Experiments

I wanted to experiment with my photographs by hand in order to create another form of decay. As part of this I came up with three different experiments.

Figure 1 shows the first experiment where I ripped the edges of my pictures to create a sense of damage as what is in the photos is, I also thought this made the photos look old and worn out.

Figure 2 shows two experiments, with two of the images I used acrylic paint and painted over sections of the photographs in the style of Sarah Meyers Brent in order to add texture and to make it look as though the photos themselves are decaying. The last experiment I done was to stick dying flowers over part of my photo. I chose dead flowers as this is another form of decay and I wanted to put the two together. Although I like the concept, it did not turn out as well as I had hoped/expected.





Figure 2

Figure 1



 

 



 





Disposable Camera Photos

 

 

 

 

 

To further my experiments of using different types of cameras to take my photographs, I decided to take some using a disposable camera. I really like how different the colours look in these images and how this can effect the way you read a picture. I think from these photos the buildings look dingy and dirty and very derelict, whereas in the previous photos there was something quite romantic about the buildings and the colours. However I do like the effect this has on my photographs and I am pleased with the outcomes with this experiment. 

Final Photo shoot

The photographs that you see below are a selection of images from my final photo shoot. I decided to continue to look at the areas that surround derelict buildings and also to use a shallow depth of field to photograph the actual structural elements as can be seen in the pictures that follow. Furthermore, I decided to keep this photo shoot in full colour in order to clearly see the different colours and details/textures at a derelict site.

 

 

 

I continued throughout all my pictures of the objects to photograph using a shallow depth of field as well as a wide depth of field which I think works well with these pictures as they are closely cropped and taken from a close up perspective. I also continued to look at the different colours and textures and some of my favourite show how the paint is peeling or where the objects have gone rusty or growing moss.

 

 

 

I then went on to photograph the actual buildings, looking at both the wider view and getting close up t certain aspects of it e.g. windows/doors e.t.c. the next set of images are from the same photo shoot but look to photograph in this way. What I like about a lot of these images is how you get to see the range of different colours, therefore I think full colour works best with these photos. I also like the different textures and how they go into one, for example the boarded up windows.

Within some of the photos many have been taken from very similar angles and perspectives, for example those of corners of walls and looking up towards the sky. I think I could improve a number of these photographs by experimenting with different perspectives and view points and perhaps trying to include more of the building in order to incorporate a range of colours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I continued to experiment with taking my photographs from dramatic slanted angles. I really like how this captures different areas of the building in one photo.

With all these photos I used the same editing process as seen before, however with the images that include the sky I adjusted the exposure even more in order to create a clear, white sky that then created a bold contrast with the buildings. What I like about these photos as a whole is the variety of different images that I was able to take and how many look very different from each other. Furthermore, I also like the colours and textures I was able to capture which make these photos look more abstract. I used only natural lighting and the occasional flash which made my pictures look clear. I think I could improve my images by being more adventurous with the compositions and perhaps experiment more with cropping the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Piece Plan

These are photographs of two of my sketchbook pages that show the different plans/ideas that I was thinking about for my final piece, the labels show how much my ideas changed especially from when I first started this project as I originally wanted black and white photographs however I changed this to having full colours images as part of my final hanging in order to show the textures and colours found at a derelict site.

Review (3)

I have now completed my fourth photo shoot and I now feel confident and happy with my project as I feel that I am progressing with it. I have now decided to be more adventurous when taking my photos and experiment with different angles/perspectives, I have been taking images from a dramatically slanted view as well as the normal portrait/landscape and I think this works well with what I am photographing as it allows you to see more of the buildings and different parts of it that normally in a photo you wanted be able to capture together when just taking them portrait or landscape. I am also experimenting with the different types of camera as I completed an iPhone photo shoot, what I like about the images from that shoot is that they do not look particularly clear which I think adds to the effect of the picture look old and neglected. Furthermore, I have also been experimenting with cropping and focusing on just one part of the building as well as the building as a whole. This is something I am definitely going to do when taking my final photo shoot as it allows you to focus on the detail of the decaying building. I began experimenting with this when taking photographs at the Klinger Factory as I liked the patterns you could see in the smashed windows and how each of them were different. At this photo shoot I also began looking at the barriers and railings that surrounded the site and how they were peeling away to reveal different layers and textures.

The Klinger Factory

History

The Richard Klinger Factory in Sidcup was built in 1937 to manufacture engineering parts. Klinger is an Austrian manufacturer for valves and borosilicate gauge glasses.

Figure 1

 

 

Figure 2

 

 

 

The photographs that you see above are all from the Klinger Factory location. at this photo shoot I looked at the building as a whole as well as zooming/cropping in on certain aspects of it. I also looked at the surrounding area such as railings. I decided to put my images in black and white again as I like this style and also so you are not distracted by the colours.

The day I took these photos was cloudy and raining which therefore makes the images of the building look darker and contrast against the sky. I tried to experiment with different angles and perspectives as well as thinking about the rule of thirds, particularly with Figure 1. However, I feel I could improve by furthering my composition.

Figure 2 is my favourite photograph from this shoot as I like how clear it is and how you can see the details of the smashed windows and the different shapes that occur. I also like the contrast you get from the use of monochrome colours.

 

 

iPhone Photo Shoot

As part of my development when taking my photographs I am experimenting with using different sources to capture the images, the pictures that can be seen below are ones that I have taken using the camera on an iPhone. I then edited my photos into black and white as this is the colour theme I want to use throughout all my images. With this photo shoot, I also experimented with taking my photographs from various angles so that the building was slanted.

 

 

 

 

I liked the outcome of taking pictures in a slanted way so it is something I will think to continue when doing other photo shoots. Furthermore, I like the effect that taking my pictures on my iPhone has as they do not look perfectly clear and I think this adds to the rugged and decaying view of the derelict building. Within some of these pictures I have used a shallow depth of field, particularly on the images where parts of a plant hang in front of the building. As well as the use of a shallow depth of field, I also used a wide depth of field. Within these photos and those continued from this shoot, I think there is something quite creepy about them as they look dark and cloudy , there is also quite dark contrasts within the pictures.
I think I could improve these photos by trying to get more images close up and focus on one area/aspect of the building. I could also experiment more with cropping and lighting/brightness.