An Urban Area is the region surrounding a city, however it can also refer to towns, cities and suburb. Most inhabitants of urban areas have modern, office jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a plethora of human structures such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges and railways.
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"City Life is millions of people being lonesome together." - Henry David Thoreau "The city is not a concrete jungle, its a human zoo." |
I quite like this image as I managed to create a similar effect as the one Pedro Correa uses in his work - a natural double exposure. I really like that through the glass you can see a reflection of the words on the opposite wall. If I were to edit this image, I would crop it and up the brightness to highlight the words, also increasing the contrast to create a moodier image.
Once again, I like this image as it creates the feeling of distance. Not only with the narrow halls, but the doors at the end, small and unreachable. The windows on one side and the wall on the other also adds to the feeling of being trapped somewhere. When editing this image, I would darken the shadows and maybe reduce the brightness, increasing the contrast a little.
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I really like this image as it shows exam desks laid out for GCSE mocks. Although this image brings be a level of fear, I like how the rows move away from the centre of the image, leading the eye upwards . I also like how the line of chairs and tables turns and changes angles, as if imperfect. If I edited this image, I would darken the edges and brighten the rest of the image.
Finally, I like this image too as although it was unintentional, the blur creates a feeling of movement within the image. This blur can mean many things, such as dizziness and nausea, or speed and confusion. TI like this image as anyone can have an opinion to its meaning. If I were to edit this image, I would reduce the contrast somewhat and bring down the brightness.
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"My work revolves around the beauty I find in the energy of the big cities. There is, in my opinion, no need to force beauty, it is already out there." - Pedro Correa
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Why this artist?
I decided upon this artist as his work is filled with colours that resonate with me personally, I love warm, bright and low contrast colours as I feel they create a calm image overall and are gentle on the eye. From when I first saw his work, I felt very inspired to begin emulating his style and to look deeper into how he crafts his images. Who are they? Pedro Correa is a fine arts photographer who originally studied in oil painting and comic art at Brussel's Royal Academy of Arts. He then became fascinated with the medium of photography and its capability to 'capture the moment'. Since the start of his career, his work has been displayed in galleries all over the world, notably London, Paris, Washington DC and Hong Kong. Why this quote? I feel this quote expresses his love for the unnatural of giant cities, and the natural of beauty. His work combines these two emotions to form images that feel similar to a breath of fresh air, or a pause in a busy space - a drop in motion. A time to stop and feel the beauty in any space, no matter how it feels on the surface. Website: www.pedrocorreaphoto.com/ |
' Wooden Cab' - 2013
Subject: This image is one of my personal favourites from Pedro Correa. It's named 'Wooden Cab' and was taken in 2013. The genre relates to my current project, Urban Environments and the condition of living in the modern day and age. Correa states himself that he doesn't create staging for his photographs, he only captures real life, so I personally wouldn't say he uses any props. Elements: The composition of this image creates vast depth as Correa cleverly uses depth to give life to his work. On first inspection, the bright yellow taxi stands out as the central focus of the image, however upon further inspection, I would say the taxi was only an after thought. What stands out to me is the seemingly empty chairs that line the bottom of the image. Another way Correa created a successful image was through perspective - the subject of this image seems fairly mundane, that if you were to walk past you wouldn't notice such delicate detail. The effect of this is that I now feel I should pay more attention to the world around me, especially reflections from another world. Correa also employs a range of visual elements - mainly line - lines of the wood, the leather chairs, the walls, the sign posts... These lines create the feeling of elongation, a long image cut up into little strips of texture. Media: This image has been taken from a short distance - Correa has done this in order to capture both the movement of the outside world and the stillness of the inside. It has been cropped to capture the yellow car but also capture the further outside world - this therefore makes the car the main focal point of the image. The composition of this image is very special as Correa uses layering to his advantage to build a world, rather than just capture it. The viewer is immediately drawn to the foreground, later noticing the mid and background of the chairs and the people. The image was taken using natural light outside, making the image seem very casual and unplanned. This creates an atmosphere of a normal day, no special lighting or layouts needed - just a glimpse into the world outside, the reflection providing this window. To emulate this photo, I would need to spend a lot of time walking around my local area, finding these special reflection that to an ordinary eye would go forgotten.
Intent: I strongly believe that the intent of the artist was to pull factors of life and modern, urban architecture to light and display how things that were maybe designed for another purpose or mistakes can be beautiful and you don't need to edit or change these things for them to create stories - leaving things as they are sometimes create the deepest stories. |
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"I’m just as interested to work for an up and coming practice as I would for an international advertising agency."
- Nick Guttridge
Why this artist?
