Irene Cruz

Irene Cruz is from Madrid and takes part in many exhibitions. I have chosen to look at her work in more detail because I admire the way it is unique, abstract and mystical, and I like the dull lighting she uses throughout all of her photography.

I like the dull lighting and colours in this image as it completely changes the whole feel of the image, creating a more mysterious, slightly eerie feel. I like the shadows and highlights which are visible in the reflection of the ripples which create unstructured lines, and i especially the shadows in the bottom corners. We cannot see the girls face which creates a sense of mystery and also allows us to focus more on the surroundings that the features of the girl. The way the image is taken as a landscape rather than a portrait also does this. The whole image creates a sense of journey which I like the most about it.

The same dull lighting is apparent in this image, The colours are mostly grey. This image shows a long shot of the back of a girl on a swing.  Lines can be seen in the form of tree trunks in the background. The shape of the trees are very clear as they create a dark silhouette which contrasts against the pale sky. The wooden poles of the swing frame also create lines. The girl only takes up a very small fraction of the frame so that we are able to see a lot of the surroundings. Looking at where the swing is located creates a mysterious feel as it is an unusual place for a swing to be on its own. The way we cannot see the girls face also creates mystery, as the features of the face are usually focused on in photography. One final aspect of the image which creates a mysterious feel is the mist, as we are not able to see into the distance. 

I really like the composition of this image, and how it is focused on only half of the woman. Unlike the above images, this images has been edited black and white so that the tones are clearer. The contrast between the woman's pale skin and the dark background allows the shape to be clearly shown. The form of the woman's skin can also be seen, as there are visible highlights and shadows. The trees in the background of the image create lines which also contrast against the pale sky. I like how the Woman's dark hair contrasts against her own skin, as it seems to make her stand out. Because of the way the woman only takes up one side of the frame, we are able to see a lot of the background surroundings, however we are still drawn to the woman first because of the way she contrasts against the dull lake and trees. I really like the reflection in the image as the it carries the lines of the tree trunks down to the bottom of the image. Although some features are slightly visible the woman's face is quite unclear, which creates a sense of mystery.

like the other images, the lighting is dull in this image. Most of the frame consists of shadows, but there is a highlighted area in the middle of the road. in my opinion this adds something to the image and makes it a better and more interesting photo. Lines can be seen in the form of sign poles, lampposts and trees. They all seem to be aligned, and they show depth as they get smaller the further away they are from the lens. Unlike the images above, there is no person or main object in the photo, so there is nothing we immediately focus on. This allows us to take in each part of the image rather than only looking at one person in the frame. A sense of journey is created as we can see two paths lead of into the distance, and mystery is created as we are unaware as to where the paths will lead.

I feel inspired to take more interesting images that create a sense of mystery like Irene does. I also want to try out different lighting as I quite like the dull lighting in Irene's work. I had realised that the compositions irene had used in her photography mostly allow us to see a lot of the surroundings by making the person or object in the image only take up a small part of the frame, and I would like to try this out in my future photography.

After looking at more of Irene's work I realised that many images are similar, for example the lighting or setting is similar in many of her images. This means there is a limit of variation with her work, however despite this I still like her photography and especially like the mystery and sense of adventure that her images create. 

Alexandre Moreau

Alexandre Moreau is a professional wedding photographer in London shooting locally and abroad for destination weddings, however he also does other photography such as abstract and travel. I have chosen to look at Alexandre Moreau in more detail because I especially like the uniqueness of his abstract and travel photography, and the colours used. 

The first thing I noticed about this image is the colour. A range of  bright, vivid colours are clearly visible in the background of this image which is something I really like it. These colours create a sense of positivity. We can see a very clear, dark sillouette of what appears to be a young boy. Because of the significant contrast between the dark silhouette and the bright colours in the background, the outline of the boy can be seen very clearly so therefore shape is shown. The boy only takes up a small amount of the frame but he is the main focus of the image, as his shape is clear and sharp unlike the other silhouettes which are further away from the lens and slightly blurry. The coloured background is blurred which allows depth to be shown and black lines in the background contrast against the bright colours. The fact that we cannot clearly see any features of the boy creates a sense of mystery.

