View allAll Photos Tagged TOPOGRAPHIC
As much as I wanted to go traditional “New Topographics” monotone I couldn’t turn away from that yellow line and rust colored trees.
Addendum; There was no post editing of that asphalt road.
The darkness is from thousands of interstate bus tires leaving the terminal.
Hand held - no tripod - IBIS at full throttle at 0.5 sec.
Yes, Night photos in Paris and the foggy streets of London are truly captivating, but can one create an intriguing shot of a diner in a typical US suburb?
Robert Adams photography is the most sensitive to the way that the abstract geometry of straight lines in the form of roads cut through the irregular contours of nature.
There is a sense of despair when viewing the incisions which mankind imposes upon the landscape.
Ricoh FF-90
I began with not understanding and not liking Lewis Baltz industrial park 'wall' images.... The understanding came through a statement by Robert Adams "Form is beauty" then came my appreciation.
The hot summer sun was hanging in the perfect position to create this scene.
I took a shot with a micro 4/3 but this iPhone field of view was what was required.
The question stands; why would this picture be different from a Real Estate advertisement?
Both would show a structure in an uncritical manner. The difference being -- a Real estate 'document' photo has an intent of use while a 'documentary' style New Topographics photo is a useless image. This is not semantics, but a purpose of use by the photographer at the time of making the image.
reference; Szarkowski.
Plus, "In a NT picture one cannot understand the structure without understanding the landscape and conversely."
Addendum: it is difficult for me to comprehend and subsequently digest the idea of ‘useless’ pictures being worthy of inclusion into the New Topographics genre. But I acquiesce to photography historians who are well adept in this field.
Though it is a magnificent modern structure and presents itself well I had quite a difficult time trying to find an angle which was appealing. Exasperated I stepped back to get a shot of the highway and when I turned around my shot was right before me.
Robert Adams steered away from dark high contrast images when he began his work in the high plaines of middle Colorado in the early 70's. The bright high altitude sunlight brought a silent energy to his photographs.
Henry Wessel allowed the generous light of California to present itself naturally opening up shadowed areas.
Neither used filters to artificially darken the sky preferring it's bland appearance.
Canon sure shot WP-1
Ilford Delta 100
SOOC
Thats a tractor trailer doing 70 eastbound down the the Jane Addams Memorial Expressway just east of Meacham road.
As I had previously noted; humanity has bastardized nature by replacing streams with stagnant industrial ditches, waterfalls with fountains, and sad bronze statues where once herds of elk roamed.
The harder the landscape architects try to recreate nature in their 'functional public parks' the more they demonstrate the degree of change for natural wilderness.
New Topographic artists "primarily concerned with relationships of land to culture and the particularities of social existence"
"In reality there are no "before" pictures when photographing landscape. Only an endless sequence of "afters". book New topographics - photographs of a Man altered landscape. 1975 - page 41.
In example; this was an open midwest prairie. Then a working farm in the 1800's. now a sprawling industrial park. And someday as Chicagoland expands into the the suburbs the land will again be transformed into a row of high-rise apartments.
Minolta SRT 201
Minolta 28mm MD 2.8
on expired Svema - Kono Monolit 400
My appreciation to AnalogBob for the camera .
I have purposefully posted this landscape immediately after yesterday's landscape to highlight the similarities and differences in landscape photography.
'New Topographics' tenants utilize a straight forward approach. Striping away the extraneous, and focusing on the beauty and simplicity of humanity's intrusion upon the land. Avoiding the picturesque it brings formality, and focuses on the conscious awareness of 'space'.
I was lucky with the harsh sunlight which Robert Adams used when he photographed his series in Colorado.
To achieve this effect I shoot through a vintage glass Wratten 5N5, 3x3 inch filter, then post edit with 'Photoscape' black and white tool.
New Topographics - neutral landscapes, uninflective and objective photographs devoid of nostalgia and prettiness.
Deal and Baltz took it a step further removing the far point and horizon line and creating an immediacy in their landscapes.
Ricoh FF-90
When I look at your photos I look for what element 'makes' the shot work.... In this direct image I would say it's those unassuming clouds which add so much nuance as to be the secret ingredient.
I was impressed by what I read from an interview with Lewis Baltz in the Smithsonian “Archives of American Art” — Baltz tried to present his images as ‘flat’. Even though there were different elements he wanted the scene visually as a “very shallow space and usually there is a plane that echoes the picture plane.”
Following my previous post this picture continues along my line of trying to push the strict tenants of the New Topographics movement to maintain objectivity, but add vitality.
And just douse it with natural color.
A deliberately planned photo made to appear casually executed.
Adolph Gottlieb would utilize a minimal amount of elements thus allowing a palpable tension to develop between them.
Not shying away from my New topographics I adhere to the tenets Henry Wessel incorporated into his works; "allow the light of the scene to present itself naturally and be generous with the shadows to remain 'descriptive'".