I decided upon this artist as I really liked his use of pale, cool whites. This photography is also very high key and uses the clouds to carefully paint calm images. Who are they? Nick Guttridge is a UK based photographer of the arts, architecture, design and dance. He is well known in his field and has worked on many commissions from architecture companies and different brands. Why this quote? I really like this quote as I feel it presents the genuine side of Guttridge. Many people get caught up in wanting to be the best and partner with the best, whereas Guttridge genuinely enjoys photography and wants to spend him time with both influential and up-and-coming agencies. He does photography for the art over the money, which I feel has been lost in the current climate of art. Website: http://www.nickguttridge.com/ |
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Subject: The photographer of this image is called Nick Guttridge. Both the title and date of creation are unknown. The genre of this image is urban landscape. Similar to Pedro Correa, Guttridge also rarely uses props or specialist equipment to capture him images, allowing for a casual atmosphere to an image.
Elements: The composition of the image has the main focus in the background, where the highlights draw your attention. There is evidence of the rule of thirds being used as the different levels of the building staying in the third lines, similar to Correa. The viewer's eye is led around the image by bring immediately drawn to the brightest part of the image - the windows. Gradually, the viewer is guided by the geometric lines through the image, telling a story of a slow work day. This is different to the story that Correa tells as his image doesn't have many overwhelming highlights, preferring darker tones over lighter. The perspective that Guttridge used is at around eye level, giving the feel of a glance at the building while walking through. Guttridge applies a range of elements in his work, most significantly would be line. This is similar to the previous image by Correa as he uses lines to cleverly frame his images too. Media: This image has been taken from a long distance, allowing for a high level of detail in his image. It has been cropped to cleverly follow the rule of thirds, this is so the main focal point is on emphasising how high key the image is. The image has been taken with natural lighting reflecting on the white walls, reflecting and creating a cool white image. The main light source comes from the windows in the background of the image, creating an almost annoyingly bright image. This further creates an atmosphere of cold, modern buildings and the discomfort associated with them. This is completely different to the atmosphere Correa creates with the warm tones and intriguing view of the urban world. To emulate this image myself, I would need to find a very bright and airy modern building and purposely over-exposing it to replicate Guttridge's style. Intent: I feel the intent pf this image was to present loneliness and the separation between people in the modern era. There is no time to connect with others as life is moving too fast. This image gives off a very slow feeling, very sombre yet clinical - the bright whites and polished lines adding to this feeling of cold 'modernity'. I feel this is completely different to the intent of Pedro Correa, as he wanted to bring warmth to these modern structures, unlike Guttridge who mainly focuses on the buildings itself. |
"I stumbled on (photography). It had been unplanned and unexpected. Now photography is my primary interest, it’s part of my life." - Riccardo Magherini
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Why this artist?
I've decided on Magherini as my 3rd artist of this project as I love their artwork and the way they use blur to create vast images unlike anything I have personally seen before. Who are they? Magherini is a Florence, Italy based artist who began his career as an advertisement and commercial photography, however he moved into the medium of Fine Art photography after a trip to Tokyo, Japan in 2011. Why this quote? I love the quote as it shows how one event in your life can change it dramatically. He only went for a trip, and came back with a new found love of fine art photography. Website: www.riccardomagherini.com/fineart/ |
'Izakaya' - 2011
Subject: The photographer of this image is called Riccardo Magherini. The name of the image is Izakaya, and it was taken in 2011. The genre is, of course, urban landscapes. I do not believe any props were used to create this image as it feels very natural, like a snapshot of an evening at a bar.
Elements: The composition of this image presents a foreground, midground and background. The foreground holds the curious, ghostly face of a nameless model. The viewers eye is then led to the right, following through to the midground. We begin to notice more detail of the image life ghosts of people queueing - creating a mysterious atmosphere. The background seems fairly bright caused by steaming food and the overlaid images. I believe this image has followed the rule of thirds due to the framing of the bar - this is also reinforced by the woman on the left, marking a line of the third. Magherini took this photo from eye level, creating the feeling of being in this crowded bar. Magherini also employs a range of techniques in his photography, mainly laying multiple images and creating his signature blurred and uneasy effect. He does this by capturing many images from one place and then layering them in post-production, carefully adjusting the opacity, brightness and colour. Media: This image has been taken at eyelevel to evoke the feeling of being in this image yourself and being surrounded by the emotions. This image has also been cropped to add to the feeling of tightness, suffocation and claustrophobia. Due to the nature of this image, identifying one focal point in quite tricky as the whole image is blurred or distorted. This image probably has a fairly wide focal point to capture the most detail. The viewers eye is led around the image due to the use of line and colour. The eye is first drawn to the ghostly face on the left, and is then shown around the wider scene and the background, seeing the blurred chaos unfolding behind. This image has been taken with the moody and atmospheric lighting of the bar, giving it a familiar nostalgic feeling. Intent: I feel like this image creates an energetic and busy atmosphere due to the laying used to create this image. The texture and depth of this image brings it together and really puts the viewer into this scene, immersing us and making everyone feel different feelings, which could be anxiety, excitement, warmth or dread. This image is important to my project of Urban Landscapes as it puts a twist on traditional, clear photography. Each image is layered, something I would love to use in my own photographs.