Contrast and shape are elements which comes across very clearly in this image. The black silhouette of the statue and pillars contrasts significantly against the vivid orange sky. This allows the outlines to be very visible so that shape is clearly seen. The pillars create lines in the image, and as they are aligned, depth is shown, because the pillars get smaller the further away from the lens they are. Although there is not much going on in the image It is quite effective in this situation.

This photo is from Alexandre's wedding work. The first thing that stands out is the colour. The petals are of quite vivid colours, and contrast is apparent as two of the bowls of petals are red, but the petals in the middle are white and pink. As well as contrasting against the red petals, the pink and white also contrasts against each other. The background is very out of focus which allows depth to be shown. The wooden bowls of petals also contrast against this background as it is mainly white and plain. The form of the bowls is shown by the dark shadows underneath them.

This image consists of mostly dark tones. I find this image very unique as is it taken at an unusual angle. Lines are visible in the form of the metal railings and the steps. The metal reflects the light creating bright highlights, and depth is shown as we can see the steps further away from the frame are smaller and less focused. The escalators add a sense of journey to the photo.

After looking at the photography of Alexandre Moreau I want to experiment more with showing depth in my photography, as I like the look of this in images and think that this is very effective. To do this I could experiment with different camera settings in order to create a blurred background. 

Moreau's work has influenced me, as I have been more experimental with bluring in my photos in order to show depth and have created some good images. I have also tried out different hues and saturations in order to control the overall feel of the images, the way he does.

A while after first discovering Alexandre Moreau's photography, I still enjoy the unicity of most of his work, however I find his wedding photography, which is what he focuses on the most, lacking interest as I prefer unique, abstract, and creative photography.

Jay Maisel

I chose to look at Jay Maisel's photography because he doesn't just look at one area of photography, like most of the other photographers I researched did. This means that there is a larger variation and there is something for everyone to like. I also like how it is abstract and unusual, as this shows creativity. 

Jay Maisel began his career in photography in 1954. He spent over 40 years shooting annual reports, magazine covers, jazz albums, advertising and more for an array of clients worldwide. Since he stopped taking on commercial work in the late ’90s, Jay has continued to focus on his personal work.

I like the colours used in this photo. I like how the bright lights from the building windows contrast against the dull brown sky. The outline of the building can be clearly seen as they contrast agains the grey fog to create silhouettes so that shape is show. I also like how the image focusses on the nearest buildings so that you can see through the windows, whereas the further buildings begin to fade away. This allows depth to be visible and emphasises the size of the area. I like the camera angle used in this photo as it allows us to see the small buildings at the front as well as the tall buildings at the back, which is another form of contrast. I like the background in this image as where the buildings meet the sky it is quite light and mostly, but it gets darker the further up it goes. The top two corners are particularly shadowy which i find is quite effective.

Although this image is simple it is very effective. There is a high contrast between the dark silhouettes of the people and the light and plain wall. Because of this contrast the outline of the people can be seen very clearly so that shape is clear. Although Lines are visible in the wall in the background, and also texture is shown. 

This image is also very simple, however I really like the colours used, and the contrast between the confetti and the plain sky. Also, I find it interesting how the quality of the image is not effected by movement.  

I really like how abstract this picture is. It is not something commonly photographed, and is something put together by the photographer which shows creativity. I also like the combination of colour and the contrast between the silhouette and the colourful lights. 

After looking at Jay Maisel's photography I feel like I want to experiment with abstract photography and contrast, as I find it really adds interest to the image. 

