Modernism and the natural form
The 1920s saw the emergence of more abstract styles of photography, echoing the Modernist painting of the period. Edward Weston was a leading exponent, depicting natural forms such as seashells as if they were sculptures; peppers as though they were muscular torsos; and female nudes as pure form. As one of the founders of Group f/64, Weston advocated unmanipulated, clinically sharp photography. But while his friend Ansel Adams applied such techniques to grand landscapes that conveyed nature's majesty, Weston and Imogen Cunningham applied them to details of natural forms that remain beautifully ambiguous.
So, to create images in a Modernist style, look for natural subjects such as shells, vegetables, and nudes. Consider man-made objects too-Weston made beautiful photographs of porcelain toilets and washbowls. Seek out organic forms that will surprise and puzzle the viewer. Examine potential subjects and ask yourself how Weston might have photographed them. Many of Weston's images fill the frame and deliberately lack context, so it's important to crop the picture either on the computer or in-camera by zooming in on the subject or using a macro lens. Exercise restraint with other forms of manipulation-contrast at this time was very finely tuned, and toning neutral, as fine art printers turned to silver gelatin papers instead of the increasingly expensive platinum and palladium-based papers.
These eggs were arranged in a bowl on the kitchen table and lit by late afternoon light, which revealed their texture beautifully.
Choose your subject for its form. A closeup of eggs or garlic bulbs works better than showing them in a bowl on a table. The same applies to scenes such as these pictures of the Golden Canyon area in Death Valley, a location familiar to both Adams and Weston. One shot is a grand view, while you need to look twice to see that the other shows ridges in a desert landscape. Control your lighting carefully. You don't need sophisticated studio setups-late afternoon light through the window is enough to emphasize the shape of the garlic bulbs. A little improvisation can make a big difference: to lift the shadows, try holding a newspaper as a makeshift reflector in one hand, then just shoot away, reviewing each shot and adjusting the exposure accordingly. Shoot as many as you need until you find the perfect shot. |
Weston's shots of peppers have the kind of extraordinary, contorted shapes that are rarely seen in stores nowadays. Double-click the thumbnail of your image in the Layers palette and make it a Normal layer. Use Image > Canvas Size to create more space, and then try Edit > Transform > Distort. Drag the handles and double-click the image when the stretching becomes pronounced but still credible.
Another way to distort the image is by selecting Filter > Liquify. Here I used Liquify's Forward Warp tool to pull the pepper's "shoulders" upward, and the Pucker tool to make its base more "buxom." I'll leave you to imagine the results with the right fruit or vegetable.
|
In this project, it is better to show less rather than more; the subject here is much too obvious. Use the Crop Tool (C) to remove the background and make it harder for the viewer to recognise the image. Use a Channel Mixer adjustment layer to convert your picture to monochrome. Add a Curves adjustment layer with a platinum tone (see page 54), but reduce its effect by dragging the layer opacity slider down to 50%.
Are you looking at an abstract nude or some eggs? Or is it some other organic form? Aim for ambiguity, at least at first glance. |
|
