Red Kites at Gigrin Farm

On 20 June 2014 I paid my second visit of the year to the red kite feeding station at Gigrin Farm, near Rhayader in mid Wales, looking for images for my major project portfolio on feeding wild birds and the reasons why we feed them. Red kites are fed meat at Gigrin every day of the year, at exactly the same time of day (2.00 pm GMT or 3.00 pm BST). The meat is claimed to be too good for human consumption (!!) and it attracts up to 500 kites from all over the region: the sky seems to be filled with kites! Gigrin ticks quite a few of the boxes as to why we feed wild birds. Firstly it is a commercial enterprise (I paid £17.00 for the privilege of using an elevated photography hide with open views, although an afternoon in a public hide costs £5.00) and a selection of merchandise is available (I have three polo shirts in different colours in my collection!). Secondly the supplementary feeding station has been important in conserving and then increasing the population of this majestic bird in Wales after it had been reduced to a handful of individuals by the 1970s. Injured birds are nursed back to health here in a rehabilitation centre and, where possible, released back into the wild. Thirdly, it gives children an opportunity to see majestic birds of prey at close quarters and hopefully inspire them to love and respect nature. Finally, it offers unrivalled opportunities for wildlife photographers to photograph the birds in action at very close quarters.

I have been to Gigrin many times before and have recorded thousands of images of the birds in flight (they hardly ever land on the ground, preferring to fly low and seize food items with their talons). On this occasion I wanted to capture the entire feeding sequence and, in particular, to photograph the birds eating in flight. I knew from past experience that I had set myself a challenging target. Three hours and 800+ images (captured using the Nikon D7000 with 70-300mm zoom and 300mm f4 prime lenses) later I called it a day and completed the 420 mile round trip to my home. A lengthy session of “post production” resulted in just 40 edited images being retained. Whether any of these will reach the final portfolio remains to be seen, but the following montage (Image; reading across and then down from top left to bottom right) gives a summary of the various feeding “events”, from the time the meat is put out to the moment that a kite swallows its last morsel of meat.

Image: Red Kites at Gigrin, 20 June 2014

Henry Moore at Perry Green (Visited 25 May 2014)

My partner and I spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around Henry Moore’s house and grounds in the village of Perry Green, which is about a 30 minute drive from where I live in Royston. Both are open to the public: we have visited before, but timed our visit this time to coincide with an exhibition of the work of other artists and sculptors who have been influenced by Moore. Damien Hirst’s “pickled cows” were on display and it was interesting to note that at one point in his career Moore and his work were criticised and lampooned by other artists who felt that he was the “golden boy” of the establishment and that others were not getting a “look in”.

I always take a camera on these visits and try to look for novel subjects for the lens. Obviously just photographing Moore’s sculptures is of little value, so I looked to investigate the “inner space” of his works, concentrating on shape, pattern, colour and texture. I liked and kept half a dozen of the resultant images. One in particular caught my eye (Image): the combination of ovals and angles, the texture of the bronze and the variety of colour (slightly enhanced in post-production) were aesthetically appealing. I entered an A4 mounted print of the image into Royston Photographic Society’s 2014 “Open Print” competition on 12 June 2014. Much to my surprise, it received top marks and won the certificate for the judge’s favourite print of the competition (out of 55 entered)!

Image

How valid as a work of art is a photograph of a work of art? I enjoy this image purely as an abstract, just as I would an abstract created by focussing on a detail of a piece of engineering, such as a bridge or a clock mechanism, or focussing on a detail created by nature, such as ripples in the sand or rock strata. Sometimes man and nature combine (reflections of light on a canal spring to mind) to give the photographer the opportunity to create their abstract: in my view, all are equally valid.

Andreas Gursky at the White Cube

Andreas Gursky (b 1955) is known for his huge, interior and exterior landscape photographic works, which are incredibly rich in detail. The photographs, often taken from an elevated viewpoint, are taken with a large format camera. His works sell at auction for huge, record-breaking amounts of money. The White Cube exhibition, his first in London since 2007, features some of his more recent works including the very recent (2013-14) “Super Hero” works and “Lehmbruck I and II”, that have not to my knowledge been exhibited before.

