Research Log

Ale Quero Dodge - All Of The While I Never Knew
California Based Photographer - Various styles
 

Dennotation - The image displays a coffee bean, which has been framed in the middle of the frame. It has been photographed on what appears to be a pure white table, which is in a room with a pure white flooring, meaning the transition between the table and the floor is barely visible.
Connotation - The use of white could represent a sense of innoncence, which is being contrasted by the light shadows that create grey tones, suggesting that innocence will always eventually be corrupted. The pure white is clearly contrasted by the presence of the single dark coffee bean, suggesting that good can't exist without bad also existing in moderation.

 CJ Schmidt - Tools of the Trade



 Denotation - The image depicts a medium format film camera, which has had the lenses removed and placed down on the table next to it. Also on the table is a notebook, which has handwriting on the cover that is unreadable from the angle the image is taken.
Connotation - The use of black and white gives the image wide tonal range, with light tones shown the highlights and dark shadows, which could be a reflection of photography as a profession having its fun in creative freedom as well as its difficulties in being forced to try and stay relevant in the modern day when everyone possesses  a camera and the ability to take pictures.

Donnie Nunley - Purple Grapes
Boones Mill, Virginia

 

 Denotation - The image has a very narrow depth of field and captures grapes, most of which have been submerged under some water. There are some grapes that float on surface, which are heavily out of focus
Connotation - The image heavily features the colour purple, which is commonly associated with Luxury, which is contrasted by the condensation that is visible, which creates a rough texture, suggesting an everyday struggle.

Eugenio Constatini - Rain Machine


Denotation - The image depicts the opening mechanism of an umbrella in a close up macro style. A very narrow depth of field has been used, and there has been use of rough and rusted textures throughout the image.
Connotation - The photographer tried to depict the umbrella as a large machine through a macro photography style; he shot the image from a high angle to further create the illusion that the umbrella is a larger than life object. The umbrella shaft itself creates a leading line, leading the viewer to the top of the umbrella, which draws your attention to the umbrella being made to appear as if it's a giant dome.

Igor Ferriera - Sun Glasses
  

Denotation - The image has been taken from an eye level perspective and depicts a pair of wrap around sunglasses that have been placed a table, on which there is a diagonal grid pattern. The image has been lit using a spotlight, creating some soft shadows in the composition.
Connotation - The use of a saturated shade of blue creates a positive atmosphere for the image, which is contrasted by the pure black background on which it was taken, as well as the dark shadows that the sunglasses cast. The use of repeated patterns in the reflections of the lenses can represent the repetition of everyday life; the sunglasses are an object of necessity and have to be used routinely during the summer, which is reflected in the routine pattern.

Jeremy Lusk - The Leica

 

Denotation -  The image depicts a Leica 35mm film camera being photographed in a photo studio. The background of the studio is a cool shade of blue, with the low key lighting meaning it becomes more saturated towards the left of the image. There are sparkles of light visible in the camera's lens
Connotation - The camera in the image being a film camera is significant, as the image itself appears to have been taken on a digital camera, meaning that the image could represent the movement from film to digital in the modern day. I feel that this is portrayed in a positive light in the image, as the blue saturated background creates a happy atmosphere, as well as the lights in the lens reflecting the images that have been taken on film in the past

Peter Keetman

 

 Denotation - The image depicts an extreme closeup of water droplets on what looks like some kind of metal service. The water droplets are mostly round and have a clear reflection of some kind of urban structure in them. This has been taken in black and white, therefore has a large tonal range.
Connotation - The dark tones shown in the reflections could represent the negatives in everyday consumer products, such as people's dependence on them, while the light tones create a sense of the positives of them; for example, the ease they make urban life into.

Andre Kertesz

 

Denotation - This image from Andre Kertesz depicts a fork and bowl on a table, with the fork being leant against the edge of the bowl. It was taken in black and white, and creates a duotone effect, partly due to the use of low key lighting to cast a hard shadow, as well as the use of a white table and bowl
Connotation - The hard shadow creates an almost duotone effect, with there being a clear light and dark tonal contrast. The fork itself creates a leading line, leading the viewer to the bowl, which the focus point of the image. The use of black and white gives this image a sense of banal, portraying everyday life as dull and simple; this is reflected in the duotone colour effect.

