IDEA BEHIND THE UNIT
The root of this unit is based on diversity in architecture. I am intrigued by the change in buildings over the years and how traditional choice of buildings has transitioned into modern buildings. For example, the declining use of bricks for buildings with the replacement of glass.
Living in London, we are surrounded with examples of this in popular areas such as Piccadilly. Many locations are a combination of the old times and modern times and noticing the change is what I am hoping to explore.
I could take separate photos of modern buildings and old buildings and combine them. However, I do not think this is the right way to showcase the vision I have for this unit. I am going to capture the buildings in their natural state, in locations where there is a clear contrast between adjacent buildings.
Living in London, we are surrounded with examples of this in popular areas such as Piccadilly. Many locations are a combination of the old times and modern times and noticing the change is what I am hoping to explore.
I could take separate photos of modern buildings and old buildings and combine them. However, I do not think this is the right way to showcase the vision I have for this unit. I am going to capture the buildings in their natural state, in locations where there is a clear contrast between adjacent buildings.
BRAINSTORM
Mood Board
These photos are accurate representations of the look I am trying to achieve. They are buildings in their original state that are not altered in anyway. Each photo is based on the choice of vantage point that the photographer has chosen.
The perspective the photos are shot at gives them more depth and meaning as the buildings are so close to each other.
Such vantage points have inspired by and have guided me in what type of photos I will take and how important positioning of the camera is for this unit.
Through research I have found photos of colour and black and white. I have not yet seen the two combined. This may be a look that I'll try to create, by desaturating the old building and keep the colour of the new building. I think this routine will show my objective clearly.
The perspective the photos are shot at gives them more depth and meaning as the buildings are so close to each other.
Such vantage points have inspired by and have guided me in what type of photos I will take and how important positioning of the camera is for this unit.
Through research I have found photos of colour and black and white. I have not yet seen the two combined. This may be a look that I'll try to create, by desaturating the old building and keep the colour of the new building. I think this routine will show my objective clearly.
Artist research
Kai Ziehl
Kai Ziehl is a architectural photographer. His work focuses on various forms of structure, from buildings, bridges and pathways.
Kai Ziehl's photography is taken from interesting angles. His work can consist of compositions such as vantage point and depth of field. As a result of using such compositions, more depth is added to the photos of structures.
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The work of Kai Ziehl is strictly focused on forms of buildings and other structures. His photography is consistently black and white. The mood of his work is open to interpretation as it varies depending on opinion, however, generally it seems that the mood of the photo is quite dull. Also, his work seems to consist of balanced brightness and contrast levels. His photos are generally captured in outside environments. I hope to achieve similar photos with the use of similar angles and positions which add more creativity and depth to standard city settings. |
Photoshoot 1
Location:
St Paul's Hammersmith
Hammersmith Station
This is my first photoshoot of dated buildings contrasting new buildings.
I had come across the church before and thought of it as appropriate for this unit of mine. The church is directly connected to this modern entrance. This was the perfect perspective to shoot at because it gives a lot more depth to the photo.
Another location in Hammersmith which I found suitable was the contrast of Hammersmith Station and the glass building behind it. The positioning of the the two buildings made taking the photos from such an angle easier, as the glass building appears to be directly behind the station.
I had come across the church before and thought of it as appropriate for this unit of mine. The church is directly connected to this modern entrance. This was the perfect perspective to shoot at because it gives a lot more depth to the photo.
Another location in Hammersmith which I found suitable was the contrast of Hammersmith Station and the glass building behind it. The positioning of the the two buildings made taking the photos from such an angle easier, as the glass building appears to be directly behind the station.
I like the angle of these images as it communicates my objective of capturing the two buildings in their natural state whilst looking bizarre to be situated next to another.
The photo of the church in particular stands out to me the most. The reason behind it is because it doesn't look visually correct which could create the thought that it has been edited. Before doing this first shoot I was hoping to take photos that do not seem correct due to how distinct the buildings I capture are. I think I achieved this successfully with the photo of the church in the first image.
The second photo of the station also stood out to me because of the angle I took the photo at. I had to capture the photo from a side angle to clearly show the contrast between the two buildings.
The photo of the church in particular stands out to me the most. The reason behind it is because it doesn't look visually correct which could create the thought that it has been edited. Before doing this first shoot I was hoping to take photos that do not seem correct due to how distinct the buildings I capture are. I think I achieved this successfully with the photo of the church in the first image.
The second photo of the station also stood out to me because of the angle I took the photo at. I had to capture the photo from a side angle to clearly show the contrast between the two buildings.
Photoshoot 2
Location: Bank
The second location I visited was Bank. After visiting the area previously and also getting inspiration from the area from research, I knew that there were various buildings that contrasted well next to one another or looked mistakingly close from a particular vantage point.
This area was the complete opposite of the first shoot (Hammersmith) as all buildings were extremely close, which made the angle which I took the photos at more important. The reason behind this is, in Bank the buildings were very close to other buildings which meant that at times I had to focus on smaller parts pf buildings, in order to avoid capturing unwanted buildings that did not meet my objective.