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"While I studied, my passion for architecture was obvious, but my enjoyment of the project process was less so. I returned to Lisbon, I rented a studio in Alcântara. Over the years, I began to realise that the most interesting part of photography was the photographing space: be it territory, architecture or interiors." - Francisco Nogueira
Why this artist? For my fourth artist, I have decided on Francisco Nogueira. Although simple and calm, his work can create deep meanings through different elements. Who are they? Nogueira is an Architectural Photographer born in 1985, now based in Lisbon. He had always been interested in the arts, leading him to become a full-time Architecture photographer in 2008. Why this quote? This quote presents how Nogueira wasn't enjoying what he was doing, so he acted upon his emotions. I feel this is something very respectable as he had that drive to return to Lisbon and start his own studio, where he finally learnt how to enjoy what he was doing. Website: https://francisconogueira.com/ |
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An image from the Costa Brava Housing Project
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Subject: This image is from the Coasta Brava House Project, shot in 2020. by Francisco Nogueira. Th genre of this image is urban landscapes, and the main prom from this image is the house itself, however I cannot see any light sources used apart from the natural light. Riccado Magherini's 'Izakaya' also follows this rule, however the image looks as if it has been edited afterwards to add more atmosphere to the image. Elements: The composition of this image revolves heavily around the middle ground as most of the image features within the middle ground. Only the right-hand side of the house and the pool breach the foreground. Whereas, the trees on the left creep towards the background. I believe the rule of thirds has been used as the subject lies within the bottom 2 thirds of the grid (as shown on the right). 'Izakaya' on the other hand, heavily involves fore, middle and background. Through this use of perspective, the viewer is lead around a relatively flat image, creating a still atmosphere with no life. The perspective is also from eye level, similar to 'Izakaya', placing us as the viewer inside the image. Finally, Nogueira employs a range of techniques including space and line. Through space he creates a large and open image which feels very unrestricted. He also uses line to frame this photograph, creating a modern and straight image. Media: This photograph has been taken from a long distance, once again creating space within this image, unlike 'Izakaya'. The main focal point of this image is the house, as this is also the main subject. The image is framed in a way that feels as is if the house is wrapping around you, due to the pool and walls stretching offscreen. The natural light is used as the hue of the setting sun creates a low-contrast environment which is brilliant for photographing building such as this one. Due to the sun setting, it is unclear to wear the light is coming from. The light creates an atmosphere of serenity yet a modern coldness which is present in most modern buildings. To emulate this image myself, I would need to wait until the perfect time of day to to capture a building similar to this one. Intent: I believe the intent for this image was to evoke a calm and mature atmosphere, unlike 'Izakaya', which evokes an energetic and lively atmosphere due to the crowded and dark look. It does this through the copious amounts of photographical techniques Nogueira uses. His work is very relevant to my project as it presents another side of Urban Landscapes I was yet to discover. I look forwards to completing a shoot based around his work. |
I really love looking at this image because there's a lot going on. I don't have a favourite part or section, as it all works together to create something beautiful. This image was taken and edited by myself. The genre is urban landscapes. I didn’t use props as I was walking around photographing what I saw.
The composition of this image follows the rule of thirds, as the wall curves around and breaks the rule. This wall comes from the bottom left, curving around to the top right. The viewer's eye is led around the image by that very wall as it grounds the image, providing a path through the chaos. The perspective is from around chest height. |
This was one of the first images I created inspired by Francisco Nogueira. Because of this, I believe it's one of my best and fits the genre of urban landscapes. This image was taken and edited by myself. The genre of this image is urban landscapes. I didn’t use props as I was walking around photographing what I saw. Due to the two doors being paired with the lines of the sky and road, the composition of this image follows the rule of thirds, with the main building falling in the central third. The viewer's eye is led around the image by the urban and decayed buildings. The perspective is from around eye level. I employed a range of visual elements including line, texture and space. |
My first composition will be inspired by Sven Pfrommer. Pfommer is a Berlin based artist who's been working in photography for many years. His work has been displayed in many galleries across the world and he works onto a range on materials. I was first inspired by Pfommers artwork as I've always liked painting, so the idea of putting that skill into my photography work was a wonderful idea for myself. His work feels very warm and I love how he uses oranges, yellows and reds to highlight certain areas and ideas in his work. Furthermore, I feel that employing his methods in my work will further enhance my skills as a photographer and artist. Website: https://www.svenpfrommer.com/ |
My second composition will be inspired by Reynald Drouhin. He began his artistic career while at Paris 1 University. He then went to the fine arts school of Paris where he studied serigraphy and computer science. In his own words, "My works often result from codified data or an established protocol – sometimes generative – and reveal a profusion of random and fragmentary representations." I was inspired by his work due to its seeming similar look initially, however the result can be astoundingly different each time. When creating my own pieces, I aim to emulate his style in my own unique way. Website: https://www.reynalddrouhin.net/ |