Paris Trip

As part of the course were going to visit artwork in Paris. In order to prepare for my trip I need to look at some artists who I will see on the trip. After the trip I will write up on all the places I visited as well as present pictures of things which relate to my given themes. 

Preparation

Planning
When I arrive in Paris on the 16th of October I will be going to many museums and exhibitions which have a large variety of works. However, as there will be so many different works I need to research before hand some specific works which I will look at in detail during the trip. 

To begin with I began looking on the websites of various museums which we will be visiting. I found three key artists from this research quickly due to their work standing out and being incredibly infamous. I chose Leonardo De Vinic because his work The Mona Lisa is something I have admired for years and was the first thing that captures my attention when looking at The Louvre. Next was Roy Litchenstien, a artist I admired often in my previous year and whose work I saw in Madrid. When in Madrid his work captivated me and I felt compelled to look at it more so when I found his work was being exhibited at The Pompidou I knew he was a artist I had to study. Finally was Henri Cartier Bresson, we will be visiting a gallery dedicated to his work and since he is known to be a photography iconic I felt it only right to study him.

Leonardo De Vinci 
Research
The first step was to research the man himself. Through my research I found that he was born 15th April 1452 therefore is a much older artist than the ones I have previously been studying. His work was created during the Italian Renaissance the age of new things. Although he has reached fame and success through his work as an artist according to his notebooks he has been regarded as a brilliant mind, claiming "learning never exhausts the mind" and his writing and drawings about subjects including gravity and flight impose this. He combined his scientific side of himself in his work basing this scientific side of him in his work basing pieces on deep understanding of the working human body.

Mood Board
Below is a collection of works by Leonardo De Vinci 

From the mood board above, my favourite image was of course The Mona Lisa. I love how complex this image is and there is so much you could analyse about it. The whole composition of this image appears so basic but has been structured in a way which allows us to take it in in all it's glory. The womans eyes are located along the horizon suggesting there is something beyond the painted which she is observing. Her hands are crossed implying a sense of relaxation and an air of class about her character. The image is split into three sections, the foreground makes up the model and most of the painting. However there is a landscape in the mid ground and a very realistic landscape at that. Yet in the background is a surreal landscape which contrasts greatly. This contrasts draws me to the image as it's a interesting combination and I feel works well together.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Research
One of the most famous black and white photographers Bresson has a foundation dedicated to his honor in Paris. His work focuses on capturing the decisive moment in a scene which has happened before him. Born 22nd August 1908 the French artist was a pioneer in photojournalism, wandering around with a camera he became emerged in the environment and capture some famous imagery as well as achieving commercial success. 
Mood Board
Below is a collection of work by Bresson which I feel is most influential and interesting.

The picture on the left is 'Brooklyn New York (1947)'. It contains similar themes and imagery to my own personal study theme. The use of the tea cup and man with his head down depicts an element of shame and the tea cup has obvious links to Alice in Wonderland. The photograph is taken from a collection called "A question of colour?" during this post-war time period, there were increasing demands for colour photography but Bresson stayed true to black and white photography. He was skeptical about colour photography as he felt it was commercial and withdrew from the technical aspect of black and white photographs to observe the complexity of the piece.


Roy Lichtenstein
Research
Born in New York 27th October 1923, he has become a leading figure in the art world. His work inspired by comic strips and advertisements (which are obvious within his work) his work consists of bright colours and graphics. Since his death in 1997 his work has lived on since, with it featuring in museums including The Tate and the Pompidou (where I will see his work). Many people recognise his work instantly as it's so individual and he's best known for his American pop style of boldly- coloured parodies of comic strips and advertisement.
Mood Board
For me Lichtenstein is a huge influence and I love his work below is a mood board featuring some of his work which are my favorites.  

I chose this piece 'Kiss 2' as it conveys a strong sense of romance. I feel it stays true to Lichtensteins typical work. There are bright colours used within the image to draw the viewer in due to his links with cartoon work. He uses these colours to create an element of simplicity within his work so there is one narrative and it's not too complex. Structurally his work tends to be zoomed in with little background visible this helps the observer focus on the main part of the image rather than having other things to draw attention. 

What Next?

Now I need to develop a way of presenting this information and showing a more detailed analysis of the images. As for my personal study I am looking into presenting it as a magazine, I have begun experimenting with this concept. Below are some templates which I drew up in preparation for this. I decided to present the three key works which I will look for in Paris in this format to see if I like this idea before doing it for my Personal Study for experimentation.

 



As it is going to be called Paris since it's made with Paris in mind I wanted the front cover picture to reflect this. However as I haven't ever been to Paris I had to take a picture off the internet and use this. I selected a image of the Eiffel Tower as it's iconic and represents Paris often. I did however edit it to make it my own by using the 'Skew' tool to make it straight and levels tool to make it brighter.

