Contact Sheets:
Photographic Printing:
My Final Print for the pastiche Robert Adams 'On Signal Hill'
Photographic printing for pastiche Lee Friedlander - 'Albuquerque 1772’
For the second pastiche of the Environment Unit I have chosen Lee Friedlander’s ‘Albuquerque’. Initial first appearances brought my attention to this somewhat ordinary and random scene and I was intrigued by this almost documentary description. However what Friedlander developed was a carefully planned and composed photograph filled with intersections of juxtapositions creating various focal points surrounding the entire frame. The ‘correct’ view is objected by Friedlander where he has layered shape against shape to organize a two dimensional space from a three dimensional one. The viewer is engaged into a riddle where the visual blockages forbids the eye to freely search the image. This photograph has become a chaos of the contemporary landscape that is opposed of any emotion. The city is represented in a bland communication of connecting signs. The parked car, road, telephone wires and traffic lights fill’s the frame with services of networks. Beyond the surface I realised there was a deeper layer of meanings as Friedlander distorts the accepted and accustomed reference of seeing.
For this pastiche I have taken this photograph by Rochester Bridge on High Street. Arriving early on a Saturday morning at half eight, I wanted to avoid the traffic where the roads are empty of any vehicles and streets of people. Using a standard 80mm lens I framed my composition with as many familiar elements that disrupt and layer the scene with intersections. I purposely wanted to make it difficult for the viewer to read. I wanted to employ Friedlander’s method of transforming three dimensional space into 2D and used features of the background to flatten this scene. In the foreground there is a set of traffic lights by a sign post to direct drivers. To the left a fence emerges into the frame where behind it another traffic light and metal lamp post extends through the frame. Into the background on the right there are further set of traffic lights and street lamps between two empty lanes. Though this photograph does not replicate that of the original I instead decided to reinvent his approach with as much of the same aspects as possible in showing my understanding of his visual technique. As I found it extremely difficult to reproduce this exact photograph I felt I could only best translate the connotations attached.
Overall I feel this photograph does not successfully reconstruct the visual style of Friedlander where much more improvements can be made. On the right hand side I feel there is too much empty space of the road that ineffectively creates three dimensional space and the balance between background and foreground is not evenly spread like that of Friedlander’s ‘Albuquerque 1972’. If this space was filled with another visual element to block viewers reading of the composition I think this could have been more successful. The scene is also shot on a cloudy day whereas Friedlander’s sunny day is noted from the few sharp shadows that trail off the objects. I do not feel there are enough visual elements to block the ordinary scene where the viewer’s eye continually jolts tightly between the central traffic lights in the back and foreground. Though generally I want viewers to continuously survey the image I do not feel it is distributed enough around the entire frame to create the same impact as ‘Albuquerque 1972’. Using traffic lights, the road, the cars in the far distance and even the arrow sign on the post I have attempted to demonstrate Friedlander’s signs of connecting communication. The normality of this scene is similarly objected of viewer’s anticipation as in Friedlander’s. If I could reshoot this photograph I would keep the same location, however I would reposition my composition with as many juxtapositions in my frame as possible. On reflection I would also print my image with very little or no tonality as Friedlander’s photograph consist of mostly blacks and whites. My own pastiche is full of tones that do not pastiches the original photograph at all. I am very disappointed with this photograph but I feel I have a much better understanding of what is required from this pastiche even though I have not demonstrated this.
