Image Credit - Jan Langer
Introduction:
I approached this assignment by researching new topographic photography, as exemplified by the works of Lewis Baltz, Bernd, and Hilla Becher. Emerging in the 1970s as a significant movement within contemporary photography, American photographer Lewis Baltz focused on the landscapes of suburban and industrial areas. His images capture often overlooked and mundane aspects of human-made environments. His pictures, characterised by their stark compositions and precise framing, present a detached yet revealing commentary on the impact of human development on the natural world. Baltz's approach challenged conventional notions of beauty in photography.
Bernd and Hilla Becher, a German husband-and-wife duo, are renowned for their systematic and typological approach to photographing industrial structures. Their influential grid-based presentations of water towers, coal bunkers, and other industrial edifices showcase a commitment to objectivity and a focus on these structures' inherent forms and functions. By presenting these images in a standardised format, the Bechers emphasised the archetypal nature of industrial architecture and the role of photography in documenting and archiving. These artists have significantly contributed to questioning viewers to reevaluate their perceptions of subjects that aren't usually considered captivating.
It was taking inspiration from their work and influenced by its presentation's simplicity and the thought that something that initially seemed uninteresting could become interesting.
Discovering Jan Langer's photographs offered a compelling storyline as well as striking imagery and would complement the brief for assignment two.
Images Credit: Tate Modern
Lewis Baltz Bernd and Hilla Becher
San Quentin Poinr 1982 Water Towers 1972-2009
The Photography Storytelling Workshop by Finn Beales
I found this excellent book by Finn Beales very useful for this assignment and will use it again as it provided a wealth of ideas for workflow, ideas and organising how to create storytelling on your photography. ISBN:978-0-7112-5470-1
Then and Now:
We now have Millenials, Gen-Z and V and several other categories.
During my research, I wondered what living beyond 100 years would be like after a relative celebrated their 96 birthday. Centenarians throughout the Commonwealth received a card from the King to congratulate this milestone. Then, there were only horse-drawn carts in childhood, and now electric cards are becoming the norm. I discovered an article about photographer Jan Langer who captured the portraits of several Czech centenarians. His works in itself were exciting. However, the portraiture style prompted me to use his work for the book project in assignment two.
I intended to keep the format of the book as simplistic as possible to highlight the photographs by Jan Langer. The viewer has no distractions and minimal narrative explaining the age and basic information of the subject. I liked his style of posing the subjects in the same way as the original photographs and replicating the lighting as the original. Remarkably, most pictures have survived, as they are around 80 years old. The story doesn't require words, as their faces tell different lives.
Conceptualisation:
Jan Langer Bio:
John Langer (born 1978) is currently working as a photojournalist at Aktuálne.cz follows the lives of older people living in his Czech country. The concept of his project photographs uses the comparison of contemporary portraits from the archives of the long-lived with their current form. The starting point inspired the author to find that people of an advanced age are understandably a "rarity", a unique phenomenon.
Book Design Physical Test:
Physical Design:
Considering how I should produce the e-book, I decided a physical copy would be an interesting experiment. A tactile document gives me a feel for how the electronic version represents itself to the viewer. As a long-time Apple user, I took inspiration from their simplicity of producing designs. Minimalist but with full functionality. Keeping the book this way would help deliver a better message to the reader.
Video Header Test:
Video Header Design:
Following the physical design, I wanted to create a simple video to highlight the emotion of the time. Using Apple Photos, I created a sepia-coloured slideshow which works well combined with the other media.
Video Final Design:
After completion I consulted my tutor for feedback. She commented that I should redo the book with a more aesthetic feel remove the additional text and only state the subject. We also agreed to have one image per page to focus on the individual subject.
I chose music which I reminded me of the passage of time with the piano representing the seconds and the strings the hours of a clock.
References: Beales, F., n.d. The Photography Storytelling Workshop, 1st ed.
Bernd and Hilla Becher | Water Towers | The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/500 (accessed 12.9.23).
Centenarians Then and Now by Jan Langer (12 Photos) » TwistedSifter [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://twistedsifter.com/2021/08/centenarians-then-and-now-by-jan-langer/ (accessed 12.9.23).
Faces of Century Shows Then-and-Now Photos of People at 100 Years Old [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://mymodernmet.com/100-years-old-jan-langer/ (accessed 12.9.23).
Jan Langer: faces of a century [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.flowmagazine.com/read/illustrators/faces-of-a-century.html?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F (accessed 12.9.23).
New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape [WWW Document], n.d. . SFMOMA. URL https://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition/new-topographics/ (accessed 12.9.23).
O’Sullivan, K., n.d. Stunning photos show people as young adults and again at 100+ years [WWW Document]. Insider. URL https://www.insider.com/photo-series-compares-portraits-of-people-who-are-over-100-years-old-2016-6 (accessed 10.27.23).
Tate, n.d. ‘San Quentin Point‘, Lewis Baltz, 1982 [WWW Document]. Tate. URL https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/baltz-san-quentin-point-p79978 (accessed 12.9.23a).
Tate, n.d. ‘Water Towers‘, Bernd Becher and Hilla Becher, 1972–2009 [WWW Document]. Tate. URL https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bernd-becher-and-hilla-becher-water-towers-p81238 (accessed 12.9.23b).
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