Developing
When I began putting everything together on Photoshop I wanted to ensure it looked like a magazine therefore I needed the pages to have glossy finishes as a binder mark in the centre. So I began to experiment with gradients.

Firstly I created a new layer and placed it above all the others, this way I could work easily with it without risking the quality of the other layers. Using the rectangular marquee tool I selected half the page, I also used the ruler tool to ensure I did only take half the page.
Next I selected the gradient tool found under the paint bucket tool. I used this as I felt the gradient of colour would provide a better shine effect than one block colour. I picked a black and white gradient colour as the change between these two colours creates an automatic shine look. I dragged the gradient line from the bottom left hand corner to the top right hand corner.
Finally, I needed to make the gradient behind the page. However, I didn't want it to be lost within the words therefore instead of physically placing it behind the other layers I used the overlay.I then copied this image keeping the overlay set and then flipped the image so it covered the other page and the lightest points met at the top center of the page.


After doing this I didn't feel it looked very much like an effect shine page. Also I still needed to add a binding to the center to make it look like a real magazine. So I deleted the previous layers and started again.

On a new layer I highlights the entire page and filled it with the same black and white gradient. I pulled it from the middle of the page at the center point and dragged it 2 centimeters across. This is how I got a small shadow effect in the center.
I then deleted the bulk of the black and white as I didn't need this. I took the complete left side out and then went out 2 centimeters on the right side and removed the bulk of the white. I did this as it wasn't necessary within the image.Also when it gets over-layed on the image it would obstruct the view.
I then used the overlay tool to make it blend well with the background. I copied this layer and moved it to the far right then copied it again and flipped it to the far left then again to the middle left. I then used the rubber tool on 50% to remove the harsh line between the gradient layers and the page itself. I duplicated this effect on all the other pages and edited it accordingly rubbing out more on some pages and using less lines on others as it wasn't necessary.

Final Response
Using issuu.com I have created a digital magazine which shows information on my three chosen artists as well as analysis of a piece of their work and my response to their work. Below is this magazine:


Paris Artist - Sergio Larrain

Research
As most of the photographers I have done research on have been English I wanted to look at some French photographers, specifically ones that work in and around Paris. Mainly because I'm going to Paris in a week and I want to get a feel for what Paris photography looks like so when I go I can take appropriate photographs.

Sergio Larrain born 1931 was a Chilean photography. He had a focus on street art creating black and white photographs which reflect life in Paris. He has a collection of photographs in the Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation gallery which is where I will see his work when I visit Paris. "A good image is created by a state of grace. Grace expresses itself when it has been freed from conventions, free like a child in his early discovery of the reality. The game is then to organise the rectangle" I felt this was a beautiful quote from Sergio Larrain from his work for Magnum Photos during the 1960s.

I selected three examples of his work that I liked the most and felt displayed his talent best.


Experimentation
Using Sergio Larrain's work as inspiration I have captured and edited an image which I feel reflects his work.

I focused on depth of field and leading lines when creating the image and I also wanted to show a replication within it. I captured it on a slight angle so the wood had been ongoing past me which created a sense of confusion. Also the wood doesn't stop within the photograph making it ongoing. Adding to this the wood presents a leading line within the image and almost splits it in half. This makes the image far more interesting. If you split it up into thirds the zebra's only come into the top right section but then the zebra print is repeated on the bottom left creating a false mirror effect.

Development
Firstly I adjusted the levels (left screen shot), this made the image darker and created sharper contrasts within the image. To emphasise this I also enhanced the curves (right screen shot). I doing this I developed more texture within the image which prepared it for when I changed it to be black and white.

In order to accurately make the image black and white without making it too dark I decided to change the saturation (left screen shot) to 0, this meant that there was no colour in the image except the basic ones needed. Altering the exposure (right screen shot) made the whites of the image lighter and the darks darker which makes it look more real.

