View allAll Photos Tagged TOPOGRAPHIC
Recently I studied the work of Werner Mantz who predates the New Topographics photographers back to the 1920's. His approach toward image making was quite similar to the NT movement of the 1970's, but more towards 'art'.
reference: Werner Mantz; Bridge 1929
Bridge in Cologne 1927
In post editing I tried to emulate his development style and lean to a warmer monochrome with heavier shadows. An analog shot with a modest yellow/green filter would have brought out the clouds better and made a much nicer image.
The reason I decided not to stand directly in the center of the road was because I did not want the emphasis to be on perspective, but rather the form of the bridge.
I have to get past my mind and trust the instinct of my eyes. If allowed my mind will attempt to take photographs I have already taken. It's bad enough to make photos which look like other people's pictures, but it is worse making pictures which look like yours over and over again.
Henry Wessel: "When you connect to the world, do not allow that moment to be taken by your mind."
Historically New Topographics photographers were not necessarily environmentalists, but through their images humanity's behavior towards nature became visible.
Canon sure shot WP-1
Fujifilm 400
Build it up, then tear it down and build it up again.... and the beat goes on.... the gloomy elegance of a well coordinated demolition.
"In reality there are no 'before' pictures when photographing New Topographics nature, only an endless sequence of 'afters'.
Through the jumble of languishing forms I see the surreal world of Yves Tanguy.
New Topographics photos are not easy to 'like' much less to appreciate.
My intent here was to follow the lead of Lewis Baltz.
Minimalism in art strives to achieve an illusion. Lewis Baltz's photographs have an incidental kinship with minimalism, but instead of intentionally creating feelings through illusion they avoid such aesthetic or sentimental value.
Ricoh FF-90
New Topographics, a man altered landscape: “primarily concerned with relationships of land to culture and the particularities of social existence .” Page 40
The insult on the landscape was not complete after they finished construction of this public park. It would appear that poor tree continues to be affected by hundreds of hands rubbing against it, denuding it's trunk.
Lewis Baltz The New Industrial Parks Near Irvine, California are not necessarily pretty pictures, but difficult to turn away from
I was a fan of the Ricoh FF 3-AF until I purchased it's cousin this FF-90 --- a very easy to carry and use camera.
Nice 5 element lens....
I am delving deeper into my personal discoveries in the New Topographics genre by foregoing any hint of prettiness and allowing the reality of man’s intrusion upon nature take a brazen central role in my work.
No fish, no crawdads, instead asphalt predominates where there should be a lake.
Reflections, art?...or a nightmare? These three Chevrolets were shot at an in town cruise night. All the cars here were on the shady side of the street, but reflected the buildings across the street in the bright, late afternoon light.
Documentary style vs. Document photo. Because it is a 'useless' image it falls into the 'documentary style' category of photography.
I present this picture to regain favor in the New Topographics community. Especially after the expressive subjectivity "stagecraft" of my previous two photos.
Picked up a copy of Lewis Baltz - Park City from the library and stopped at his series photographed at 'West Sidewinder drive and State HWY 248'.
Empty fields with random piles of debris and dirt verge on the concept of being 'art'. Yet somehow in series these images present a 'real' landscape which we are immune to. Instead of dismissing them en total I stare at them trying to further understand what Baltz intended.
Ricoh FF-90
Rikenon 35mm 5/5 element lens
The fun of New topographic photography is the "great deal of opportunity in the ordinary" (John Gossage), and being vigilant finding beauty in the banal without adding any subjectivity.
Here I liked how that snow worked with the clouds, but did not appreciate how the snow counter balanced the building until I got this shot up on the screen.
I applied a border around this image to attempt to quell it's immediacy and foreboding presence.
In my pursuit of this movement's basic tenets I want to also adhere to the photography adage, "be yourself".
The direct lighting and urbanism were there, but missing was simple elegance.
These towers were just to overbearing to allow for any poetics.
There are guideposts and tenants in whatever genre of photography we may choose. And as an amateur photographer I study and want to follow the techniques as set down by the "New Topographics" photographers. Yet, 'I want to make it mine'.
This straight edged structure stuck out like a sore thumb nestled in the deep woods.
I wanted a bland composition allowing for thought and feeling.
I must say, Not an easy style to accomplish while maintaining interest and beauty in the banal.
As photography enthusiasts we are each drawn to a specific genre. Granted we admire all sorts of pictures, but there is a certain class of images we particularly are drawn to. Some like portraiture, some still-life, others formal landscape photography, and some street...
It was a while before I found myself admiring New Topographics photos. I found my admiration was in their honesty and utilization of space. I found that I related to their aesthetic because I was immersed in that type of scenario all around me. Intentionally regular and bland and not necessarily "pretty" I found them quite worthy of my attention.
I found myself being a more honest photographer when I adapted the New Topographics style and followed their tenets. Then one day I went back through my SD cards and found that I had been taking such pictures on many occasions without knowing it.
There is quite some overlap between New Topographics and Uncommon Places picture making, but at their cores they are very distinct.
With this particular scene I tried to push the envelope and present a landscape far beyond the aesthetics of 'calendar' pictures.
Another New Topographics "non-hierarchial' photo where in each picture all details have equal value and no viewpoint is better that another.
This practice I attempted when structuring this scene. I wanted everything to stand at the forefront without any one character dominating the shot. Mind you, the empty spaces need to be of equal value to the entirety.
With the way the lower half tilted itself upward while the background moved forward it also carries a cubist compositional style. In other words, it's all flat... wherein the elements in the background have established new relationships with the characters in the foreground.
However it's success as a worthy image lies in the eyes of the viewer.
I want to also point out; it's not "of what you take a picture of", but how you structured your image... This could be banana in a bowl on the kitchen table or a duck in a pond... It's what you made of it... first comes the discovery followed by the structuring of the scene.