Laurens Kaldway - On the Table



Denotation - The photographer captured a table setting, on which there is a cup of coffee, a book with some reading glasses on it and a chess table in the background. Kaldway focused the camera on the cup of coffee, using a relatively narrow depth of field so that the book is only slightly out of focus and the chess table is very out of focus.
Connotation - The colour brown is present throughout the majority of the composition; it is in the coffee, on the book and on the table itself. The colour brown represents nature, therefore this could be linking everyday objects back to the fact that they were originally created from materials of nature. The composition of the objects creates a sense of narrative, as we can assumed that the order they are placed in is the order that they are going to be used in, with the coffee being drank first, then the book to be read, then the chess board to be played.

Martin Zalba - After the Walk

 

Denotation - The image shows a pair of walking boots that have been put on the floor in a hallway. The boots have thick white walking socks protruding from them, and a shoe brush along with polish being positioned in front of the boots. One of the boots has been turned on its side, with the sock handing out onto the floor
 Connotation - The majority of the image consists of shades of brown, which suggests that the person who has left these shoes here has just returned from a walk in a forest or other natural environment. We can assumed that they have taken them off in a hurry, as one of the shoes has been overturned and the socks are still hanging out of them, however, we can also assume, from the polish in front of them, that the shoe owner cares well for the shoes.

Michal Klimkov

 

Denotation - This image appears to have been shot on a film camera, as there is some noise present and the colour scheme appears to be similar to that used in sepia film. The image depicts a lensless medium format camera, next to a red carry case, that have both been left on wooden floorboards.
Connotation - The colour pallete appears faded and muted, therefore this image could be a homage to the format of film, acknowledging that it's a format that's being used less and less, and that it will eventually fade out. There is also a contrast between the light tones created by the natural sunlight and the shadows created by the camera case, which could represent that while film is used less, it's still prominent and has a chance to live on.

 Missi - rrriiinnng…..



 Denotation - The image displays a rotary dial phone positioned on a window ledge, with the view through the window being a forest. While the inside of the house is exposed correctly, the outside has been overexposed to that much of the foliage is obscured by whiteness.
Connotation - The image makes use of both vertical and horizontal lines, which meet at the position of the phone, therefore they act as leading lines. There is a tonal contrast between the black phone and the excessive brightness that can be seen through the window, which portrays nature as a fantasy-like place, whereas man made objects are portrayed as mechanical and methodical.

Niko Vass - Timeless

 

Denotation - It has been framed using the rule of thirds composition rule, meaning your eye is immediately draw to the pocketwatch, which is where Vass focused the camera. The pocket watch is on a natural wood table, and the image has lit with a slightly blue light, giving it a blue cast.
Connotation - The blue cast creates a sense of sadness to this image, as blue is a cold colour. There is also a clear contrast in textures, as the pocket watch displays very smooth and shiny textures,  whereas the table it's on displays some rough wooden textures. This could be a reflection of the power of engineering over nature; human-made objects will always be more refined than nature

 Peter Keetman

 

Denotation - This image depicts various lengths of piping which are all facing upwards. It was taken from a bird's eye view perspective and was shot in black and white, meaning there is a strong tonal contrast between the highlights and shadows in the image. Pattern has also been used in the composition of this image, with circles being repeated throughout.
Connotation - The wide tonal range could represent the positives and negatives of the urban construction in which these pipes are involved in; while they are being used to create something which will serve as useful to members of the public, urban development is also seen in a cynical light, as it can lead to environmental degradation. The repeated circle pattern could be taken as a representation of the fact that despite the pipes being loose objects now, they will eventually be together as a whole system.

Peter Zentjens- Forgotten







Denotation - This image depicts a film camera on a shelf from an eye level perspective. The image has had a vignette effect placed over it, meaning there is a clear contrast between the dark and light tones. Overlaid into the vignette effect is an image of what appears to be an autumn's day, which is most prominent in the lens.
Connotation - The contrasting light and dark tones could represent the positives and negatives of the photography industry moving from film to digital; while it is technically an advancement, there are many who are dedicated to film and would want to keep the format alive. This is further reflected in the overlaid image, which could be a nostalgic look back at some of the work that has been completed on film cameras in the past.