 Readjusting the levels once more added to the darkness of the image and made it more interesting. It developed the use of chiaroscuro making the image have depth and contrast. Finally, altering the shadows and highlights helped give the image a final touch. It made certain elements stand out more and showed more texture to the image.
Final Response:


What to do on the trip

Planning
As this evening I will be journey across the sea to a little city called Paris to visit some of the most influential pieces of artwork in the world I need to ensure I keep on track. Therefore, in the front of my Paris travel book I have written down all the things I need to look out for at each gallery/museum and placed it at the front so I can always refer back to it. This way when I come back to England I will have an informative stack of work from my trip in which to refer back to. Please see this below:

Post-Paris


Now I'm back from Paris it's time to get back to work, I throughly enjoyed my time and felt Paris emulated my theme of fairytales, mostly through it's architecture but also through it's artwork and design.
Throughout the trip I had three key themes to focus on whilst looking around this fabulous city:
  • The number 34
  • Spotlight
  • Fairytales
Evaluation of Trip
The trip to Paris was incredible, the amount of influential artwork and architecture I saw was breathtaking. Many things help deepen my thinking of fairytales. Specifically the buildings. The turrets and round shapes mirror the idea of fairytale castles which is ironic as they were found among city streets. Notre Dame had a fairy tale based upon it so in visiting this iconic building it sparked my interest to research the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'. As well as in the museums seeing statues and paintings which reflect the theme of fairytales. My favourite part of the trip was experiencing the city and what it had to offer. It reminded my of London but yet in another language with such interesting things to observe and take in. If I went again I would like to of seen some particular art pieces, specifically Liberty Leading the People and would of like to go spent more time exploring Roy Lichenstien's work. However it was an amazing trip and I would definitely like to do it again. Maybe less walking though as don't think my feet would be able to handle that.


Days in Paris

Day 1 - The Louvre



The first museum was The Louvre, originally a fortress dating back to the late 12th century, the Louvre opened in 17993 now is home to 537 paintings, the majority of this being royal and confiscated church property. Upon seeing this magnificent building I was overwhelmed by it's size, with nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 12th Century being exhibited across the 60,600 square meter museum. With more than 8 million visitors each year the Louvre is one of the most visited museums  One reason for this is it's appearance, before you even approach the inside of the museum the outside captivates you.

          

However, the main reason this museum is so highly populated is for it's stunning artwork housing some of the most famous paintings in the world including The Mona Lisa and Raft of Medusa. Unfortunately, Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix a picture which at the beginning of the course I studied in detail was on leave from the museum. However I did see many other pieces of influential and unique artwork:

Favourite pieces of work
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo De Vinci

Situated behind bullet-proof glass sits the famous Mona Lisa. Much smaller in size than expected but definitely still amazing. In prep for Paris I studied this painting but seeing it in the flesh was more amazing than planned. It was difficult to get to and due to others taking photographs flash lights were going off so I had poor quality imagery. However the image itself is of high quality. I liked it because of its detail, the artist captured something seemingly normal, to look at it simply it's a women posed for a painting. Yet when you look at the detail he included it's far more interesting. I chose it for these reasons.



Raft of Medusa by Théodore Géricault

Situated amongst paintings far smaller than itself, the Raft of Medusa draws your attention instantly. It depicts a scene of absolute chaos, the rigging of the mast leads our eye towards an approaching wave which is about to cover the ship. There are splashes of read colour which illuminate the death and blood which has been created on the ship. Yet it also represents love and passion as some people within the people - the old man - holds a man on his knee and appears to be tearing his hair out in frustration of the deaths. The painting has dark themes through the dead bodies and gruesome severed limbs. There are patches of light at the top of the paintings highlighting the living people at the top which are waving to get attention for help. The light surrounds the distant silhouette of a ship giving hope to the people - which is emphasised using the light.

The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David

This painting was placed on a wall were, much like Raft of Medusa it was the biggest painting. Being placed central on the wall draws our attention to it more, then as you look closer at the image we see far more. Napoleon was shorter than everyone else yet in the painting he is portrayed as taller due to being placed on a pedestal  This way everyone looks at Napoleon yet he it's Empress Josaphine's coronation . There are leading lines in the walls pointing down to the audience which draws our attention once more to Napoleon as all eyes are on him. He;s wearing whit which is a sign of purity, and is wearing a lot of fur and jewels to show everything to be bright in France even though it's just them being portrayed in this way at and the time France were having problems. 

Key pieces of work
Some particular artwork I was interested in was Venus dirigeant les traits de l'amour - Louis-Claude Vasse (Translated: Venus leader traits of love - Louis-Claude Vasse) and , L'amour - Antonie-Denia Chaudet (Translated: Love - Antonie-Denia Chaudet). Below are photographs of the pieces and notes I made about each one. Then underneath is a venn diagram comparing/contrasting the two.

Venus leader traits of love by Louis-Claude Vasse

 
 

Love by Antonie-Denia Chaudet

   
   

Venn Diagram

Day 2: The Pompidou


The Pompidou was an incredibly different experience to The Louvre. Being designed in the style of high architecture with all the utilities e.g. plumbing and heating is displayed on the outside which freed up the space inside the museum. Unlike The Louvre, The Pompidou houses very modern pieces of artwork including artists such as Gerard Fromanger and Roy Lichtenstein.




