Discussion Of Exam Paper

Analysis of The Exam Options

01 Circles and Curves

Many photographers and artists have used circles or curves to produce imaginative and powerful work. Josef Sudek photographed shells, eggs,glasses and balls chosen for their distinctive shapes and forms, in his series of still-life arrangements. Round hats, mirrors and lenses act as frames or focal points in the portraits of Vivan Maier. Yayoi Kusama has used complex and intense patterns of dots and spots to produce starling installations. Produce your own respond, making reference to appropriate work by others.

02 Writing 

Words have been an inspiration for photographers and film makers, for both their appearance and meaning. Nancy Hellebrand's close-up black and white photographs of handwriting are abstract studies of very personal linear forms. The posters by Jacques Mahe de la Villegle are created from printed lettering that is combines and juxtaposed in torn layers, The title sequence from Wim Wenders film Wings of Desire shows poetry in the process of being written with pen and ink, in contrast to the credits which appear as chalk on blackboards. Produce your own respond, making reference to appropriate work by others.

03 Settings and Locations

The locations chosen by numerous filmmakers and photographers have often proved critical in creating mood or establishing meaning. The director Yasujiro Ozu used the interiors of Japanese homes to reflect the formality of domestic and family relationships and that interested him. When photographing objects, Walker Evans emphasised the context of the room or street in which they were located. Irving Penn severely limited the space available for his models when creating his Corner portraits series. Produce your own respond, making reference to appropriate work by others.

04 The Sky 

Observations of clouds and skylines have proved inspirational for many photographers and filmmakers. Stephen Shore and Edward Steichen photographed clouds at various times of the day. In the film Mistaken Memories of Mediaeval Manhattan, Brian Eno produced time-lapse sequence of New York filmed in a vertical format, with buildings silhouetted against a drifting atmospheric sky. In the photo book Solitude of Ravens, Masahisa Fukase produced evocative images of birds in flights against dramatic skies. Produce your own respond, making reference to appropriate work by others.

05 Shops and Shopping

Shops, shopping, buying and selling, in high streets or markets, can offer dynamic and engaging opportunities for photographers and artists. Robert Adams observed customers, shelves of goods and shopping trolleys in his project What We Bought. Jim Dow's Corner Shops of Britain recorded the distinct colour of the interiors and exteriors of traditional family businesses. The Tate's Prunella Clough Archive shows how the artist used photographs of multiple and repeated objects in shop window-displays as inspiration fro her paintings. Produce your own respond, making reference to appropriate work by others.

I have selected the two options 01 Circles and Curves, and 04 The Sky because I believe these two appeal to me the most. Circles and Curves will allow me to experiment with shapes to create an image which is pleasing to the eye. I believe with this option there is a variety of different ideas you can create when doing shoots, for example Josef Sudek with still-life and Yayoi Kusama with her surreal images. The Sky appeals to me as it's main focus will be landscape photography which I enjoy. Compared to Circles and Curves it is quite basic, however there are many ways you can experiment to take images of the sky, for example Stephen Shore and Edward Steichen photographing at different times of the day, and Brian Eno and his time-lapse of the sky.

Definitions

Shapes and Forms

In the visual arts, shape is a flat, enclosed area of an artwork created through lines, textures, colours or an area enclosed by other shapes such as triangles, circles, and squares. Likewise, a form can refer to a three-dimensional composition or object within a three-dimensional composition

Still-life
Still life photography is a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects

Focal Points

a point of interest that makes an art work unique.

Installation

Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space.

Time-lapse

Time-lapse photography is a technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured is much more spread out than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing