With the feedback from my 1:1 tutorial starting to process, I made a visit to Bushy Park with the intention of changing my subject focus.
With the concept of Sensitive Chaos: Patterns From Nature, I revisited two areas of within Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park that I had photographed many times before.
The first was the Longford River. I was thinking of how the trees are reflected in the water and whether a similar mirror/reversal/reflection could be worked on.
I then went to Hornbeam Avenue. This overarching line of trees is one of my favourite locations in the park. It creates a natural ‘cathedral’. Intially, I tried an interval timer shoot of 50 x 1 second. I hand-held the camera, aiming upwards. The downside of this is that you can’t see the images while the camera is doing this. I have a feeling it was due to me having a high RAW file setting. After this, I experiemented with taking multiple shots from slightly different angles, also upwards.
What I was trying to get were the gaps showing the trees ‘crown shyness’. This is a natural phenomenon where trees leave spaces between branches so they don’t crowd each other out.
I then made an initial square cropped Black & White conversion.
I then created a mirrored grid, this time leaving a gap between the images. This was in response to Fergus’ comment during our 1:1 tutorial on the 21 April in regards to making the fine art substrate a visual/textural feature of each piece of work.
Having completed this, I then took one of the images of the Longford River and gave it the same treatment.
After many weeks of working within a vacuum, it was a relief to finally discuss my latest project with the Module Leader, Fergus Heron. This 1:1 tutorial was the opportunity to discuss my potential ideas and receive guidance on how to progress.
Having had time to process the feedback from AGM62 Photography Research Project Stage 1, I felt more able to verbalise the concept behind my imagery. I also realised that I was connecting more strongly the research with the technical side of my work. There are two key phrases that articulate my work:
Relocating the photograph from ‘document’ to ‘picture’:
The repitition of the inverted doubling suggest a troubling of the supposed objective photograph.
By doing this, the objective perspective has been made subjective.
The main key points that Fergus pointed out was my work’s significance to photography itself, e.g. mirrored images, reversal and reflection. By using photography’s formal relations, it breaks the image being a description.
Another direction for me is that the work is not just about Bushy Park. It is a way of rendering the natural world and complicating the issue.
With regard to size, the work I produced for Invisible Trees was a good one. Not too big, not too small. So I will keep future work to a similar proportion (24″ x 12″).
A futher aspect was the use of fine art paper for the print surface – again another reference to trees/nature being used in the production of the work. Also, Fergus suggested that the paper is a visual element of each piece of work – maybe leaving a space between mirrored images.
Fergus also remarked on the references that I had looked at in regard to trees and nature. I reassured him that these were influential in my research and body of work and I wasn’t taking these literally. All of these books and articles have added unique aspects to my thoughts and actions. I see them as a sprinkling of seasoning that add flavour to this project.
My main task now was to continue experimenting and taking my work to the next level. I also need to bring in a selection of printed work to discuss during the next 1:1 tutorial on Wednesday 5 May 2021 at 2.40 pm in Room 304 at Edward Street.
Again, I was still waiting for inspiration to hit for this latest project. Again, I went to Bushy Park to see if there was something that could spark progression. As with the previous three shoots, I used the 85mm lens.
At this time, I wasn’t sure exactly how to progress my body of work for Stage 2. I had a few ideas, but nothing had quite settled. There was only one thing to do, which was visit the park with the camera.
Once I arrived in the park, I first visited the tree I had experimented with back in February.
The main difference this time was that it had now started to grow leaves.
What was interesting to observe is that only half of the tree was in leaf. There was one side which was still bare.
I then took some close ups of the branches with the budding leaves. These will need further experimentation.
One part of the tree that caught my eye was the top of the trunk before the branches split. I was really struck by the details.
After looking at these images when I arrived home, I created the following Black & White conversions.
When looking at the two images together, it struck me how they ‘flowed’ together. Maybe returning to the concept of building a tree with different elements was viable.
I continued through the part and was starting to realise that the hawthorns weren’t quite ready for their show of blossom. This would be at least two more weeks before any hint of pink could be seen.
What I had started noticing instead was how the leaves of these Horse Chestnut trees while they were growing from their buds. They looked so frail and fragile, like a baby animal.
I then took the following images of the Horse Chestnuts with the Lime trees behind. The Limes had yet to start growing their leaves, so give an interesting backdrop.
I tried the following Black & White conversion with a compositional crop to compare with the original colour image.
At this stage of the course, I was focusing on other modules and being distracted by life in general. While awaiting for this module to commence, I took a visit to Bushy Park on 19 March where it was a treat to see signs of new life. Also, it was interesting seeing how the light and conditions were changing with the move from winter to spring.
The other challenge I set myself was to solely use the 85mm lens.
My first observation was of these trees and the cloud behind. I took a sequence of images going from left to right.
What struck me about these images was the texture of the clourds in combingation with the the branches and catkins.
When editing these images later in the day, I initially tried a Black & White conversion.
In then coverted other images and created the following triptych.
I then walked through the Woodland Gardens. The sunlight was beautifully playing with the newly sprouting leaves on a plant I would usually just pass by.
I also challenged myself to take the following close-up. I was quite taken aback by the details I captured.
Also in abundance were the cherry blossoms.
To see what would happen, I selected the following image then made a Black & White version which was cropped 1:1.
I then created a mirrored & quartered version.
Am quite liking this particular effect. I will certainly be trying a test print on Fine Art paper of this image.
While waiting for the module to officially start, I took the following shots. The plan was to try out some closer photographs of two of the Hawthorns I had captured previously then experiment with the resulting images.
I initially selected the following image, which I then edited in Adobe Camera Raw.
I then made a quartered mirror image using the edited version in Adobe Photoshop.
Interesting, but will need further experimentation.
One concept I have considered for the Stage 2 project is taking photographs of the Hawthorns during the Spring. This is when the trees will be covered in blossom.
This thought also coincided with this reference to trees in art:
‘Often, in paintings depicting episodes of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, one sees images of a desiccated tree and a tree in bloom, indicating the opposition between redemption and sin. The simultaneous presence of the two trees may also allude to the opposition between Church and Synagogue and more generally between good and evil.’
(Impelluso, L. 2004. pp. 16)
Lorenzo Lotto, Allegory of Virtue and Vice, 1505
I also noticed a similarity between the above painting and one of my initial Hawthorn images.
References
Impelluso, L. 2004. Nature and Its Symbols. Los Angeles, California: Getty Publications.
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 