Jay Maisel has influenced me to try out more abstract photography, and also to take pictures with a lot less going on in the frame, or so that the object in the photo only takes up a small part of the frame, as I noticed he does this in some of his work like the picture of the men standing in front of the wall.

After first discovering Maisel's work, I still enjoy it and admire it. The more of his work I have seen, the more I realise how different his pictures are. I like this because he takes pictures of a large variety of different things and doesn't stick to one theme.

Lucy Shires

I have chosen to look at Lucy Shires photography because I find that it covers all of the formal elements.

Lucy's passion for urban places and abstract art began whilst living in Manchester. With its rich variety of architectural styles, coupled with the remnants of past industry, the city provided bountiful inspiration. Lucy travels thorough Europe, photographically documenting and providing historical research of abandoned buildings. 

I like the focus of this photo, and how it shows depth. I also like the colours and the highlights on the leaves. I think the photo is taken from a good angle and it is unique how only the leaves in the middle are focussed on. 

I like how this still life photo shows a lot of space in the frame, so that the focus is on the shelf. I like the texture of the walls and the shape of the shelf, as these are unusual. I also like how the edges of the picture are shadowed, as it diverts the focus to the middle of the image.

 This photo shows a contrast of colour. I like the blurring technique that has been used to show the depth of the image. the focus is on the flowers which are at the front, while the ones further back are not as clear. I like the tones and the lighting used in this image. 

This picture very clearly shows depth. I really like the lighting used and how this shows form. The texture of the bricks is clearly shown and the further down the hall, the darker the lighting gets. 

After looking at Lucy's work, I feel like I want to experiment with blurring in my photography in  order to show depth and focus. I also want to try taking photos from a close up perspective to clearly show the colour or texture of the object. 

Lucy Shires' work has influenced some of my close up photos as most of her images are close ups. She has mostly influenced mostly my texture and depth photography, for example I quite liked the look of the bottom image of the hallway, and the angle it was taken from, which made me experiment with these kind of angles when taking pictures of depth. I also liked the way she used blurring in her photos, so I also experimented with this.

A while after first finding Lucy's work, I still think it is good photography, however her photographs are all rather similar in the way they have been edited and the angles they have been taken which causes it to become slightly dull after a while. I like it when photographers' have a large variety of different images as it shows more skill.

Andrew McGibbon

I have chosen to look at Andrew McGibbon from my list because I find his work very unique and creative. 

Andrew McGibbon was born in South Africa in 1981. He Is an editorial and commercial photographer, now based In London. He values colour and imagination.

I like this photo because of the simplicity and the contrast in colour. I also like the bubbles and the kind of texture they create. The bright, patterned seahorse contrasts massively against the plain white background which really makes it stand out. 

The idea of this photo is very creative and unique. I like it because it is different, and not something that is commonly photographed. I also like how the man's shirt and the background is plain white, so that the focus is on the content of the image, and not on colour. 

I like this photo and how it relates to McGibbons value of imagination. I like how dark colours are used for the background however the girl's outfit is bright and colourful to create contrast. It shows both colour and depth. I also like the effort that has been put into this photo with the outfit and makeup, to create a mysterious, unique and imaginary character.

This photo is very unique and abstract which is what I like about it. The background turns the simple photo of the snake into something a lot more interesting and creative. The colours all contrast against each other, and the photo clearly shows the formal element of colour. 

After looking at the work of Andrew McGibbon, I feel like I want to use my creativity and experiment with abstract photography. I also want to include very contrasting colours like Andrew as, in order to draw attention. 

McGibbon's work has influenced me to experiment with contrast in my photography. I quite liked the unique photo of the woman in a forest in a top hat, and liked how she stood out due to the colour editing, so I did a couple of selective colour edits and quite liked the effect. 

A while after first discovering his photography, I still quite enjoy McGibbon's work, as it is very varied which shows he has skill in more than one area of photography. I also like the fact that as well as unusual abstract photography, he also does more original portraiture and animal photography.