Robert Sulkin

 

Denotation -  The image depicts an old metal iron from birds eye view; the iron appears to have wires coming out of it, as well some rust being shown around the holes where the wires are protruding. The image has been taken in black and white, meaning that the grey background blends with the silver iron to create a monotone effect.
Connotation - The presence of the old iron and the fact that it is broken could link to the idea of old everyday objects being replaced due to being outdated; this is further explored through the rust around the holes on the iron, suggesting the iron has been excessively used. The grey monotone colour pallete links the image to the concept of banal; dull everyday life.

 Ruben Alexander - When People Throw Lemons at You, Make Lemonade!





 Denotation - The image depicts a bowl with several lemons in it, which is what the photographer focused on. In the background, two more lemons can be seen with a leaf protruding between them. The colour pallete of the image is desaturated; apart from the yellow lemons, the image consists of shades of brown and beige.
Connotation - The image being desaturated in colour creates a sense of banal, everyday life, as does the use of texture; the textures shown throughout the image are smoothed yet have very little variation to them, mostly following a pattern. The presence of yellow in the image contrasts this idea, as yellow is the colour of hope, suggesting that there is hope that everyday life doesn't have to be entirely dull due to having some unavoidable dull moments.

Suzanne Cummings
 

Denotation - This image captures a flower from a very close up, eye level perspective. This has been edited in Photoshop, with a blur filter being applied to further blur the out of focus background. There saturated shades of pink and green present throughout most of the image's composition
Connotation - The use of saturated colours in this image create a bright and happy atmosphere; the use of green represents the presence of nature in everyday life, despite most of the population living in urban locations and the pink in the image creates a sense of sweetness in the image - Nature is sweet an uncorrupted. The blur effect could represent the pace of everyday life, connoting that while nature is present, we rarely have time to stop and appreciate it.
 Veniamin Skorodumov 



Denotation - This has made use of a Duotone effect, however it has been created physically rather than through lighting or editing. The image depicts one white vase being laid down on a white canvas with a black wall, and next to it, on a black canvas, a black vase standing, as well as a white ball next to the black vase.
Connotation - The Duotone effect could reflect that everyday life will always, in its nature, have positives and negatives, and the two contrasting backgrounds being put together creates the concept of what everyday life is overall. While the two vases match, which could represent the good and bad in most everyday situtations, there is also the ball in the image, which could a representation of banal in everyday life; dull and neither good nor bad.
Vladimir Shipulin - Dust
 


















Denotation - Shipulin's image depicts a book shelf on which there are several old books, some of which are covered in cobwebs. He used the rule of thirds composition rule in this image, framing a goldfish in a jar along where the bottom right focus point of the grid would be, meaning your eyes are immediately drawn to it.
Connotation - The goldfish creates a clear contrast in tone to the books; the book, with their dark tones, represent the objects in everyday life that become obsolete and are therefore replaced, while the goldfish creates the only light tones in the image, which could represent the new objects which have helped the owner of the bookshelf in achieving contentedness. However, the goldfish is trapped in a small jar, therefore it could also create connotations of the restrictions of everyday life, such as having to work, cook and clean

Connecting Essay - Laurens Kaldeway

 
Here is one of the images from my fourth shoot. I set my aperture f5.6, in order to create a very narrow depth of field, and focused on the centre of the note in foreground of the image. On the note, written in thick black ink,  reads "sometimes I wonder why. But I'll be OK now.", which could be a representation of the writer's self doubts, as well as their eventual reassurance of these doubts. The use of black ink is significant, as black can represent their overall strength after having periods of self doubt. Though the background is out of focus, you can see another post it note behind the one with black text on it, which has unreadable writing in blue ink on it; this could represent a different mindset of the writer, in which they were less sure of themself, creating a narrative in that that mindset is a thing of the past, which is why it's in the background and the one with black ink is in focus in the foreground.

 
 Here is an image by Laurens Kaldeway, which is titled "On the table". This has a narrow depth of field, in which the cup in the foreground is in focus and the book in the midground as well as the chess board in the background are out of focus. White and brown are prominent colours in the composition of this image, with white being present on the cup and saucer and the book and brown being present on the table and the book. White can represent innocence, whereas brown can represent health, therefore the viewer could draw from the use of these colours together that the person who's table is depicted in the image is innocent and therefore leads a healthy lifestyle.

My image connects well with Kaldeway's image. They both take place in similar home settings, with my image being in a kitchen and Kaldeway's being in what appears to be a living room, linking them both to the subject of everyday objects. I was inspired by Kaldeway's framing when I took my image, attempting to use the composition of having my focal point in the foreground, and then dropping my focus out of the course of the rest of the image, having things visible behind the focal point that help create the narrative.

