Week 3: Work In Progress

Webinar Preparation and Discussion Post

I am still pinning down exactly what I would like to do for my research project, but I have had ideas spinning round my head for the past few weeks and I have decided to explore these as a starting point at and see where they lead.

I am currently looking at the act of looking down when I go walking and what I come across. We tend to ignore what is on the pavements, roads and footpaths beneath over feet and I want to document this. It has merged with another idea/interest of mine which is life and death in nature, a theme which appears on occasions. This seems to stem from an interest in anatomy and possibly personal dealings with death and illness I have experienced in my life.

I do not drive, so walking is my main method of travel, I would like to document these walks and what I find during either leisure walks, my walk to work or the shops. I always have my phone on me when I go out and I do use my phone’s camera to take photos, not because I prefer it but, for me it is easier and for health reasons, carrying a camera to and from the shops is not always practical for me. Having said that, using my DSLR, film cameras or my phone as tools will be something to explore as well.

This is still in the early stages, and I am interested to see what happens and where it leads. This week I have been inspired to experiment with some editing tools within Snapseed on a couple of images I took at the week end, I like to try other techniques using the tools I have to develop my personal style, something I would also like to explore more.

I decided to experiment with a few of photographs I took at the weekend during a short walk, I wanted to try some simple edits, inspired by this weeks reading and discussion around the use of smartphones and editing apps. I personally do not use any filters or features in Instagram, but I do use the Snapseed app, as I have mentioned, but I tend to stay away from any pre-set filters, as I did not feel they suited the styles I have looked for. I decided to try the Faded Glow filter, this gives the images a vintage style 'glow', while smoothing out some of the contrast but at the same time enhancing it. Here are my three experiments.

I feel these edits give the images depth and highlight the environment they were in, along with the contrast in colours. They also mirror the weather I experienced, it had been raining constantly all week and the ground any any objects were saturated. I wanted to capture the idea of decay and loss. An empty snail shell, a single white feather and newly dropped leaves laying on pile of decaying leaves, highlighting the natural cycle process, beauty and fragility of life.

Using pre-sets and the availability of quick editing apps, it is easy to adjust photographs to your own style and preference, I do not believe this to be cheating, but a way we can adapt to the technology we have to hand and the boost in creativity they can bring.

I reviewed the small amount of other images I took over the weekend, again I went out looking down to see what I would come across.

I used to photograph reflections a lot, I still find them fascinating, how the light reacts to the water and the reflection can alter depending on your position. I always flip mine, so the reflection is the right way up, instead of upside down. This gives an abstract look. I also tend to enhance the contrast to give more tone to the images.

Laura Marsh, Reflection, 2020

Laura Marsh, Graceful, 2020

I came across this dead Wood Pigeon at the end of my road, just laying perfectly on the pavement, surrounded by fallen leaves. The day and night before we had a storm. I wondered if it had been knocked by branches or disorientated by the strong winds, for it to have fallen here.

"In the end, it is death that beckons beyond the illusion of presence in photographs"

(BATE, 2019:159)

There is something about what Bates says that makes me think about why I am drawn to photographing roadkill or fallen, dead animals. I am unsure why as of yet, maybe it's a reminder to me of how fragile life is and how death is all around us? This is something I am exploring.

I have found it to be a tough week this week, juggling a heavy work load and a masters is taking some time to get use to, I have also struggled with back pain this week, so I decided to slow down and focus on a planned visit to Nonington in Kent, situated between Dover and Canterbury. I was invited up by a friend who recently moved there and planned to take me on two walks, one through the countryside and another through a wood. I wanted to leave my options open and see what I discovered while walking, experience the variation in urban and rural wildlife and nature.

Here are my contact sheets from the day, I will be reviewing these this coming week

I was directed to look at some photographers in this weeks webinar forums, from my peers; Paul Wenham-Clarke, Mat Collishaw and Kimberly Witham

Fig 1: Mat Collishaw, Insecticide 11, 2006

Fig 2: Kimberly Witham, from Ripeness and Rot Series

Fig 3: Paul Wenham-Clarke, Curb Side Memento

I have also been looking at photographers; Ellie Davis and Willaim Salit. These photographers have strong links to my Vanitas discussion last week, and it something I am still interested in, possibly even part of my project.

Here are some shots of my notes taken this week, showing my on going thought process.

Bibliography

Books:

BATE, D., 2019. PHOTOGRAPHY: The Key Concepts. 2nd ed. London: BLOOMSBURY VISUAL ARTS.

Images:

Fig 1: Mat Collishaw. n.d. Insecticide · Mat Collishaw. [online] Available at: <https://matcollishaw.com/works/insecticide/> [Accessed 6 October 2020].

Fig 2: Kimberly Witham. n.d. Kimberly Witham. [online] Available at: <https://www.kimberlywitham.com/> [Accessed 9 October 2020].

Fig 3: Paul Wenham-Clarke. n.d. Sacrifice The Bird Song — Paul Wenham-Clarke. [online] Available at: <https://www.wenhamclarke.com/new-gallery> [Accessed 6 October 2020].

Websites:

Ellie Davies Photographer. n.d. IMAGES - Ellie Davies Photographer. [online] Available at: <https://elliedavies.co.uk/gallery/> [Accessed 6 October 2020].

William Salit / Fine art. n.d. Looking Down (Photo Series). [online] Available at: <https://williamsalit.com/project/looking-down-photo-series/> [Accessed 9 October 2020].