This area was the complete opposite of the first shoot (Hammersmith) as all buildings were extremely close, which made the angle which I took the photos at more important. The reason behind this is, in Bank the buildings were very close to other buildings which meant that at times I had to focus on smaller parts pf buildings, in order to avoid capturing unwanted buildings that did not meet my objective.
Best 2
These two are my favourite photographs from this shoot. I think these two photos in particular achieve the objective of my unit.
The first photograph is one of my favourite from the photoshoot because of the angle I captured the photo at. The photo can be viewed as somewhat confusing because The Gherkin is hardly ever presented in photos next to older buildings. It is known and as is always seen among other skyscrapers. Thus, this position gave me the advantage of capturing the building from a vantage point which looks as though the buildings are mismatched.
The second photo is extremely different, as it does not look like standard buildings in London, with the older building having a roman theme architecture and the building behind (Lloyds building) having a more industrial theme.
The first photograph is one of my favourite from the photoshoot because of the angle I captured the photo at. The photo can be viewed as somewhat confusing because The Gherkin is hardly ever presented in photos next to older buildings. It is known and as is always seen among other skyscrapers. Thus, this position gave me the advantage of capturing the building from a vantage point which looks as though the buildings are mismatched.
The second photo is extremely different, as it does not look like standard buildings in London, with the older building having a roman theme architecture and the building behind (Lloyds building) having a more industrial theme.
Photoshoot 3
Location: Piccadilly
The objective of this shoot was to capture more bizarre combinations of buildings. This time I went to Piccadilly to find old and newly structured buildings near to one another. Piccadilly had a range of buildings, some locations looked rather aged and consisting of only older buildings, and other areas had a mixture of both.
Before going for the shoot, from previously visiting Piccadilly numerous times, I had specific locations planned to take photographs of. I took photos of these locations as well as other buildings I came across.
Before going for the shoot, from previously visiting Piccadilly numerous times, I had specific locations planned to take photographs of. I took photos of these locations as well as other buildings I came across.
Best 2
These two are my favourite photographs from this shoot.
I was really pleased with the outcome of the first photo, as the buildings differ intensely in their style of architecture and the angle I captured the two buildings shows how different they are to one another. The building on the right is Her Majesty's Theatre situated on Haymarket and the other seems to be a corporate building which makes them contrast as they do.
I like the second photo because of the angle that they are positioned in, creating a continual line of buildings, each varying in their own form.
I was really pleased with the outcome of the first photo, as the buildings differ intensely in their style of architecture and the angle I captured the two buildings shows how different they are to one another. The building on the right is Her Majesty's Theatre situated on Haymarket and the other seems to be a corporate building which makes them contrast as they do.
I like the second photo because of the angle that they are positioned in, creating a continual line of buildings, each varying in their own form.
Photoshoot 4
Location: Covent Garden
For this 4th shoot I was hoping to capture old vs new in Covent Garden and the local areas surrounding it. I was somewhat successful in doing so. I managed to take photographs of some scenery that consisted of my theme, however there was not as many contrasts of the two types of buildings as I had hoped.
Therefore, I did manage to take photos but did not have as wide as a variety as I do in my previous shoots.
Therefore, I did manage to take photos but did not have as wide as a variety as I do in my previous shoots.
Best 2
These two are my favourite photographs of this shoot.
The first photo is one of the doors to gain entrance to the Apple shop in Covent Garden. I found the framing of the modern door vs the old styled walls on the outside interesting. I like this photo because it represents my objective yet in a different to my other photographs. I also liked this photo as it looks a photo within a photo which is similar to the composition of framing the subject.
The second photo is a contradiction of the modern building at the front and the rather old series of buildings behind it. I found that this was a interesting angle to take photos due to the continuation of the buildings further down the road.
The first photo is one of the doors to gain entrance to the Apple shop in Covent Garden. I found the framing of the modern door vs the old styled walls on the outside interesting. I like this photo because it represents my objective yet in a different to my other photographs. I also liked this photo as it looks a photo within a photo which is similar to the composition of framing the subject.
The second photo is a contradiction of the modern building at the front and the rather old series of buildings behind it. I found that this was a interesting angle to take photos due to the continuation of the buildings further down the road.
Photoshop
Through the use of photoshop, I desaturated the old structured buildings to make a clear distinction between the architecture of the old and new building. This was a style I had thought of before doing photoshoots for this unit. The reason behind this idea was to create a final piece that varied from the photos I had found through research and to also enhance how old a building is compared to a more modern design.
1)The first step was to increase or decrease the brightness
2)Increase or decrease the contrast of the image to gain a good balance for the overall lighting of the photo
3)Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool I selected the outline of the buildings
4)After selecting the outline of the building, I desaturated the old building making it black and white
5)Use the Curve tool if the colour of the overall image needs changing
2)Increase or decrease the contrast of the image to gain a good balance for the overall lighting of the photo
3)Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool I selected the outline of the buildings
4)After selecting the outline of the building, I desaturated the old building making it black and white
5)Use the Curve tool if the colour of the overall image needs changing
Experiments
Artist replication
Work in the style of Kai Ziehl