Assignment 3 - Spaces to Places
Tutor feedback on my assignment will be in red and my follow-up comments in green
"Within a series of up to 12 photographs, explore a landscape of small part of a landscape which you believe to have some kind of significance. This may be a landscape with which you have a personal relationship, or it may be somewhere that is more widely known"
I asked myself "what makes a space become a place" and I came up with the following:
- a name
- a location people are familiar with
- a sense of belonging
- a sense of intimacy with the location
Yi-Fu Tuan, a leading Geographer has written a book "Space and Place - The Perspective of Experience. The synopsis for this book sums it up very eloquently:
"Yi-Fu Tuan considers the ways in which people feel and think about space, how they form attachments to home, neighborhood, and nation, and how feelings about space and place are affected by the sense of time. He suggests that place is security and space is freedom: we are attached to the one and long for the other."
This started me thinking and questioning how we look at space and place in the literal way e.g. standing on two feet looking at or perhaps looking within a space we occupy. I've listed my initial and therefor likely my most valid reasons why and how a space can become a place.
Of course its all a matter of perspective. For this assignment I decided to images wither within a space that I felt was also a place for me and then contrast with an image from afar and also from a different perspective, one looking down. I've not the resources to hire a helicopter or plane so I've borrowed the contrasting images from Google Maps.
For this assignment I've simply placed the Google Maps image next to my own for contrast purposes and I have used influences of the following photographers:
Doug Rickard
Using Google's street view to help locate areas within America of high unemployment composed Street View images on his computer and photographed them removing watermarks etc. The spaces captured first by Google then by Rickard do indeed feel like places and the viewer drawn in as if originally deliberately composed photographed rather than simply taken by the roving car
Jon Rafman
Jon collected images originally captured by the nine eyes (nine cameras) of the Google Street View image collecting car. Some of the images he has found include images that could be termed both beautiful and bizarre, appearing as if taken by accomplished landscape of street photographers.
Aaron Hobson
In a similar way to Rafman above, Hobson also sends hours looking for the odd "gem" of an image which he then alters in a very minor way.
The following Images combine a contrasted view with my interpretation of place on the left and space on the right. My image is the left of each pair and the right image one selected and cropped from GoogleMaps
Whilst this assignment speaks about Space and Place I've deliberately reversed my composite images to have the image representing Place since I believe the viewer will look at this image first, which is then within the second image. The overall theme of this set of images is to suggest how place has more meaning to me than space. Of course a place is within a space but I feel a place can be a more intimate location, a space initially less personal but this can change when something special within it becomes more intimate to you for whatever reason and is then often associated with a name either real or one specific to the individual.
All images were taken with a 50mm lens on a full frame camera and this lens almost matches the same angle of view our own eyes have and are places that have a meaning to me.
Overall
Comments
I think it was a very good idea and conceptually
appropriate to the brief.
Feedback on assignment
There’s lots of scope in how we might differentiate
space from place.
In a sense there’s no such thing as space, except
perhaps between the stars because as soon as you have matter inhabiting the
space you have metaphor. We are programmed to ‘make sense’ even of nonsensical
things. So when we do view the earth from literally space we’re immediately
reading all kinds of things into what we see.
Most obviously perhaps Time Team and archaeology,
crop circles, drones, etc. I suppose what we’re not looking for is individual
scale narratives; which is where your left hand images come in.
As I think you’ve identified they tend to be lacking
the kind and amount of narrative that would intrigue an audience enough to look
back and forth to compare and I think really that’s the interest; looking for
the spot on the right where the event is happening on the left and marvelling
at the perceptual difference between seeing it in the relative simplicity of
plan view compared to the complexity of the human interaction taking place
within it.
Yes, I've simply not matched the execution of this assignment with concept I had planned. This is a big disappointment and I realised this at time pf production and submission. I should have re-shot my left hand images but I am concerned my pace is slowing. I'm not worried about failing and its this process of a fall and getting up again that will allow me to hopefully improve and do better. I'm pleased the concept was liked, its matching this with my photography. I need a tattoo on my shutter finger that reads "narrative"
I remember the end papers that Alfred Bestall used
to do for the Rupert Annuals, perhaps a panorama of Nut Wood, you could
identify a few landmarks but you couldn’t quite work out the topology or where
Rupert’s cottage was in it all.
Is this to keep you searching and wondering?
When one compares the pairs of images, one with
another, one is very conscious, particularly at print size, of the difference
in terms of sharpness and brightness. The right hand ones need post production
work to match them more closely to the left hand ones, particularly in the
range and distribution of tones, they’re too dark and in terms of sharpness.