The White Cube is an excellent venue for exhibiting Gursky’s work. The large rooms, plain white walls and functional design of the gallery space compliment the huge (up to 2.5 x 5 metre) framed prints and allow the visitor plenty of opportunity to contemplate the incredible detail in the works.

Viewing Gursky’s art at close quarters enables the visitor to appreciate just what it is that excites dealers and collectors to pay huge amounts of money for his works. Prints such as “Kirchentag” and “May Day IV”, which depict mass festival gatherings in Germany, depict ant-like figures within a huge crowd, enabling the viewer to study both the connections between individuals and the way in which they integrate to produce crowd activity. In contrast, “Lehmbruck I” and “Lehmbruck II” create tension by presenting a conundrum in the form of the distinctive architecture of this Duisburg museum, used as a setting for a selection of iconic works of art together with an apparent audience of a small number of carefully placed figures (see below). I imagine that a huge amount of time and effort must have gone into post-production in order to finish these works, but I found it hard to tear my eyes away from them and move on; a pointer to their efficacy, at least for this spectator.

Andreas Gursky: "Lehmbruck I"

Also on display for the first time is a new series of images inspired by Hollywood comic-book heroes, such as Spider-Man, in which the heroes are placed in idealised landscapes. These works have provoked a little copyright controversy (which will doubtless renew the phrase that “there is no such thing as bad publicity”, although I found this section of the exhibition less thought-provoking than others.

Two of the reflections of neon lights on the waters of the Chao Phraya River from Gursky’s “Bangkok” series are featured here. I have the book, but looking at the huge prints on the walls is an altogether more satisfying experience than thumbing through them in the book. The beautiful abstract, colourful shapes and patterns caused by the effects of the neon lights on the swirling waters are really effective and the individual items of human debris being carried downriver all add to the overall pattern (In my own work with reflections on canals and slow-moving water, such items are usually removed in post-production: I wonder whether, in Gursky’s images, some items of debris have actually been added in post-production to give the images more balance….).

I really enjoy looking at works of art that challenge the viewer to interpret their meaning so “Lager”, which incorporates parts of some of his other works within a very three dimensional, architectural setting, was a firm favourite.

Viewing Gursky’s full sized photographic prints enabled me to appreciate just why he has become so popular amongst rich collectors of fine art. The scale, the incredible detail afforded by the use of a large format camera, the clever choice of subject matter and the (doubtless) huge amount of post-production work that went into the assembly of each work on display here all lead to the production of objects that both have an immediate impact, are aesthetically appealing and will constantly reveal more with each viewing. Although there is a consistent style to his work, the variety of Gursky’s subject matter is impressive.

Learning Points, Future Work and References

Many of Gursky’s works challenge the viewer to interpret their meaning, but all can be enjoyed as aesthetically appealing works of art. Presenting the viewer with an image (or series of images) that presents a visual conundrum or encourages them to create their own story from the image(s) creates tension and must add value to the art. This will be particularly relevant to my own major project work and I should look to create tension within the story board. Whilst it is not possible to know how much digital manipulation was applied to each of Gursky’s images, some of these works clearly exemplify how the sophisticated tailoring of post-production techniques can produce an aesthetically appealing effect. On an inevitably simpler scale, I could (and occasionally do) apply similar techniques to my own work.

http://whitecube.com/artists/andreas_gursky/

Project 9: Change. Studies of Leaf Decay

Project 9: Change. Studies of Leaf Decay.

Shortly after receiving the notes for the current course in September 2013 I decided to initiate a personal project, looking at leaf decay. The intention was to study the decay, over weeks, of fallen leaves. I was particularly interested in looking for colour changes caused by the chemical degradation of the chlorophyll porphyrins that give the leaves their colour and in comparing the degradation of leaves from different species of tree. I planned to photograph the leaves at regular intervals and to use the photographs to produce composite images, tracking the progress of the decay. Although I set myself a number of goals, one goal was to produce and present a sequence of images for Project 9 (“Change”) of the course work.

