Here's the link to the cave painting documentary I make reference to in my notebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvhDb4phhzY

Conny O’Connor – K00185158

3^rd Year Photography Brief

 

The four images I took for my photography project deal with the elements of the natural world through the use of line, tone, texture and pattern.  These four things are found in all walks of life, however my studio practice deals with symbolism in the natural world.  So I stuck with things nature had to offer around my home in Co. Clare.

 

This project is just about me getting used to the medium of photography.  I captured my images both outside in the open environment and in the photo studio.  I was amazed at how  everyday objects could look like something completely different with a few small tweaks with lighting and photoshop.

 

Overall, I’ve learned a lot about exposure, shutter speed, focusing on my subject as well as aperture and the photo studio.  I’ve come to the conclusion that photography is a useful tool for not only documentation but also creating interesting open ended and thought provoking artwork.

I was drawn to Andy Goldsworthy when I saw his sculptures made from just natural materials found in the Scottish countryside.  He's a great Scottish artist who uses whatever nature offers him to create his incredible yet temporary works.  If it's autumn, he'll work with leaves.  When it's winter, he'll work with ice and snow, and so on.  Everything he creates is for the purpose of being recorded through photography.  I was interested how he could take a few sticks and transform what they were through sculpture.  I tried doing this in the photo studio by photographing the rock and making it appear like it's something else, or the vines growing around the tree trunk (although I didn't alter the tree in any way) or the close up of the bark on a log I found.  He's a great inspiration to me and urges me to deal directly with nature first hand in order to change the meaning and appearance.

Here's some of his work.

 

Gareth McCormack is similar to Enda Cavanagh as they're both Irish and both share a love for the natural Irish environment.  Gareth, however isn't architectural based but sells his photographs to top commercial customers such as National Geographic, Tourism Ireland etc.  His photographs are stunning and I was drawn to his work for the same reason I was interested in Enda's work.  I admire the peacefulness and beauty that Gareth can achieve in his images.  Like him, I'm interested in the natural Irish environment, although I'm approaching it from a symbolic point of view.

Here's some of his work.

 

The three main artists I took inspiration from in this project are three photography based artists who I came across in my first year of college.  Their names are Enda Cavanagh, Gareth McCormack and Andy Goldsworthy. 

Enda Cavanagh is a professional architectural and landscape photographer who takes breath taking photographs of the rural Irish environment.  Most of the images he takes have been affected by man to some extent.  However I was drawn to his work by his appreciation of the natural world and his photographs convey a strong sense of peace.  Like him, two of the four I've taken were shot in the Irish rural environment.

Here's some of his work.

 

 

We have a photography project consisting of 4 photographs dealing with line, tone, texture and pattern.  The project I set for myself this year deals with the symbols of the natural environment, in particular, things and places I grew up with.  I'm fascinated by how you can take an object (be it a stone or a piece of wood) and make it look like something completely different through different lighting settings in the photo studio and with a few small tweaks in photoshop.

Here they are.

(Texture)

Looks a bit like mountains from above.

(Tone)

Reminds me of the moon.

(Line)

Tree of life-small vines growing around the tree kind of remind me of the veins on someones hand.

(Pattern/Line)

Your eye is guided from the first telephone post along the wire to look out at the city in the distance.

The cows in the corner give it a quiet, serene scene kind of like we're looking out at all the noisy, busy and often stressful life of living in a city from this calm, relaxing place.