I had taken them with no pp work. I will rectify this in final submission, thanks for your advice
I realise there’s a limitation in the resolution and
hence sharpness of the right hand images but it can still be noticeably
improved, use the Nik Sharpener Pro filter if you have it. Try to balance up
each pair the best you can.
Yes, this was always going to be my fall down at this size. I had hoped this to be less noticeable having 2 images on one A3 print would help with the screen shot from google. I will test sharpeners and certainly look at this again for my formal submission
In terms of the left hand images you need to think
more in terms of street photography, without the overt street.
Yes, thanks...the narrative within the image I'm missing!
Contrast
4 and 7 are going in
the right direction but they need to have more potential narrative. You need to
spend time fishing; hanging around on the river bank appearing to be doing
nothing and then striking every time you feel a pull on the rod. Say the girl in
4 being unexpectedly launched forward as she jumps off the swing, we’ve
all had that surprise and can relate to it. Or in 7 a dog’s head appears
in the bottom right hand corner of the frame and looks back up at you taking
the picture.
I did actually have an image similar to your suggestion but after some thought decided it wouldn't work. I should go more with gut feel
Overall the quality of the execution isn’t matching
the potential of the concept but you’re aware of that anyway. It’s important to
have that self awareness to make progress and you have it and are progressing.
At the stage you’re at now try coming back to the student forum, unfortunately
because it wasn’t being used enough paid tutor support has been withdrawn but
I’m still there for the photographers and Peter still contributes from time to
time. Also I’ve gone back to Flickr, there’s a bit more activity there now.
Thanks for your comments and advice. I think my downfall here in part is due to application and in part to over focus of concept. Using the metaphor scales (old fashioned scales of justice type) I'm not getting my balance right. I'm pleased my concept / ideas are considered on the right lines, its clearly application to execution I need to improve and most certainly narrative to be captured
Contrast
4 and 7 are going in
the right direction but they need to have more potential narrative. You need to
spend time fishing; hanging around on the river bank appearing to be doing
nothing and then striking every time you feel a pull on the rod. Say the girl in
4 being unexpectedly launched forward as she jumps off the swing, we’ve
all had that surprise and can relate to it. Or in 7 a dog’s head appears
in the bottom right hand corner of the frame and looks back up at you taking
the picture.
Yes, I'm simply not upping my execution to match concept. I need to plan out my images and certainly my time better and try a little fishing also :D
Overall the quality of the execution isn’t matching
the potential of the concept but you’re aware of that anyway. It’s important to
have that self awareness to make progress and you have it and are progressing.
At the stage you’re at now try coming back to the student forum, unfortunately
because it wasn’t being used enough paid tutor support has been withdrawn but
I’m still there for the photographers and Peter still contributes from time to
time. Also I’ve gone back to Flickr, there’s a bit more activity there now.
As above I think. Yes thats a good idea with some cross fertilization of ideas and looking at what others are up to
Coursework
No problems.
Research
Following on from what I wrote last time I’m happy
with the way your research is developing and broadening.
Thanks for taking the time to critique my work, guide me. I look forward to the critical essay, that will be a change of direction
Contrast 1
This is Kerne Bridge across the River Wye. I used travel over this bridge twice a day when travelling to work in Cardiff and associated this with moving
from England to Wales though the border is not quite this obvious. The pub Inn
On the Wye in the right hand image at the top over the bridge was where I proposed to Nicki on a Valentines
Day many years ago
Contrast 2
Goodrich Castle, a Norman castle from the 12th Century now in slight ruin sits on the horizon in the left hand image and top center on the right. A favourite location for our children when younger particularly because there was little restriction to their exploration.. Made famous by a Royalist v Parliamentary siege in the 16th century I used to love the optional handsets detailing the castle's history but playing out some of the historical events such as the siege with clever noise and voice acting.
Contrast 3
The road leading to the village I live in, the village is visible in the center of the image. This most certainly a place within a space. Given its location within a rural area the included telephone wires are an important connection. No gas for most people and many still using open fires and back boilers. This location as I return home from where ever I travel is a very welcome sight. It doesn't have the same feel when viewed from above and this view feels remote and is definitely a space rather than a place. This image is composed so that the road leads to the village and shows also the tenuous communications link.
Contrast 4
Its always interesting to see an aerial view of your own home and there we are with the 2 silver cars (at the time the image was taken) in the centre below the horizontal road arching higher on the right. We are very fortunate to have the play area in front of our house which our children very much enjoyed playing on. The facilities kindly funded around 14 years ago by the Lottery. Its interesting to the space our house occupies but a much better indication of the location as a place is observed in the left hand image.
