.

•Urban Exposure website: http://www.urban-exposure.com

•Projects under the umbrella of the following themes; the street; relationships; narcotics; urban portraits; not in my name; urban spray and urban rhythms.

James Wakefieldfrom The Street series

James Wakefieldfrom the Urban Spray series

James Wakefieldfrom the Urban Self series

Ann Alt

•Amatuer photographer

•Photographs the urban landscape of Chicago

•http://www.sobs.org/photo/urbanlandscape/index.html

Ann Alt

Urban Landscapeshttp://www.urbanlandscape.org.uk/

Urban Exposurehttp://www.urban-exposure.com/

Joel Meyerowitzhttp://www.joelmeyerowitz.com/

Huger Footehttp://www.hamiltonsgallery.com/photographers/foote/hfsmallimages.html

Bruce Davidsonhttp://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/TreePf.aspx?E=29YL53IQUP9&Det=T

Ann Althttp://www.sobs.org/photo/urbanlandscape/index.html

Oculihttp://www.oculi.com.au/

Urban Landscape Weblinks

http://www.urban-exposure.com/

http://www.sobs.org/photo/urbanlandscape/index.html

http://www.oculi.com.au/

Assignment 3 - The Urban LandscapeObjectives:

•to examine a variety of approaches in the documentation of the urban landscape. To creatively utilise the techniques of depth of field, shutter speed, focus, angle of view, framing, qualities of lighting and colour, composition etc, to produce a sequential series of images which express your theme, concerns and response to the urban landscape.

Assignment 3 - The Urban LandscapeMaterials:

•Fujichrome or Agfachrome or Ectachrome 100 ISO film, 35mm SLR camera with standard 50mm lens, other lenses maybe used depending on your approach.

•A tripod maybe of use if you are working with slow shutters speeds or low light levels. Use of camera mounted flash is optional.

Assignment 3 - The Urban LandscapeApproach:

•Students are to choose one approach for this assignment. (These will be discussed in class where examples of related work will be shown.)

•Try to work with a consistent vision or approach, this will help to create a sense of style.

•Give consideration to the order images are presented in. The meaning of the work can be greatly enhanced by considering it as a series.

Assignment 3 - The Urban LandscapeChoose one of the following approaches:

The Human Condition: Documentation of the location and its people

The Urban Machine: Documentation of location as architecture and industry

Beyond Reality:An abstract interpretation of the urban environment, it’s textures, space, form, colours, light and time

The above approaches are not meant to be exclusive, rather they suggest a different emphasis in your response to the location. some cross over may occur but try to be clear in your approach.

Assignment 3 - The Urban LandscapeSubmission:

•present to the class approximately 10 slides with a statement (approx’250 words) which briefly explains your concepts and aesthetic concerns for this work.

•Careful consideration should be given to the sequencing of the images.

Assignment 3 - The Urban Landscape

•Check DSO for information about where and when to meet.

week 5 - reading the image introduction to assignment 3 - urban landscape

Documents