The theme that I explored for the making day was Constructed Landscapes. I was excited for this theme as I enjoy taking photographs of landscapes in my holidays and it makes me feel content. My ideas changed when I was creating edits of different coloured leaves because I originally wanted to leave it like that. Then I thought of changing it to a collage of the edits of leaves and trees onto paper. This made my work feel much more complex. For this project, the photographers that I researched were: Pacifico Silano – projection and sculpture landscape collage, Helen Sear – edits of landscapes and making a collage of the edits of landscapes, Zeinab Alhashemi – edits of landscapes and using mirroring, and John Divola – edits of landscapes and adding animals, people, different shapes, and shadows of people in the landscapes I took. I discovered these photographers by looking onto Tallis GCSE Photography Website and going onto component 1, then personal projects and then pressing onto constructed Landscapes. From the constructed landscape page, I scrolled down onto the middle of the page, discovered these photographers and I got a lot of inspiration from them. I learnt how to use mirroring on Picsart because it has an option of horizontal, vertical, mode 1 (normal mirroring) and mode 2 (the opposite of the normal mirroring). I also learnt how to apply different colours onto people, animals, shapes, shadows. In the Threshold Concepts I have tackled: #4 Photography is an art of selection rather than invention, #5 Photographs are abstractions, shaped by technology, and #10 Photographs warp our sense of time; they remind us of things lost. For #4 – I used landscape edits from Picsart with mirroring and colours, for #5 – I used Landscape edits from Picsart with shadows and shapes, and for #10 – I used collage sculpture with projection.
Firstly, I picked out 4 landscape images from 4K wallpapers and then I cut the 4 landscapes into 4 different stripe sizes. Then I picked 4 landscape images I took and used it as the background for the projection. I got a stand with a white board to place on top and I put the landscape sculpture collage on top of the white board. Finally, I took photos of the background landscape image, shadow of the landscape sculpture, and the landscape sculpture collage. I experimented with my iPhone 11to use different angles, I took close ups and wide view. Secondly, I picked 8 landscape images I took and edited onto Picsart – using filters, shapes, motion, and mirroring. After I printed the edited landscape images out using 7 small size and 1 bigger image. Finally, I experimented using 3 different layouts, then I picked one from those 3 layouts and used it as a final collage. Thirdly, I picked 4 leaves and 4 trees, from that I edited some of the leaves and trees to have a contrasting colour to the rest of the leaves and trees. Then I scalped the most interesting parts of the leaves and trees and collaged it onto a white plain paper. Then, I picked 19 landscape images that I took and edited with filter and experimented with the mirroring. Then I picked silhouettes of 2 animals and 13 people and I experimented with adding shapes and mirroring, I also used filters for each image. Next, I picked 3 shapes using a circle and 2 triangles in the landscapes I took and used different filters for the landscape edited images. Finally, I picked 5 animals and 9 people and experimented with applying colours, shadows, mirroring, and blur. Then I picked the final experiments of 14 constructed landscape images to examine for the dark room. After I had made all the final experiments in the darkroom I waited for all the constructed landscapes to dry and then I took all the photos of the darkroom experiments I made. All the experiments that I have refined, for example, I found the projection have been more sophisticated over time because I experimented with different sculptures that I made and using different landscapes or collages as the background for the projection. The sculptures have been changed over time because I used different shapes and pictures for the projection. The Habits of Mind that I have used were: Be Patient and Dedicated, Learn to Adapt, Look for Inspiration, Accept any Feedback. I have found the most challenging thing I have done as a photographer was the personal response. I have adapted my ideas along the way as I looked at different photographers for inspiration.
I have used my website to record the processes of my thinking and making by explaining how I have made what I did and how I did it. I also took photographs of what I made or did as evidence. I have designed my Online Exhibition page to best reflect the quality and thoughtfulness of my work by looking at other Tallis students work and the layout they have used for inspiration. I then chose my own layout, background, and titles.
I think I have successfully explored Constructed Landscapes because I experimented in many different ways possible for constructed landscapes. If I had more time, I would have liked to try experimenting with Dafna Talmor’s work for inspiration. I also would want to make a scene of objects and materials for a constructed landscape, for example including rocks, fake snow and colourful paper so it would look like jagged mountains with peaks of snow and a collaged sky in the background. My work is very personal in photography because my work looks completely different to other people’s. I used photos of landscapes from many different places that I’ve been to, making it personal to me. For example, I went to, Dorset, Devon Torquay, Cornwall- New Quay, Norfolk, sandbanks, and Isles of Portland etc…
I hope people will appreciate my work, be inspired, and see my work in many ways.