Following the telephone discussion with my tutor, held in December 2013, it was agreed that all my course project work for Assignments 1 and 2 should be geared to complimenting and benefiting the study for my major project (“Feeding The Birds”). Consequently, the leaf decay studies were considered unsuitable. However, the work was not abandoned and I have included an overview of the studies to date here, as part of my logbook/blog.

 Methodology

Freshly fallen leaves were collected between late October and early November. Leaves from a wide variety of tree species were chosen. The main criteria for collection were that (a) the collected leaves should be colourful, with at least three different colours (including green) being visible at the start and (b) they should incorporate distinctive forms, patterns and/or defects that could be studied as the leaves decayed.

The leaves were photographed on the day of collection. They were then left outdoors, at the mercy of the elements, to “weather”. The leaves were then re-photographed every 2-4 days until no significant changes could be seen between the final two images. Photography was carried out by placing the individual leaves on a light box, after the leaves were first dampened (if necessary) and then flattened inside a heavy book. All leaves were placed diagonally across the light box, with the stem at the bottom right. Care was taken to ensure that the leaves were always the right way up! The camera (always the Nikon D90 for this project) was adjusted manually, with the 17-70mm zoom lens set to ca 35mm, the shutter speed between 1/40 and 1/60 seconds and the aperture in the range f8 to f11 (as leaves darkened it was necessary to use longer shutter speeds and/or wider apertures).

I started photographing 15 leaves, but only ended with seven. Some of the leaves, despite being pinned down outside by bricks and stones, blew away in the storm force winds of the “St Jude’s Storm”. Other leaves produced uninteresting results, so these were discarded.

Post-production work involved selecting (say) five from up to 12 images of an individual leaf, which together clearly showed the progress of decay. Each image was then cropped in a horizontal (7x5) format, using “Photoshop Elements 8”. Blemishes on the surface of the light box were removed and the five images were roughly “equalised” for light box brightness. Images were reduced to a standard size, care being taken to ensure that the size of the leaf in each image was essentially the same. Minor changes were made to leaf brightness and contrast. The leaf in each image was then selected and copied onto a plain white background. The leaf was rotated into a vertical position (stem at the bottom). The resultant image was then cropped closely to each side of the leaf, the cropped image (now in “portrait” orientation) being adjusted to a standard height. Finally, the leaves in each of the five images were again selected and copied onto a “letterbox” shaped plain white background and moved so that the first photograph of the leaf was on the left and the last photograph was on the right, with the leaves in date sequence and similar gaps between each two leaves. The progress of decay could then be studied by moving sequentially from left to right.

The composite images for oak leaf (Image 1), maple leaf (Image 2) and beech leaf (Image 3) decay are shown below.

Image 1: Oak Leaf Decay

Image 2: Maple Leaf Decay

Image 3: Beech Leaf Decay

I decided to have Images 1 and 3 printed commercially at (20x8) inch size. The prints reveal more clearly the subtle effects of decay moving from the left to the right of each sequence. However, they also demonstrate that the beautiful changes in colour experienced when leaves “turn” in the autumn whilst still attached to the trees (particularly noticeable in Japanese Maple) cannot be reproduced once the leaf has fallen; rather, the leaves just darken and turn brown as the tree that has nurtured them can no longer provide any sustenance.

Further Work

From collecting the leaves to producing the photographs and converting them into composite images, this project has consumed a considerable amount of time (only a fraction of the work is presented here). However, the project is unfinished. I have presented the results of leaf decay in a formal, figurative manner. Although this is an effective way of illustrating how an individual leaf decays I would like to go further by producing a composite for leaf decay in general, in which the destinies of all the leaves involved in my study are interwoven. When (if ever!) there is time I have an idea in my head about how to put across the concept of (fallen) leaf decay, using images of all the leaves that I studied, in a more abstract and artistic manner….. watch this space.

