Sunday, 15 January 2012

Recreating a Master




Ansel Adams was not only a brilliant photographer, he was also a environmentalist. When he was five years old, a year after the great earthquake and fire that broke Adams’s nose scaring him for life, his family lost there fortune. His mother, Olive Bray, did not take this well and spent most of her time fretting and brooding that her husband was unable to restore there fortune. This cased Adams’s to have some mixed feelings towards his mother. On the other hand his father, Charles Adams, was always very supportive and encouraging of his sons choices. Adams’s was home schooled most of his life and during that time was when he discovered his love for nature, that would eventually be the inspiration and/or subject his photography. His life was, in his words “colored and modulated by the great earth gesture”
The first photograph shown above was taken by Adams’s in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The way the fallen trees are positioned at the bottom of the photo makes them the main focus of the photograph. They’re the first thing you see. The way they are enter twined makes them appear almost as if they are just one big tree. When you look at the top half of the photograph you see a Mountain on the top right covered in snow. Were as on the top left you see a Deep forest filled with trees. The way this photograph is formed its like three different environments are all coming together. Theres the dead trees, dry and dyeing , the snowy mountains, cold and secluded, and then finally the dark and lively forest altogether created a mix of emotions making it feel welcoming and frighting all at the same time. At first glance this photograph seems nothing more then a lake, but when you take a closer look you can see all the different beautiful nature that surounds it.
The second photograph shown above was taken by Adams’s in Glacier National Park, Montana. When looking at this photograph the thing you notice most is the multiple shades of black. Adams’s always made sure that his photographs contained a minimum of five different shades of black. One thing that makes this photo so beautiful and intriguing is the reflection of the sky in the water. Although the reflection isn’t an exact mirror image that is what actually makes it so much more interesting. Its as if its two separate photographs have been blended together. 
The third photograph shown above was taken by Adams’s in Yosemite. When you first look at this photograph it looks as if the tree in the front centre has burst from the ground and it is as if the snow is flying off the branches. This photograph is so interesting because no matter how many times you look at it you noticed something new about it. When looking at this photograph it gives you the sense of freedom and renewal. The way the light reflects of the Crystal clean snow, and how the tree grows every which way, makes you feel as though you can do anything. The reason the tree stands out so much is because of the way the dark mountain runs behind the tree giving it a dark background to stand out agains. Were as when looking at the trees more to the left they have a background that is closer to there color so they do not stand out as much in comparison. 
Ansel Adams was one of the most talented photographers of his time. With out his work the art world would not have been the same. The three photographs shown above are just a small piece of the beautiful work he completed in his life. 


The reason I chose to use this photograph is because I feel that it is a good representation of the kind of work that Ansel Adams's did. The way that it includes landscape and five shades of black like almost all of Adams's photographs did. 

For more information on Ansel adams work and life go to the following link: Ansel Adams continued


A New Way to Enjoy a Photo

        For my acrylic lift I decided to use a photo that I took of a book were the pages are folded into the shape of a heart. The reason I choose to use this photo is because I did not only think that it was a great photo but I also enjoyed the things that it made me think about. For example when I look at this photo I don’t just see it as a book. I see it as the different challenges and changes we go through in our life’s. It also represents the way that every day brings new adventures and we wont know how our life's will go until the end. The heart that the pages are folded into represent the way that no matter what happens in our life’s, no matter how many times we feel like we are completely alone, we still have love. 
To create my acrylic lift I taped down the four sides to a piece of wood. I then painted a total of 12 layers of gel medium onto the front of the picture, waiting for each layer to dry before applying  the next. When the gel medium was completely dry I placed the picture into a tray filled with water. I then rubbed the back of the picture until all the paper was removed. Once the picture dried my acrylic lift was finished. 
       Over all even though I had a few challenges in the process of creating the acrylic lift, I think that it turned out really well and I hope you like it as much as I do.


Sunday, 8 January 2012

Painting of the Picture

To create my silk screen I first had to create a screen that i would transfer the photograph onto. Once the screen was ready to go I began to decide how I would put it on, with what colors, and what I would put it on. I decided to use a black t-shirt because the colors I had chosen to use (blue, white, and yellow) would stand out best against a dark background. The reason i chose to do three layers rather then just one is that I felt it would give the shirt a more unique look rather then just a boring one layer like ever other shirt out there.

Even though I had some issues creating my silk screen, for example getting the emulsion to be as thin as possible, I was very happy with the finished product. I felt that the way it turned out made it much more interesting and exciting to look at.  


Black to White

To create my solarization I had to first choose which photo I would do. I deiced to use the photo I did because of the two girls laughing together. I loved the way that even though its such a simple photograph theres is still so much life in it.

The reason I enjoyed doing this process was because it gave the photo a new look to it that when you just develop the photo normally it doesn’t have. I think the photo turned out great and I would enjoy doing this process again with other photos. 

Sunday, 13 November 2011

From The Darkness We Bring Light

For this photo I took the light from a near by street light and as well the light of the night sky. With these two completely different kinds of light i was able to make the tree appear as though it was a bright vibrant orange rather then the dull yellow that it is during the day. I believe that it makes it appear as though the leaves are almost flames slowly burring the tree. 

Sunday, 6 November 2011

A New Recreation

The Renaissance was a time when some of the greatest works of art were created. The Renaissance started in Italy during the 14th century and then later expanded to the rest of Europe. two of the most famous men of that time were Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. 

The painting I chose to recreate, in a way is called Maddalena, it was painted by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (also know as Raphael), in 1504. He was both an italian painter and an architect. Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Michelangelo form the traditional trinity of great masters for The Renaissance period. 

For this project I recreated the painting Maddalena by taking a photo of a student with the same lighting as in the original painting. Then I photo shopped the head of the student in to the original so that it appeared as if the students face was what Raphael had painted. 



Without Darkness There Would Be No Light

To create this picture I used only a small light flash light and used it to illuminate the object in the centre. As well to illuminate the two people holding the object. But I shown the light on them for a shorter period of time so that the object in the centre would stand out the most. This picture is representing the way that even when it seems like there is nothing but darkness light always finds a way to break through.