Contrast 5
I think everyone local who grew up in this neighbourhood will have as a child, and possibly as an adult, swung from a rope from this tree. The rope will have been replaced many times. The location is known locally as the "ollah" which I take to have originally been the Hollow. Its a favourite location for children to play. The right hand google image shows its hidden under a canopy of trees. The building in the top left is our local and closest pub. A shortcut through the "ollah" only possible in the dry weather.
Contrast 6
This particular location is named "TreeBeard" due to the similarity with one of the "Ents" from the Lord of the Rings films named by one of my children. This place is alongside a woodland path which I walk on a regular basis. Living in the Forest of Dean there are often deer or boar to be spotted or evidence of their activities and sightings can be cross referenced with their proximity to TreeBeard. I've found over the years many places to be discovered, re-discovered or simply observed. The Forest of Dean is a very large area with many secrets or things to discover that would not be found simply viewing the space.
For this particular place the right time on the right day with the light will allow "TreeBeard's" face to be isolated from the rest of the surrounding trees almost bringing him to life
Contrast 7
At times this is a very quiet place for thought and contemplation watching the river flow. This spot has allowed solace for me at difficult times. The aerial view would not suggest this location. In the left hand image middle far right the Courtfield Arms can be seen which has many memories for events and socialising. Alas it is now the 3rd pub in the village that has closed and appears to be a common trend across much of the country
Contrast 8
Symonds Yat Rock is a beautiful location and a favourite with tourists and bird spotters. Its beauty would not be spotted in the aerial view. The location of where the image was taken is bottom middle looking left. Its a favourite place for me, an elevated position gives the ability to see for very long distances on clear days.
Summary and Self Analysis
Possibly with the exception of image 8 my images are not perhaps traditional picturesque landscape images and this has been my aim. I have tried to move toward images that contain an element of myself in terms of location and as I result I may not have reached the quality of image that I wanted but I feel I have incorporated an element of myself in the images, and I understand the risk in doing this in that this may not be seen or felt by the observer
My main goal for this set of images is to contrast a location between a place and a space demonstrating that one of the differences is personal intimacy. This has been my interpretation of the assignment brief. I felt that this could only be done taking images in portrait frame and sitting these side by side on an A3 canvas. I have found this very restricting and I completely underestimated the effect this would have on my images in terms of conveying a place and is also in general against the format associated with landscape images. As a result I have underestimated the difficulty in composing the images and I have not been fully successful, or that I have not reached my targeted goal.
I would have liked to have created images with more of small story within them and maintained the personal intimacy each place has for me. However this has been a good challenge and one that contains an element risk that I would not have otherwise undertaken. It has also meant a lot of disappointment in many of the images I have taken where I have not got near reaching the type of image I wanted, e.g. the ability to match actual images with my ideas. However taking this risk I feel I am better equipped to understand how I could improve my thought processes in taking images for this brief
Contrast 4
Contrast 5
Contrast 6
For this particular place the right time on the right day with the light will allow "TreeBeard's" face to be isolated from the rest of the surrounding trees almost bringing him to life
Contrast 7
At times this is a very quiet place for thought and contemplation watching the river flow. This spot has allowed solace for me at difficult times. The aerial view would not suggest this location. In the left hand image middle far right the Courtfield Arms can be seen which has many memories for events and socialising. Alas it is now the 3rd pub in the village that has closed and appears to be a common trend across much of the country
Contrast 8
Summary and Self Analysis
Possibly with the exception of image 8 my images are not perhaps traditional picturesque landscape images and this has been my aim. I have tried to move toward images that contain an element of myself in terms of location and as I result I may not have reached the quality of image that I wanted but I feel I have incorporated an element of myself in the images, and I understand the risk in doing this in that this may not be seen or felt by the observer
My main goal for this set of images is to contrast a location between a place and a space demonstrating that one of the differences is personal intimacy. This has been my interpretation of the assignment brief. I felt that this could only be done taking images in portrait frame and sitting these side by side on an A3 canvas. I have found this very restricting and I completely underestimated the effect this would have on my images in terms of conveying a place and is also in general against the format associated with landscape images. As a result I have underestimated the difficulty in composing the images and I have not been fully successful, or that I have not reached my targeted goal.
I would have liked to have created images with more of small story within them and maintained the personal intimacy each place has for me. However this has been a good challenge and one that contains an element risk that I would not have otherwise undertaken. It has also meant a lot of disappointment in many of the images I have taken where I have not got near reaching the type of image I wanted, e.g. the ability to match actual images with my ideas. However taking this risk I feel I am better equipped to understand how I could improve my thought processes in taking images for this brief
