Seminar 4- "The City" Deconstructing Environmental Photographers

One common thing I initially notice between a couple of the photos is how the photographer has tried to make the buildings appear grand. They all are very grand buildings but the photographers have pin pointed and exaggerated this. Looking firstly at Gropius’ “the flatiron Building” photo it is evident that Gropuis has angled the camera upwards so it is as if the viewer is looking up at the building when looking at the photo. The height of the building is intensified as Gropuis has taken the photo at an angle so as to be able to fit more of the length of the building in the photo.  Gropuis didn’t have to include, as much of the building in the photo as he has but he is trying to make a point, saying this building is so big that even at an angle all of it cannot fit into the photo. Compare this to Evans’ photo of the same flatiron building. taken with the camera again angled upwards, with the same intentions of maximizing grandness of the building. Both pictures do indeed show the grandness of this building and even though both photographers have used the same technique to achieve this, they have chosen to focus on the grandness in a different way. Whilst Gropuis focused on the length and tallness of the building and in turn made the building look rather thin, Evans instead has decided to focus more on the width if the building than the length. In Evans photo the building does not look as lengthy but it does however look wider. You can see in Gropius’ photo that he has chosen to leave in the roofs of the other buildings to prove tot eh viewers even more that this amazing building is more than twice the height of other buildings. Evans on the other hand has chosen to leave in part of another building that may not actually be taller than the flatiron building but appears to be in the photo. Evans really isn’t focusing on the height; he is focusing on the width and generally grandness of this building. 

Rihanna- we found love

Watching the new Rihanna video a couple of weeks ago gave me ideas for my environment project. Strangely enough it did also help with my object project but im gonna focus on how it helped me with the environment project right now.

It's the way the film uses it's environment to help set a mood and build up a picture of what the song is trying to say through it's shots of the environment around them. Thats what i would like to do with my environment give a feeling and a mood to them, to help show my opinion of the place.

Thomas Struth

In this photo Struth has drawn the viewer into the photo with the direct straight road leading the observer through the perspective. However the rubbish at the left and right side of the road cuts of the road into a thinner line drawing the viewer in further. This ‘thinner road’ isn’t directly in the middle of the photo, I think a direct line straight from the middle leading you in can sometimes be too harsh on a photo and make it uncomfortable to look at. However the fact the ‘thinner road is more to the right entices the viewers eyes effortlessly into the photo. He said that a photograph "has a clear language, one that speaks openly not only about its subjects ... but also very much about the attitude of the photographer toward these things. In this regard, a photograph is always objective.” Therefore in Struth’s opinion all photos tell you the photographers view on what they’ve photographed. Baring this in mind you can tell how Struth has decided to show how busy and crowded this environment feels. He has chosen to show all the buildings close and surrounding each other, there is no sky above the buildings in the foreground to show the height of the buildings and to create a crowded atmosphere.

Compare this to the second photo where there is sky in he foreground and it makes the environment feel a whole lot emptier. Also the position on the street that Struth has chosen to take the photo adds to this vacant feel, if he had chosen to take the photo further down the street where the buildings are taller and where he could have had no sky in the foreground than it would have created a busier, more crowded feel. Also the road width is wider than the two corners if the bottom width of the page which creates a feeling of space where there is not a lot going on. The fact that the road is clear of rubbish and clear of cars creates an empty feel also, compared to the road of the previous picture which is made to feel even thinner because of the rubbish either side.

This photo here from Struth's Paradise collection is completely different to the previous city/town environemts. This environment is in the middle of a forest, however although the picture may look completely different to the others and may have a different feel to it the same methods are used in it. There is a very busy, crowded feel to this photo and compare this to the first photo that is also quite crowded and busy and you start to see how Struth uses the tress the same way he uses the buildings. The trees, like the buildings, surround both sides of the picture and eventually further back into the middle of the picture. There is also a narrow stream slightly to the left of the picture leading the viewers eyes into the photo.  Just like in the first photo where Struth uses the narrow road to lead the viewers eyes into the photo. One thing Struth uses int his photo that he does not use in the other photos is 'the line of beauty'. This is where a s shape is created in the photo to attract the viewers attention, it is supposed to signify energy, movement and is supposed to stir the viewers attention. The line of beauty starts at the beginning of the lake and follows it until the end of the lake and then curves up into the tress. The fact that the line if beauty is not int he other pictures means that he is trying to create a different feeling in the other two places.