Research of influential artists; Theme - History Of Landscape Photography

For my personal project I have decided to follow the theme of landscape photography; presenting the continuation of nature. This idea has been inspired by four artists in particular, who I have previously analysed; Ansel Adams, Bill Brandt, Carelton Watkins and William Henry Fox Talbot. This is due to the fact that their photographs of landscapes look quite ancient. For my outcome, I will use techniques inspired by the three artists, using my own landscape photos of the present, but making them look old, this will portray the idea that the photos from the past still exist today, just like nature itself.

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams is an American environmentalist and photographer, who is one of the most influential landscape photographers of American history and is well known for his strong images of nature. His photography focuses on the forests coastlines and mountains in America, particularly the beauty of the different forms of water with images of seascapes, waterfalls, rapids, ponds, rivers, as well as geysers.

The different photo's of water forms adds dynamic motion which was a consistent source of inspiration for his photographs, making all of his work relate to the same theme.

These two photos taken by Ansel Adams are my most preferred out of his collection due to the simplicity of the two and message that he could be trying to portray. The angle in which he photographed each image is an important aspect in terms of the message being brought to the public; the low angle on the first picture allows us to see the ongoing stream which could portray the view that landscape photography is ongoing, which relates to my theme of the evolution of landscape photography, meaning that it is constantly changing but always remains. Although the second picture is taken at a different angle and presents a different part of nature, it can also be seen as having the same message as the photo on top. The angle in which Ansel took it in, is important as it allows us to see the 'on-going' view of the mountains. 

Bill Brandt
Bill Brandt is an English photographer who has previously worked with Man Ray in his Paris Studio as an assistant. Throughout the second World War begun 'Camera in London' which was a collection of photos where he focused on a variety of subjects; portraiture and landscape for example, where he particularly excelled in 1948. In 1951 his book; Literary Britain was published, and ten years later he published Perspective of Nudes. During this period of time was when Brandt became Britain's most influential photographer of the 20th century.  

 I have chosen this picture by Brandt in particular because he has used the same technique to capture this image (long and wide shot) of nature. This technique also allows his photo to represent the theme of my personal project relating it to my idea that landscape photography is on-going. Another reason as to why I selected this photo is due to the use of the bird eggs in the nest, which also represents continuation. This has informed me on how 'props'/objects can be used to convey a message. Therefore, I will now specifically select what objects I capture in my photos, ensuring that it helps portray a specific message/meaning. 

Carelton Watkins 

Carelton Watkins is a Californian photographer, who also (like Ansel Adams) is famous for his photographs of Yosemite Valley, but focuses on mining scenes. He experimented with a variety of photographic techniques, one in particular being the use of his 'Mammoth Camera' which was utilised with large glass plate negatives and a stereographic camera.  The use of the stereograpghic camera was to create an illusion of depth within the photograph. His stereographic photos are what made him famous and are what influenced the United States Congress to name the valley 'National Park'.

This is one of my most preferred photos by Carelton Watkins that was taken using his 'Mammoth Camera'. I appreciate the many aspects of nature this photo presents, which has influenced me to carefully select the locations I do my photo shoots in, due to the fact that the more subject matter there is, the more meaning there is to the photo. I think that Carelton Watkins took this photo at this angle (extreme wide shot) simply to allow us to appreciate the view Yosemite Valley provides, as an influence towards the United States Congress to establish it as the National Park. Although he was not able to change the composition of the features of this photo, he has carefully taken the photo at an angle where the photo is complete, leaving the top and bottom sections slightly clear. I think that Watkins' intention was to create a 'wide' focus, to again, allow us to appreciate the scenery. Depth is clearly shown within this photo, which is one of the main reasons as to why I am able to recognise the beauty of this scenery as the trees in front of the mountains are much bolder as the mountains fade away in the back as the pale tone contrasts with the sky. Again, the angle and composition is important in context with the trees as Watkins was able to chose the angle and place he took the photo from, to portray a certain theme/idea; depth of beauty.

 
This is a theme that is presented within all of the photos that I have analysed by these three photographers. This highlights the use of camera angles when expressing the beauty of a landscape which was a successful technique used by all photographers. After noticing this, I plan to use this skill when photographing landscapes to then manipulate using the darkroom as well as Photoshop. I could change the gradient and add black and white tones on Photoshop to show a connection between my work and Ansel Adams/ and Bill Brandt, whereas in the darkroom I could dodge and burn the photos. This will allow me to choose which areas I appreciate to then enhance to express the beauty of the specific area of the landscape.