Shoot Six - Work Record

For this shoot, I hope to continue with capturing more industrial everyday objects, such as tools, in a macro photography style. I have decided to move to a similar location from my shed, opting to shoot in my Father's garage, as it had similar objects but offered a larger amount as well as a larger range of objects to capture.







 

 I shot this image at 1/10, with an aperture of f5.6 and an ISO of 400. Since the lighting was dim in my shoot location, I needed a long shutter speed in order to expose the image correctly, and due to not having a tripod, I leant my camera on the back of our car to steady my shot. This image was underexposed, therefore I greatly increased the brightness in editing, as well as increasing the contrast in order to widen the image's tonal range. The image had a slight blue cast to it, which I fixed by opening the hue/saturation adjustment and slightly moving the hue towards green. The image still had some blue tones, which I felt in, as I felt they created a very cold and cynical atmosphere, which I felt linked well to the presence of lots of mechanical objects. There is a clear leading line in this image, shown through the edge of the motorbike's seat, which leads the viewer towards the shock absorber, which is the focus point of the image.






 

 Shot on 1/60, with an aperture of f5.6 and an ISO of 400. This image has a very sharp focus on the brake pedal of the motorbike, with all of that being in focus and the background being completely out of focus. This removes a lot of distraction from the main part of the image, and allows viewers to properly observe the brake pedal. Texture has been effectively used in the composition of this image; the pedal mostly consists of rough and bumpy textures, suggesting that it has been heavily used, as compared to the metal rod that connects the pedal to the bike, which has maintained a mostly shiny and smooth texture. Overall, this creates a narrative, in that the pedal has constantly had a foot on it, whereas the metal rod clearly hasn't. There is a clear blue cast in the light over the pedal on this image, which helps create a cynical and mechanical atmosphere, which links well to the subject of the image.

For next shoot, which will be my final preparatory shoot, I want to make a final expanse on my shoots surrounding the household. It shall be documentary focused, and I hope to try and find the balance between close-ups with very little background shown and large amounts of background being shown to create a narrative driven scene.

Shoot Five - Work Record

For this shoot, I plan to move to a different home location that has been more heavily used, as well as having been used in a way in which things get worn out and show more rough and gritty textures. I have decided to shoot in my shed, as there is a large workbench in there on which there are various tools and industrial objects. I hope to still create macro style images, however I would like to incorporate flash in order to create more vibrant and clearly defined colours.


 

 This was taken at 1/50, with an aperture of f5.6 and ISO of 200. Because my shed was a dark setting, I decided to turn on my camera's flash to properly light this image. There is a very narrow depth of field, in which a small section of the wire present in the image is in focus; there are several wires of red and black shown in the image, which present curved lines. These curved lines could represent comfort and familiarity, as this is often the workplace of my father, who is used to how the workbench is laid out and where everything is positioned. The colours are saturated throughtout the image, portraying that there is some joy that is attained from this room, as it has been the housing for many projects. This is contrasted by the use of texture; the majority portrays dirty and grungy textures, which could represent overuse and poor management.

 Like the previous image, this was taken with a shutterspeed of 1/50, with an aperture f5.6 and ISO200. I chose the focus point carefully, opting to focus on the tops of the screws that reach the tops of the pot the screws are in, as this gives the image a drop-focus aesthetic. I edited this image to saturated the colours, as I wanted to create a positive outlook on mechanical work, portraying it as fun and creative. The use of green in the box could create the connotation that constructing useful objects keeps your mind active, as green is a colour that represents activity. Texture is also significantly present in this image, with a range of textures being shown; some of the screws show some smooth and shiny textures being present on some of the screws, representing the creation of brand new objects in which they involved , which is then contrasted by the scratched and worn textures shown on the top of the box, representing the wear and tear that involves with making things.

For my next shoot, I hope to continue with the theme of capturing more industrial everyday objects, however, I would hope to expand on it by creating more wide angle images that create a larger scene of work than just focusing on a single object.