Assignment 2 Project 3: Modification of a High Key Image

In general, my tutor’s feedback regarding the two high key and two low key images of birds that I had submitted for Project 3 of my second assignment was positive. The most dynamic image of the set was a high key study of juvenile whooper swans landing (Image 1 below; presented here with a narrow black border). Whilst I was generally happy with the outcome of my post-production work I was a little unhappy with the ordering of the swans: the one in the middle, which is already skimming the surface of the water with its feet, should really be “leading the way” at the front! Also, despite the “letterbox” cropping, the photograph does not give the birds quite enough space to move into.

Image 1

My tutor pointed out that, with such a simple background, it would have been fairly easy to re-position the swans in the required order. The only issue that I have with this is that I like to record natural events as truthfully as possible and, although I am not averse to removing distracting objects that do not affect the natural history story presented in the image, changing the order of the birds is not something I would consider if I was presenting this image in competition or using it for commercial purposes. However, since neither of these considerations applies here…….

The image was edited in “Photoshop Elements 8”, using the Clone Stamp tool to remove the left hand swan and then to replace it by moving the central swan over to the left hand side of the image. The resultant image (featuring two swans, with a large central gap between them) was saved. The first image was re-opened. This time the central swan was removed using the Clone Stamp tool and the left hand swan was moved into the centre of the frame. The resultant image was pasted over the first modified image to create a separate (top) layer. The section to the left of the (new) central swan was erased to reveal the “skimming” swan and the resultant image was flattened. Finally, the few strands of remaining vegetation (top right of Image 1) were erased to give a cleaner image (Image 2), featuring the new, improved line-up of swans.

Image 2

Finally, I made two further modifications. Firstly I slightly extended the background to the left of the swans, to give them more space to fly/swim into, cropping off an equivalent area on the right of the image. Then, I reversed the image horizontally so that the action was taking place from left to right. This is the direction that my gaze naturally tends to follow when I am “reading” an image, perhaps because I also read from left to right, and produces what for me is a more natural looking image. The whole process, from starting with the original image to producing the final image (Image 3), took just 20 minutes.

Image 3

Conclusions and Key Learning Points

Whilst Image 3 is “manufactured” it does provide a fluent, ordered illustration of some of the stages of swans landing and reads smoothly as a simple “action” story as the eye moves from left to right. The resultant sequence is now more aesthetically pleasing, although it could be argued that it loses some of the tension of the original.

Learning Points:

·         When a “good” image has been produced it is worthwhile thinking about whether and, if so, how it can be made even better during post-production.

·         High key images offer more potential for modification of the type shown above than do those images that have been produced and/or processed using a standard exposure.

·   In creatively modifying an image in post-production, the balances between aesthetics, tension and photographic truth are critical considerations.

Alternatives for Project 8: "The Decisive Moment" (2). "Avocet Behaviour"

Project 8 “The Decisive Moment”. Non-assignment Images (2): “Avocet Behaviour” (28 March 2014)

I paid a visit to RSPB Titchwell nature reserve in Norfolk in order to photograph the many wading birds that use the reserve. Avocets were feeding in the mud and water beneath the bank upon which I was standing. The avocet is a wading bird with an unusual, up-curved bill that it swishes from side to side in order to feed on invertebrates in the mud. The following sequence of images was taken over a ten minute period.

I was using my Nikon D7000 camera, equipped with 300mm Nikon f4 lens and 1.4x converter, in order to get close to the birds that I was studying. The weather was overcast, but bright. I noticed that one avocet was leaving a trail of footprints in the mud as it moved about: I took a few images of this bird, together with the trail of footprints (Image 1; cropped to concentrate on the bird’s features). The bird started feeding whilst still on the mud, moving its bill from side to side. Normally the bird feeds in the water, where the tip of the bill cannot be seen, so I tried to take some photographs that demonstrated its mode of feeding: Image 2 was my favourite from this sequence. I was about to move on when I noticed a second, female avocet in the water nearby, having developed a “submissive” pose (Image 3). I realised that the birds were likely to mate, so moved along the bank to a position from which I hoped to get a better view. The second bird approached, until it was next to the female (Image 4). As expected, the birds mated. Unfortunately, the birds turned slightly away from me and I was unable to get a side-on or frontal view of the event. I took several photos of the brief event, of which Image 5 was a typical example, before the male dismounted (Image 6) and the birds moved away. The whole mating event had taken under one minute.

