TAOP Assignment One.

The aim of this assignment was to make eight pairs of contrasting photographs from the given list. I chose:

• Many/Few
• Transparent/Opaque
• Broad/Narrow
• Continuous/Intermittent
• Pointed/Blunt
• Liquid/Solid
• Smooth/Rough
• Straight/Curved

In addition to this, one photograph showing contrast in one picture should be produced. For this I chose diagonal/rounded.

Pointed




I have driven past this church (Our Lady and the English Martyrs) in Cambridge many times and thought of it straight away as the spire is very pointed, reaching 214 feet (65 m) and can be seen for several miles. I cropped the image slightly so that the sky only had the spire in it as I did not want to detract from it.

 


Blunt

To provide a strong comparison I chose to photograph a bunker in a small village called Icklingham. I particularly like how the tree has grown around it. I also like the fact that it is not only blunt in the sense of having a flat roof to it but also how it is surrounded by heath land and wild flowers which makes it quite a blot on the landscape. Its simple looks also contrast quite strongly with the ornate look of the church.

 

Many

  For this image I chose to photograph the mass of bikes which are left at Cambridge train station daily. I felt that photographing them in black and white makes each individual bike indistinguishable and emphasises the title “many”. Filling the frame with the bikes also creates the feeling that there are many more than are being shown.





Few

To contrast with “many” I then looked for a solitary bike which I then also photographed in black and white. I came across several but this was my favourite as I like the archway above it.



Narrow

I actually photographed “narrow” before taking the “broad” shot. There is a very narrow alleyway in Newmarket that I have been past at least twice a day for many years now. When I first saw the list of contrasts it immediately sprung to mind and I feel that illustrates the point well.




Broad

To link with the “narrow” image I needed to think of the widest alleyway/road I could. I felt that by standing on the bridge over the a14 I would have the widest shot possible of the road below. I wanted to capture the road with minimal traffic (near on impossible) and managed to get a photo of the road with just one car on it. I felt that by having only the one vehicle it would provide a frame of reference to highlight and emphasise just how broad the road is.



Liquid

When I was taking the photo for blunt I had to cross over a bridge with quite fast moving water underneath it. I felt that this would be perfect for liquid and chose to fill the frame with the image. I also used a fast shutter speed (1/1600) which I feel captures the feeling of movement without blurring the image.



Solid



I came across my image for solid in Cambridge. I realise that this is my first shot that does not directly contrast with it’s pair. I chose the sculpture designed by Kenneth Martin (1967) not just because it does look solid but also because it is positioned outside the Department of Engineering where it was constructed, with the help of the Engineering Departments workshops, emphasising the point further.

 

Transparent

Whilst visiting the Stratford Upon Avon butterfly farm I came across this butterfly which has transparent wings. I really like how the wings appear glass like as though you are looking through a window.



Opaque

I chose a butterfly for this image also so that there would be a direct comparison with my image for transparent.

Rough

For rough I chose to photograph the tree in the photo showing blunt. The bark had a lot of texture to it so I felt that it made a good example.



Smooth



In contrast I chose a wood carving near some woods in Mildenhall. I realise that this is not conventionally smooth but I wanted to almost provide a before and after shot as it is smoother than the natural, untouched tree bark in the rough shot.



Straight



I was walking past the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and felt that the pillars at the front on the building were an obvious choice for “straight”. I like how the pillars are also so smooth and then as your gaze is drawn to the top of them you start to see much more ornate detailing.

Curved

The wall in front of the museum has these metal swirls all along it. The metal points at the top are to discourage people from climbing over the wall. I bent right down next to them to capture the curves moving away into the distance.



Continuous



I went out for a walk near to where I live and came across this fence. It immediately made me think of “continuous” as each panel is placed next to the previous one. I chose to photograph in black and white as I feel it emphasises the “continuous” element.



Intermittent

Just a few paces along I noticed that the fence panels had started to deteriotate and break away showing “intermittent”. Again I photographed in black and white, not only to match the image it is paired with but also as I feel it highlights the gaps in between each panel further displaying “intermittent”.

  

Diagonal/Rounded



I was visiting the University of East Anglia in Norwich as there was a photography exhibition on there and I came cross this spiral stairway which particularly interested me. I was quite torn between calling this piece diagonal/ rounded or straight and curved. I felt it could be straight/ curved as the blue centre piece does go straight up with the stairs curving around it. I eventually decided on diagonal/ rounded as I particularly liked how the metal around the steps appears diagonal across the photo with the actual steps seeming to be more rounded.

Conclusion.

I specifically sought out images that contrasted for this assignment ,and it really made me aware of how I view potential subjects to photograph. To start with I found it quite difficult, but by the time I was half way through I noticed how everywhere I went I was finding objects/scenes that illustrated many of the points. I took more than double the amount of images needed and selected the shots that demonstrated particularly what I was hoping to achieve.

If I was to do this assignment again I think that I would change the composition of a couple of the shots. I am still arguing with myself whether the photograph I produced showing contrast ‘in one picture’ really is diagonal/rounded over straight/curved. I also think that the shot I took for smooth does not really show something seen as conventionally smooth. Unfortunately my shot of transparent has not come out as clear as I would like either.

Overall I think that my prefered shot is “many” as it strongly emphasises the contrast and I enjoy photographing in black and white. I also particularly like the image for “blunt” as the bunker contrasts so well with its surroundings.