Pin hole photography and Len's experimenting.

Photography

I have been looking at many photographers, artists, directors and illustrators recently while researching the way i view things. Photography has been the most interesting to me of them all as the results are so instantaneous. It had been a while since i had used an old SLR camera and it took a little crash course in order for me to understand the functions of it. I was given the advice that to go back to the beginning of photography and understand how the eye see's [aperture] and how the shutter speeds work i will see things differently. It worked! I have been able to experiment, take my time when compostion-ing my subjects and i have not relied on the 'digital' safety net of many images. I have however been able to apply the basic formats of SLR to my digital based camera and have begun to achieve more interesting results using homemade lenses. At the moment my biggest interest is in dreamy, timeless imagery that will stand the test of time and will still be interesting inn 50 years from now. The photographers Sally Mann and Barbara Ess both produce amazing shots that hold a punctum for me. I am not sure if its the texture, subject or colour yet- i am still finding out!

Taking inspiration from Film.

For me film and photography have always been my biggest influence on the way i visually see the world. Colour palettes of European film and the cinematography of film noir classics have been a major implement and passion that has fed personal taste and the way i approach my own working method. There is something about the way directors like Alfred Hitchcock could visually represent a scene from a film just by the way he angles the camera. Dark silhouettes against a textured background of a corrugated wall, emphasis the industrial, male dominance running through his film 'Saboteur'. This opening scene sets a pre-tense on the mood of the film  The positioning and the control of camera angles, the composition and the colour palette help direct the viewer through the story he wished to be portrayed. Film and photography has a way of capturing so many visual aspects, so quickly that it needs to be  done well in order to captivate  direct the viewer.

 Another of my favourite film makers is Andrei Tarkovsky. His films can be heavy viewing but i never tire of his imaginative Art direction. Long pensive scenes and the mildness of his chosen colour palettes have made his films memorable viewing. He often segmented his film between colour and black/white in order to help translate the context, history and reflectiveness of his scenes. He selected wider shots when explaining the surroundings, year or context of the scenes. This helps the viewer to share the characters view point and the environment surrounding them. This inevitably helps us to see what Tarkovsky wants us to understand about his film,stories and characters. His films Mirror and Stalker have some of the most amazing scenic shots, simplicity being the key to his work. You can watch his films with the volume turned down and still appreciate the beauty of his film making.  

The importance of myself reviewing these films are helping me to understand my own personal taste/view on Art direction, composition and colour selection. This in turn feeds into my working practice and helps me to understand my own personal approach to Art, photography and design to translate to my viewer.