Shoot Four - Work Record

For this shoot, I decided that I wanted to return to the concept of creating narrative through post it notes, however, refining my use of composition and framing from my previous attempt. While I am planning to stick to the macro photography style, I intend to capture some images which display more of the surroundings of the post it note, as I feel it will help create some context to what was written there and therefore help to create narrative. I plan to shoot in my kitchen again, incorporating new post it notes that vary from the previous post it note shoot. 

This was taken at a shutter speed of 1/20, with an aperture of f5.6, and the result is an incredibly narrow depth of field. As the lighting in my kitchen was dim, I had to increase the ISO to 400, resulting in some noise. Once I had taken the image, I edited it by increasing the contrast and saturation to the image, creating a brighter and more vibrant colour pallete. The image depicts a card that reads "Healthy Minds", with a card reading "Tropicana book park inn" behind it. This shows a contrast in moods between the person who is writing the post it notes in the kitchen, as healthy minds is a mental health service, which represents that they may have been struggling with their mental health, which is immediately contradicted by the other note which is a reminder to book tickets to a club night, which is a leisure activity. Together, they create a portrait of the post it note user's varying moods and how they can switch between them. Colour has also been used effectively in this shoot, with lots of shades of blue shown through the text on the card and the handwriting on the post it note. While blue can represent sadness, the blue on the card is saturated, therefore it could be a representation of the writer acknowledging they are sad but realising there is hope to feel better.



This was taken at 1/30, with an aperture of f4.3 and an ISO of 400. This has been taken from an eye level view, and as a result, very little of the post it note that's laid out of the table is in focus. The section that's readable says "sometimes I wonder why. but i'll be ok now", and is written in jet black ink. The use of black ink is significant, as black can represent power, and this theme links to the positive message of self assurance that is written on the note. Overall, this represents the writer being in a positive mood, as it contrasts to the blue biro that can be seen in the background of the image. However, I have edited a slight blue cast over the image, creating contrasting moods between the writing on the post it note that creates a positive atmosphere, and the blue tones of the image that represent sadness.

For my next shoot, I plan to keep to the macro style, however, I feel that I should expand my theme of everyday objects in the household to include a location that is less clean and protected, in hope of creating a grittier depiction of everyday objects. I hope to capture some objects that are old or have been worn out to create some contrast between the clean and new looking objects of the kitchen.

Shoot Three - Work Record

For this shoot, I moved back to the setting of the household, deciding to shoot in my kitchen, similarly to my first shoot. While my previous two shoots had some element of text to help create a narrative, I wanted to remove this element from my shoot and create narrative through a purely visual method. I decided I wanted to capture the remainders of a family dinner that has been left on plates in the kitchen, as well as the washing up that builds up by the end of the day, creating a real depiction of what happens in the kitchen through the average day. I am keeping to a similar style of shooting to my previous shoots, being close up to my subjects with a narrow depth of field, linking to macro photography.



This was taken with a shutter speed of 1/60, an aperture of f5.6 and an ISO of ISO 800. I moved the ISO sensitivity to be high because the lighting in the room wasn't particularly bright, but had the tone I wanted therefore I didn't want to rely on the flash to create more light in my images as it would change the lighting tone. This image has a very narrow depth of field, with the camera being focused on the spoon that's on top of the other one. There are some corroded and scratched textures shown on the cutlery in these images, from which you could suggest that they are used regularly and have been owned for a long time. This creates contrast in themes between this and the presence of the remainders of food, as the food represents waste in the household, whereas the rust on the spoons portrays everyday objects being reused for long periods of time without being thrown out.



This was taken with the same camera settings as the previous image, as these settings worked throughout the room because the lighting was consistent and covered everything equally. A similar narrow depth of field was used in this image, with the camera being focussed on the head of the fork on the plate. Colour has been used effectively in this image, with muted shades of red being featured heavy in the composition of the image throughout, which could represent the fading joy that the eater of this meal experienced as they got towards the end of the meal, resulting in some food being left. The use of red is contrasted by the muted shades of green that appear on the plate behind the remainders of sauce. Green represents nature, therefore this could be a reminder to the viewer of the image as to where the food has come from, making you think of the impact food waste has on the environment.

For my next shoot, I want to return to the post it notes concept that I explored in my first shoot, refining the techniques I used. While I was very close up to the notes in my first shoot, which does create a strong sense of depth, I feel that it removes some context to the what's going on in the scene, therefore I would like to repeat it in a less close up manner to increase the series' documentary quality

Shoot Six - Contact Sheet