Assignment 4 - research (2)

Can I do a Gursky ?

I’ve been looking at the work of the photographers recommended by my tutor to see what I might bring to my assignment

Andreas Gursky

I had seen some of Gursky’s work in my copy of the Tate publication ‘Cruel and Tender: The Real in the Twentieth Photograph Century’ (1). I know that his trademark is the high point of view i.e. he often employs a high point of view in his large format architecture and landscape colour photographs. Around 1991 he began to explore the possibilities of editing shots digitally. To quote the Sophie Clark in the Tate publication (P261);

‘The adjustments he makes to his negatives are subtle, yet re-emphasize the formal qualities in his compositions: lines are straightened out, extraneous details are wiped out, colour is enhanced and order is imposed ‘to maintain or ideally to enhance the credibility of his images’.

But what made his work really come  across was a profile of the artist by Director  Ben Lewis back in 2002 :
https://vimeo.com/17692722  

( Accessed 12 August 2015 )

Just wondering how I might apply his approach to my assignment?

There are no individual people in his images – no decisive moment ( a candid image taken at the precise moment which defines or illustrates the entire story or action ) but people en masse .His photographs  are always taken from a distance and often from  above.

P972: F8 @ 1/1000  50mm  ISO 100

P973: F5.6 @ 1/640  18mm ISO 100

If you look above when walking down Albert Road, you can see people using the space above street level in an interesting way such as above the Casa De Castro. There are very few high buildings around from which to view the area or street. I checked out the Methodist Church tower but the windows are blocked up. So the possibility of a Gursky style landscape panorama was not viable.

But looking at and considering Gursky hade made think of using different viewpoints to capture the 'sense of place' that I was looking for. It occurred to me that I could get a downward view from above the street if I could get up to one of the ‘patio areas’. Based on the premise if you don’t ask, you don’t get I talked my way onto the decking area above ' Bellamys ':

P974: F5.6 @ 1/500  45mm  ISO 100

P975: F5.6 @ 1/1000  24mm  ISO 200

It was harder to do than I thought and the angles that I could shoot from were not ideal. I think I really needed  to be higher up.. 

(1) Dexter,Emma and Weski,Thomas (eds.) (200) Cruel and Tender : The real in the twentieth-century photograph.London : Tate Publishing