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.
Before embarking on the Winter break, I tried something different with an image taken on 15 November. I wanted to experiment with a technique I used with the ‘twosome’ images and have tried with other previous projects.
Intially, I made a Black & White conversion.
I then created the following image using Adobe Photoshop.
Finally, I produced the following configuration, again in Adobe Photoshop.
Not sure if this works exactly, but is something I could revisit in Stage 2.
The challenge I faced with photography was that the instantaneous static viewpoint, provided by the camera’s lens and shutter, didn’t represent the continuous flow of the act of looking. It seemed as if the still photograph had been held back to the level of the dictionary; the single word. It was the visual equivalent of overlooking the potential to link words to convey ideas and meaning. I couldn’t accept the notion of an isolated, decisive moment being capable of encapsulating our experience of life.
(Myles, N. 2020)
With this quote reverberating round my head, it was time to relook at what I was attempting to achieve. It seemed I had spent a lot of time and energy researching trees and how to photograph them in the best way possible. However, this project isn’t about getting the perfect tree image. It’s about practice-based research, which requires EXPERIMENTATION!
When I looked at the images I’d created so far, I was very happy with the progress I had made technically. I was now taking a different approach to tree photography compared to the one I used in the AGM60 Research & Experimentation module. What was missing at this stage in the images was the element that made them distinctly ‘Jennie Meadows’. I also felt that I wasn’t being ‘creative’.
Editing and experimenting with images digitally is integral to my work. Why not now?
The fact that I hadn’t started this process for the current project was strongly sparked by the work and words of Noel Myles. Why should my images be restricted to one view point?
My first experiment involved a Black & White conversion of the following image.
Next, I flipped the image 180 degrees.
I then combined to two images in Adobe Photoshop.
I wasn’t sure about the two images connecting. I thought the middle section may be two distracting. So I also created a version with a small between them. I also tried a third version showing one in Black & White and the other in colour.
Something was starting to evolve. Further experimentation was required. My classmate, Mark, suggested putting the two trees together. I planned to do so later that day.
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 