Discussion of exam paper

Plan


Definitions
Connected- bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established.
Photo-essay- an account of something told predominantly through photographs, with some accompanying text.

Composite image- Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. 

Documentary image- Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life.

Photographers
Gordon Parks:
Date of birth: November 30th 1912
Place of birth: Kansas, USA
Date of death: March 7th 2006
Place of death: Manhattan, USA
Notable works: Life photographic essays.

This image is interesting because of it's square orientation and the placement of the subjects in the image.  This is important as although the mother and child are placed in the images centre they are not what the views eye is first drawn to as a result  of the muted colour used throughout the image but the bright red used on the "COLORED ENTRANCE" sign.  This is important as it shows that societies view of people of colour at the time was tarnished before they had even been introduced to them.

This image is important as it shows that when we are younger we have no opinions of segregation but that people are influenced by societal views and expectations over the course of their lives.  The image uses muted tones throughout this creates a soft appearance and makes the image look understated and calm.

Patrick Winfield

Date of birth: Unknown
Place of birth: USA
Background: Computer and stop motion animation 
Preferred medium: Polaroids/instant film

http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/8194/1/patrick-winfields-polaroids

This image is a grid composition of various shots of flowers.  The flowers are all shot using different colour and levels of saturation in order to create a vibrant image which questions nature and natural appearances through its of unnatural tones.

The above image focuses around the use of shots of peoples faces at a close range and is a grid composition.  This image is far more subdued in appearance than the previous image and centre around skin tone coloration.  The separate frames are all pieced together to form a mismatched face composed of various images shot at different perspectives.  Reality is challenged in this image due to the lack of proportion featured as well as the fangs in one of the mouths used.

Nobuhiro Nakanishi

Date of birth: 1976

Place of birth: Fukuoka

Background: Graduate degree fine art sculpture.

Preferred style of photography: Layered images.

Nakanishi's images feature a very distinctive style of being layered in physical formations.  This aspect of layering gives the images a more immersive experience when they are viewed in galleries as viewers are able to walk around the images and look at them from different perspectives in the layers creating different compositions.  This particular series crates an interesting lighting pattern on the floor of the gallery resembling a wooden paved path that curves through the centre of the gallery.  The blues and purples used contrast heavily with the light cream walls of the gallery.

This image is on a far smaller scale but is equally as interning.  The use of the layering gives the image a sense of depth allowing for the forest featured to appear ultimately deeper creating a more immersive image experience.  The lighting used creates a prism effect casting ombre green rays of light which are darker in tone towards the images centre.