Landscape Through Man Made Eyes

Landscape Through Manmade Eyes

Stemming on from my time in Iceland, I began to try and experiment with other mixed media techniques as I believed this could provide an interesting angle for my work, so I began to explore the idea of looking at landscapes through man made eyes. 
 Inspired by a memory of viewing the solar eclipse through a welding mask in 2015 in order to view the Phenomenon safely, I have decided to experiment using further man made materials such as clingfilm and bubble wrap to look at natural forms.  Hopefully this technique will still enable the natural object to be viewed however, the nature will be manipulated by a man made object which will fit with my theme of Man & Nature.


Artist's Photographs

The artist whom I have chosen to research and use as my inspiration, is an amateur artist called Alex Kershaw, she used the book "through the looking glass" as inspiration for her photographs.  All the photographs I have featured in this post have been taken through different materials and mediums.

- The first image taken through clingfilm

 - The second image through plastic

- And the third taken through a glass jar

I found that this technique could produce some interesting results and changed the viewers perspective in a creative way. I began to experiment with many different man made objects, hoping to achieve some similar interesting effects.Although many artists don't use mixed media in their landscape photography, I thought it would be interesting to experiment with what kind of effects I could create using man made objects. I will not only use clingfilm, plastic and glass to create my photographs, but also items such as paper with holes cut in, where you will be able to see the landscape behind in a restricted way.The above image, demonstrates what this obliterated view may achieve.
Although the image is taken through another medium, the subject of the photograph is still quite obvious.  In this image the outlines of the trees create interest and the light shining through them creates interest and intrigue within the photograph. The clingfilm itself also creates an interesting linear effect over the whole image and as the plastic catches the sunlight, additional texture and interest is provided.

In this second image taken through plastic, we see different textures emerge.  The plastic used in this image, gives the overall shot a softer feel and the shapes almost blend together. I think that the colour in this photograph is used well and the vivid green leaves in the foreground of the frame contrast well with the blue of the sky.  The almost blurred effect created by the plastic is very appealing and I like the way the plastic alters the shapes and textures of the landscape behind.

The third artist image once again uses manmade objects to enhance the natural scenery within the image. The jam jar is almost used as a magnifying glass, as the bottom of the jar creates the focus point for the image. The blurred edges of the jar also help to emphasise the moss and branches within the centre of the photograph. I think that this technique was highly effective and this almost tunnel effect created by the glass jar, ensures that the viewer does not miss any detail from the subject of the shot.


My Own Photograph's

When deciding exactly how I wanted to replicate the artists images, I debated using many different mediums including sweet wrappers, stained glass and other man made opaque materials.  i also deliberated using different eyewear options such as sunglasses and welding masks. In the end I decided on using motocross/ski goggles as I was able to interchange the different colour lenses, to create different effects. I started out with using a clear lens just to grasp the initial concept behind the technique which produced some interesting results to build upon. My first attempt was quite pleasing and the softened image produced by the goggle lens was appealing.  I liked the way the surrounding goggles remained sharp creating a frame for the photograph.

I then progressed to using a yellow tinted lens to see if i could create a more surreal possibly artistic look to my photographs. I also experimented by using a flash in this particular image to try and create more interest and depth within the photo. I was not overly happy with this effect as it failed to create the striking drama of which I was anticipating.  Instead, the effect obtained was more of a yellow haze within the goggle which I thought drew away from the main subject and the natural features were not prominent enough to be effective.

My third and final image using the goggles was once again more of an experimental shot.  This time, I selected not to use a flash and tried to concentrate on textures of my subject rather than concentrating on light. Once again, unfortunately, I was not entirely happy with the overall effect achieved.  Instead of enhanching the photograph, I found that the goggles did not really add any interest and the textures of the stones were lost through the thick plastic of the goggles.  I thought that by using coloured conifer cuttings within the gravel, these would enhance the shot, however, again this interest seems to blend away and I was left with an uninspiring image.
For my final shot, I will experiment with possibly a thinner material which will hopefully allow the subject to become the focal point rather than being obliterated by the material selected or perhaps by using a more simple subject with a strong silhouette which will not be lost within the photograph.

 As my inspiration came from viewing the eclipse through a welding mask, I decided to return to this concept, however, this time using the moon as my subject.  I tried to ensure that my lens was a close to the viewing window as possible to try and avoid any distortion of image. This final photograph was much more successful and using a more simple subject with a clear outline gave me a most pleasing result.

I particularly liked the way in which the whole colour spectrum is displayed to the left of the image creating an interesting rainbow beaming out from the darkness.  This was completely unintentional, however, gave the shot atmosphere and real appeal.  I was also impressed at the way the shape of the moon was retained and almost enhanced when looking through the welding mask. This was by far my most successful photograph using this technique, however, by learning about subject, light and how this was altered through the man made eyes, I was able to improve my work.

 

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