For my assignment I have to produce at least two images made digitally and traditionally.
As part of my research I have been looking at artists who specialise and are known in particular for their work completed with traditional methods.
There are so many artists to research but I have selected just a small number of them to feature in this post as I feel their work will influence me the most on my final images.
Jerry Uelsmann
Jerry Uelsmann is a photographer who introduced the art darkroom montage years ahead of anyone else. He uses only his own negatives from photographs hes captured, and he says that he does this often without a specific idea in mind.
Jerry is famous for his work of skillfully layering black and white images without the use of Photoshop. His photographs usually combine several negatives to create his landscapes that mix images of trees, rocks, water and human figures in new and sometimes unexpected ways.
He built his home in Gainesville, which included a darkroom where he experimented and refined his techniques. he refined and perfected his techniques in his purpose built darkroom at home.
Inspiration
Uelsmann has no motive or vision of his final piece when he starts work, he simply just enters the darkroom and experiments. The only preparation he does is with his photographs, he visualises what he would like to achieve before he take shis photographs. Uelsmann is inspired by other area of art from around the world.
The image on a whole is highly contrasted, this helps the composition of the image by leading the viewers eye to where he wants it to lead. Your eye starts off at the silhouetted figure of the boy/young man who appears to be looking back to you for reassurance, your eye then moves to the heavily contrasted doorway of the house. The house is the main focal point of the image, the windows and door way are very dark, creating an unknown void inside, the trees adding to that atmosphere that surround the house. You then bounce back to the boy as he is looking back to you almost asking you is it OK to go in as its the unknown, the clouds on the floor also add to the surreal unknown atmosphere. The hands that hold the whole image I think are a symbol of security, the way they are cupped together protectively holding the boy and the situation he is in.
Uelsmann’s image could easily be interpreted as insecurity and security all in one. I think the boy is scared and insecure, fear of the unknown lying ahead of him, the hands I think represent security. The way they are positioned could mean they are even meant to be the viewers, the way the boy is looking back in your direction. Maybe because I am a parent I instinctively behave in this manner, assuming the figure is a boy needing reassurance looking back at me, the hands are mine, holding him, guiding him through the scary situation he/she is in.
In my opinion, the image as a whole is composed very well. Each single part of the image shines in it’s own right without distracting you from another, and I believe this to be one of Uelsmann’s key intentions and thoughts when first creating this photograph.
I think Uelsmann wanted to display an alternate world when he created this image. The composite appears to be a like a dream state of something that you would expect to see in your last moments, like a scenario similar to seeing the light. Uelsmann has managed to create an element of fantasy, and ultimately, something quite strange and beautiful.
 |
I think this image consists of at least three images,
1. Seashore landscape with a group of silhouetted group of people
3. Large solarized image of a tree, which appears to have been used twice, flipped to create a symmetrical whole tree. |
This image interests me, not only had Jerry used his darkroom montage technique but he also incorporated another technique achieved in the darkroom called solarization.
Jerrys work is quite hard to describe, they are often described by critics as surreal and dreamlike, I would agree. I think his work is like listening to music, like when listening to music, when viewing his work you are immersed with feelings. Trust your feelings and go with the flow!
People talk about how all of his work can be done in Photoshop, he admits that they can and can probably do it better than he can, but the computer cannot replace the 50 years of satisfaction that Jerry has seen watching a photograph come up in a developer. The computer is not unpredictable, it is technical, the darkroom gives you the more exciting unknown factor and magical feeling.
Magnum Photos, the 66-year-old photography organization and darkroom printer in New York, has handled more famous photos than you or I will ever get to even look at. Magnum's master printer, Pablo Inirio, was editing with tried and true darkroom chemicals long before Photoshop was a twinkle in Adobe's eye. And now, we can see his process.
These before-and-after shots show Inirio carefully marks up each image before making a final print. You see, before Photoshop you had to patiently develop a print many times over; going back to dodge and burn specific areas based on what you didn't like. Massively time consuming, you'd have to be a master at the craft to do it in an efficient manner. The easiest way to keep track of these minute edits was to simply draw on top of the photo you spent so much time editing.
Seeing this workflow makes me feel so unsatisfied with Photoshop, which yields instant results. Then again, it is much easier to just put that "Inkwell" filter over everything I shoot to make it seem more dramatic. Different times. [The Literate Lens via Photographers on the Brain]
Ansel Adams
One of the masters of photography of all time, Ansel Adams is globally known for his stunning landscapes. Adams is well-known as a master of the darkroom. His black and white landscapes of Yosemite and Grand Teton are amazing. The captivating contrast that he achieved with extensive dodging and burning in the darkroom has inspired many. Even later in his life, he continued to use large format cameras avoiding the digital side of editing.