The Decisive Moment

Feeding and reproduction, together with migration, finding shelter and avoiding predation, summarise the basic requirements for birds and many other animals. This short sequence of events concentrates on the first two. Image 2, which highlights the avocets’ unusual method of feeding, and Image 4, in which both parties acknowledge that mating will take place, clearly show decisive moments in the birds’ lives. The latter photograph is my favourite, because it demonstrates an important interaction between the birds and can, with a little knowledge, be clearly interpreted. However, the photographs of the mating process and its aftermath were unsatisfactory, because I did not have and could not gain eye contact with both birds. For this reason I considered the sequence, which I had not planned for, not to be suitable for submission for Assignment 2, Project 8

.

The camera and lens combination generally worked well although, because I was using a fast shutter speed to capture the action, the aperture was not sufficiently narrow to ensure that details of the birds’ plumage were always sharp.

The sequence from Image 1 to Image 6 is another example of a picture story, in which a sequence of events is illustrated without the need for captions. It is therefore useful preparation for the Major Project. The image sequence is shown below.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Alternatives For Project 8: "The Decisive Moment" (1). "The Fish Thief"

Project 8 “The Decisive Moment”. Non-assignment Images (1): “The Fish Thief” (24 March 2014)

In my search for a set of images for Project 8: “The Decisive Moment” (Assignment 2) I investigated many situations, which I hoped would provide me with a suitable story. In March 2014 I paid my first visit for three years to London Zoo. One of the many reasons for the visit was to photograph the wild herons that nest close to the zoo in Regents Park and regularly visit the zoo in order to take advantage of the hand-outs of food for the flamingos, pelicans and penguins. Whether you love or hate herons, they are undeniably birds with character. I noticed that one particular individual was loitering in the penguins’ enclosure and that the penguins were due to be fed an hour or so later.

When I returned I arranged to sit at the back of the small outdoor auditorium, where I had an unrestricted view of events as they unfolded. I used my Nikon D7000 camera with 70-300mm Nikon Lens, using a fast (1/1000s) shutter speed at a fairly high ISO (ISO 800; necessary to avoid under-exposure). Once the tannoy announcements started and a keeper appeared with a bucket of dead fish, the heron flew across the enclosure and landed on top of the screen that separated the penguins’ pool from the audience (Image 1), where it perched precariously (Image 2). Once the keeper started to feed the penguins (Image 3) the heron leaned forward, watching the water attentively (Image 4). At regular intervals it would jump off the screen and land in the water, where it would splash about and try, with limited success, to take one of the fish (Image 5). If successful, the heron would fly to the side of the pool (Image 6), where the fish would be consumed (Image 7). This process was repeated several times, allowing me to capture the various stages of the cycle…..except for the one where the heron succeeds in catching a fish! The sequence of images shown on the next page is therefore not in time order and Image 5 shows a failed attempt to catch a fish. The penguins were more successful, but then they are capable underwater swimmers and, in any case, the fish was intended for them!

Whilst I was photographing the heron two herring gulls were also trying to catch the fish. Because herring gulls are the subject of another project (“An Impartial View”) I was keen to photograph them also, which led to some distractions.

The Decisive Moment

In my mind, the “Decisive Moment” was always going to be the capture of a fish by the heron in the water. Unfortunately, when I came to post production I found that I did not have any satisfactory images of this event. Furthermore, the best shot of the heron flying to the edge of the pool with a fish was a little blurred (Image 6), so I decided not to use this event for Project 8. Nevertheless, I edited the images and used seven in order to put the sequence of events together to create a picture story; this should provide useful experience for creating a story board for the Major Project, where the sequence of images should tell a story without the need for words. Furthermore, I may use the sequence as my entry for the next Royston Photographic Society “Storyboard” competition, later this year.

The picture story (Images 1 to 7) is shown below.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7