Experimental Photography

Alan Smith

ReflectionsWhen looking at Reflections i found out that many objects no matter how small can be made to look surreal and from taking images at different angles can affect how you see the photograph and how it comes across.

Here on the right are some of my images i took to help explain and further my understanding on experimental photography.

The first image is of taking a photograph looking up at a car mirror. A good effect was created because it showed distortion in the face as a result of the reflection and tinted mirror.

The second image looks the most simplistic however i believe has most value. The composition of the glass has been totally changed by a reflected dish. It now gives the viewer something to think about, at a first glance it can give off the impression of flouting cup horizontally on the image.

The last image has been taken using not one but two mirrors close together. This was taken to give another perspective on reflections and to make the viewer think about what they are looking at.

The smaller mirror is tilted 90 degrees towards the main mirror fastened on the wall. This manipulates the camera and its lens and the image is from behind but looking through a small section.

The glass on it’s own would be nothing spectacular in a photographers perspective, however, given the added metallic dish to the side, it makes the whole image look professional.

The aspect that grabs the attention is the glass tilted horizontally through the reflection. It is giving you as the viewer another look on what is usually seen as a normal everyday object.

When researching reflections i found a photographer called Tom Hussey.

He looks at a variety of photography but in particular, reflections. He takes more complex imagery then this but this is just an experimental stage before deciding whether this technique could be used.

Hussey’s work was inspiring and that is where i got the idea to use one object but make it look as if it is two due to the placement of the mirror or reflected object.

MovementWhen looking at Movement i thought that it would be better to try experiment with natural, mechanical and animals.

The first image i took was of my dog running, as you can see the camera was set to take the image at a high speed to capture the movement.

The first indication of this is seen with the tongue caught out of his mouth and to the side. This was a split second take, Also you can see the blur within the paws.

The next image i took was from outside and of nature, this time i thought it would be better to move the camera rather than have the subject move. It did not go as well as expected and produced more of a blur and a smudge then movement however did feel that it was worth the time to try.

The last image i took for the movement side of experimental photography was of vehicles. I felt that if the subject was going with such speed and i took the image quick enough, only that aspect that was moving would show movement and other parts of the image would remain stationary.

This i felt worked and the back of the vehicle did smudge across the photograph. I believe this method worked ahead of the other two because of the subject going at a quick speed.

With the background remaining clear to see, it adds to the effect and i could see myself considering involving this type of photography in my final designs.

The photograph worked better then the other types i experimented in the movement side because of the sheer pace.

The camera had quick shutter speed to allow less light in and just focus on what was passing by.

This image is of a high quality camera which means it had the ability to take such a shot.

What i like in particular with this photograph is that is looks distorted and the viewer likes to see this.

Normal photography can be seen as very good and of a exceptional quality, however does not offer that excitement to the viewer.

This quick speed image provides another dimension to photography industry.

The photographer that inspired me for this image was Kim An Doan. She captures many of her images at a high speed and they look very nice and peculiar

There was one image of water coming up out of a hose and on to the camera screen.

If i was to go into looking at this type of experimental photography then i would look more into her work.

Out of FocusWhen taking the Out of Focus shots i had to think carefully about what to take images of and how they would look aesthetically appealing.

I decided that the angles and view on the images would be the factor that is important here.

The first image is of a window taken at a low down angle and taken from the corner so two sides would merge together. At a glance you cannot confidently say what exactly it is, and this is a good thing.

Having a questionable piece of work is the sign of a good idea. This makes the viewer interact and ask themselves what they think it is and makes them doubt their opinions.

The second image is of a car park but taken from a high angle and with the camera tilted to create some sort of symmetry within the piece.

The last image i took was of anything out of the ordinary but did share the same details as the others. The image is out of focus but what makes this image stand out from the others is that the foreground is clear.

This makes the rest of the image look even more out of focus and blurred.

This image is particularly good for this type of experiment with photography because not only does it include what is asked, it has a depth of field.

Having the front of the image in more focus then the rest creates another point of interest to the photograph, the viewer will look and question their eye sight and makes them think about you have taken.

Out of focus photography that has inspired me for this image was the photographer Suzanne Carey and her work.

All her images are blurred and contain what is seen as grain, however are designed to be in such a way.

PhotomontageWhen planning for the montages I considered many subjects to do, I eventually decided to do a man made object, a piece of nature and an animal.

This was so I could have a variety of montages to see which would work should I consider choosing this technique.

Firstly, the collection of images of the dog, I wanted to capture multiple images from the same angle but then later adjust them using the levels tool in Photoshop.

The next montage I made was the guitar, I wanted to have fewer images so it remained one subject but still had a unique effect.

Again, the levels tool was used in pre production to make the different images stand out.

The final set of images I took was on some flowers and to see how I could arrange the images to make them look more exciting.

I felt that this method worked well and possibly was the best out of the experimental photography looked at.

Out of the three montages I believe that the Guitar piece was the most effective.

This was because it had less happening in the background and just focused on the subject itself.

The set of images put together on this one has been done well because it is not crowded but still has the effect Hockney created.

Hockney did use a lot of smaller images and of much greater detail, however for experimenting on this style I believe it was a good approach and if I was to do this idea again I could develop from this and use this as a platform.

Here the levels used has helped make the different images more clear and easier to interpret.

The reason a Guitar was used is that having a clear object that is well known and making it distorted can attract the viewer in.

Making sure all the images were in line was difficult, however leaving a little bit of distortion helps bring out what the experimental stage is about.

The taking of the images was a methodical stage of the production and I had to make sure I got different images but from the same angle.

I took multiple images and during the export stage onto the computer I had to choose just a small selection to pull the effect off.