Irving Penn Copy

Aaron Siskind

This is a black and white representational photograph as it captures the decay located on the wall. The photograph is set to black and white which does limit the colour however due to the topic, decay, this helps to highlight the different areas of the decay which stand out more than if the photograph was presented in colour. The photograph captures texture due to the creases created in different areas of the photograph which also captures contrast due to the different layers. The texture created appears to be a harsh and rough texture due to the content of the wall appearing to begin peeling away, creating a worn effect. The main focus of this photograph would be where the photograph has been effected the most, this would be the top half, creating the divide where the photograph has started to wear away.

This photograph is a representational photograph set in black and white, combining grey scale thus creating contrast within the photograph. This photograph captures a harsh texture due to the decay of the wall, peeling paint and the condition of the wall due to weather conditions impacting this. The photograph also gives the audience a hint of the age due to the amount of decay located on the wall.The black and white effect further enhances the tones of the wall as it highlights the areas which have been impacted the most. The photograph focuses on capturing the decay located on the wall, resulting in space within the photograph, creating a simple but effective photograph.

This photograph out of the series isn't as effective as the other two images previously shown. as this doesn't capture the creases made by the decay unlike the other two images. The photograph focuses on capturing the writing on the wall as well as capturing the state of the overall wall.Again, texture can be found within this photograph due to the rough texture of where the writing has disappeared on the wall. Therefore the photograph seems more 'flat' and less dynamic and this is due to the location of the decay e.g. it suggests that there was a poster located on the wall and over time the state of this has ruined due to decay. As well as this it also depends on the weather conditions in the location which would impact the state of the wall and the findings on this. However the decay created works well in terms of covering the writing which previously appeared on the wall. The black and white effect provides contrast throughout the photograph, the writing being contrasted by the white background.

Irving Penn - Cigarettes

Irving Penn is an American photographer who expertise in a variety of different genres within photographer such as Fashion Photography and Portrait Photography which were often in black and white. During his career Penn experimented with different techniques when printing, such as printing on aluminium sheets which were coated with a platinum emulsion. One of his most notable works is his cigarette photographers which will be analysed within this post, which was printed on aluminium sheets which were coated with a platinum emulsion. 

The cigarettes have been captured in black and white, however the photograph has hints of sepia within the photograph. This may be due to the aluminium sheets when printing the photographs and coating them with the platinum emulsion. The cigarettes captured within this photograph show their current condition, it appears as if the cigarettes have been left outside, allowing them to change their current appearance making them appear older. This is suggested due to the second one having changed significantly in texture, showing a harsh texture. The photograph has a clear and sharp appearance which highlights different parts of the cigarettes, mainly the creases. Therefore this further enhances the photograph, making it clearer for the audience to see. The creases also highlight the texture within the cigarettes which appears to be harsh and sharp due to the rigid edges of the cigarettes. The colour palette works well for this photograph as this restricts the distraction and focuses on the attention of the cigarettes. This also portrays the effect that cigarettes have on a person due to the texture shown which reflects the damage it can do to a person. 

This is a black and white representational photograph of cigarettes captured by Irving Penn. The photographer mainly focuses on capturing the detail which can be seen within the cigarettes, such as the creases and the worn out appearance. The appearance of these  is probably due to the cigarettes being left outside overtime, allowing the weather conditions to impact the cigarettes. The different tones used also impact the overall photograph as this highlights the different areas of the cigarettes, especially the corners. The photograph has considered the composition of the photograph by placing two cigarettes one way round and the last cigarette the opposite way round. As well as this the cigarettes appear to vary in size thus using a symmetrical balance. 

This is also another photograph from Penn's series of cigarettes, which again, focusses on capturing the condition of the cigarettes. The cigarettes use a similar appearance to the first photograph analysed as this appears to have a sepia hint across the photograph. The photograph also contain texture due to the cigarette being smoked or light, showing a crumbly texture. However this time the photographer seems to focus on capturing the name of the cigarettes, as this is the main focal point and instantly draws your eye to the writing compared to the other two photographs which focus on capturing the state of the photographs. The writing however isn't completely visible due to the cigarettes not fully exposing the writing due to being hidden on the angle in which the cigarettes have been placed. This may be due to the cigarettes being popular, therefore theres no need to display the full name of the cigarettes. 

Stephen Gill

The photograph shown above is very abstract as the photographer has thought about adding other elements to the photograph rather than just capturing the location they are situated in e.g. adding objects inside the camera. The photograph uses a broad colour palette which contains several different colours which attracts the audiences attention to the photograph, the main colours being blue, green and red. The photograph captures a sense of movement as some of the objects added to the camera appear as if they are included within the photograph as they look like they are being windswept, although after researching the photograph this isn't the case the objects have been included within the body of the camera.The photograph focuses on capturing the location which is found within the background as well as capturing the extra features within the foreground.

The photograph uses a subtle colour scheme and this is mainly shown by repeating colours such, in this instance, green is repeated throughout the photographer. However the reason for this is mainly due to the location in which the photographer has chosen to capture this photograph. The object which has been placed within the body of the camera appears to be used a frame to focus on the a specific area within the photograph, in this case this is the centre of the photograph. This allows the audience to look through the circle and restrict their view of the photograph rather than viewing the whole photograph. The other elements included within the body of the camera have an appearance of extra leaves, some appear to be swept across the scene.

Stephen Gill also incorporates the use of polaroids into his work which he experiments allowing him to present these in an interesting way e.g. burying the polaroids and digging them up after a reasonable amount of time. The photograph shown above shows the changes which have been made to the photograph such as the colour in specific areas of the photograph running and creating stains. This give the photograph has an old and vintage appearance, especially due to the edges of the photograph appearing worn and slightly ripped and the photograph not being in a perfect state. A range of colours are used throughout the photograph which enhances the appearance of the photograph due to the photograph being buried, allowing the colours to combine and merge together. The quality of the photograph isn't of a high quality, however it does contain a reasonable amount of detail which is shown through the use of the different colours. After viewing the photograph several times, it almost appears as if the photograph has been painted due to the detail being slightly blurry and not in complete focus. 

Inspiration

Follow NJay's board Flaws, Perfection, Ideals and Compromises on Pinterest.

The theme for this unit is very broad due to the different topics, Flaws, Perfection, Ideals and Compromises. Therefore to narrow down my chosen area I decided to gather inspiration using Pinterest which would enable me to research all the different possibilities I could use to incorporate within my work. After viewing the different possibilities and mediums I decided to focus on decay whilst incorporating photography flaws e.g. manipulating photographs

Brainstorm