Venn Diagram
The difference between The Louvre and The Pompidou was incredibly, below are some notes I made on these differences:



 




Favourite pieces of work
I saw many interesting works in this museum, below are some notes I made on each of these pictures:




Gerard Fromanger - La Mort de Caius Gracchus (Translation: Death of Caius Gracchus) and La Vie et la Mort du peuple (Translation: The People's Life and Death)

As I have a strong interest illustrations within my work I felt this piece was very interesting. The artist has played an important role in the history of Narrative Figuration. A movement which arose in France at the end of the sixties. The artists within this movement were driven by desires to break with the then dominant Abstraction and reinvent painting, using images of masses to restore political dimension to their work. These two pictures form a diptych, they belong to the series of five works entitled Hommage a Topino-Leburn (Translation: Tribute Topino Leburn) which refer to the revolutionary painter guillotined by Bonaparte in 1801. Death of Caius Gracchus echoes the composition and title of the famous painting by Francois Topino-Lebrun and pay tribute to the Roman "tribune of the people", who died in a riot. The People's Life and Death reproduces in grisaille the image of a Paris street, taken from a photo. A few key things I found from observing these pieces was the distinct use of chiaroscuro, through the use of black and white backgrounds and strong colourful elements. Also the combination of media's creates an interesting photo as it makes you observe more through the use of illustration, photography and paint. Until I read the relevant information next to the pieces I felt there meanings were unclear which I quite liked as it made you look at it in more detail and decide your own opinion of it. For my own response to Paris I will use this as inspiration as the combination of media's makes for a interesting final image.

Anna Lacouture - Les Marionnettes (Translation: Puppets)

  

 This series of 10 images depict a woman, each image flows into one another and create interesting patterns. As the piece develops more of the woman is uncovered and the eventually she phases out. I felt this was a very basic illustration through the monochrome design as if it was

in colour it would have evoked different meanings and the colour may have distracted the viewer from the patterns and elements within the illustration. The thin lines make it seem delicate and show more detail than would have been seen if the artist had used thick lines. It also conveys a sense of innocence and due to using a woman helps add to this as women are typically seen to be gentle and innocent. When you look close to the image the elements which make up the image don't make much sense and seem to almost be placed randomly together. Yet the artist is very clever as although they never truly draw the face of a woman subverting it to see the parts around the head still help us see her clearly even without any distinguishing features being available to view. I feel this idea of randomness could be applied to the principle of fairy tales and the dark imagery adds to this as it makes it more dangerous.

Hans-Peter Feldmann - Shadow Play (Paris)


One theme for me to think of throughout my trip to Paris was spotlight, so when I saw a room pitch black with spotlights I was instantly interested. Feldman for the past 40 years has been a leading conceptual artist, collecting objects since childhood including toys. Shadow play evokes a playful and poetic mood. The important he attaches to the world of children and his liking for decorative objects are expressed throughout this installation. This work has a focus on Paris and Parisian knick-knacks which tourists would typically be associated with. He presents an interesting view of Paris through using a turntable and placing random objects next to each other before placing a spotlight behind and projecting the objects as shadows on the plain wall behind. It's a unique presentation of Paris as typically its represented in photographs and paintings which depict iconic scenery of Paris whereas this artist has opposed this. There are many aspects used within the piece, things which we wouldn't normally associate with Paris for example the gun but then this is juxtaposed with the use of the Eiffel Tower which is iconic in reference to Paris. It symbolises Paris in a unique and interesting way and I used this as inspiration when collecting photographs in response to spotlight as I experimented with creating works similar to this - which can be viewed on a later blog post.

Roy Liechtenstein - Cup and Saucer

In my preparation for Paris I focused on Roy Liechtenstein as within the Pompidou he had an exhibition, however when I got to the museum only then did I realise how much incredible artwork Liechtenstein had created over the years, not just paintings but also sculptures. In particular I liked this sculpture, personally I liked it as I have a fascination with tea and this emulates that but also because of the bright colours and clear concept Liechtenstein uses within the piece. Although he only uses the colours yellow, blue, white and black it helps use capture the simple nature of this artist. The lack of different colours interests us more as we see more detail, the fact he has subverted the use of shading by using blue and yellow colours for shading as well as black it makes the piece more appealing. It's tall in comparison to some of his other sculptures and looks unique as many other sculptures are different versions of his work or faces so therefore it challenges his other works by being less conventional.

Key pieces of work
Some of the most incredible work I saw was the illustrations which is something I have a lot of interest in. Two illustrations I saw was Myzk and Moriceau and Lichenstien, below is a Venn Diagram comparing their work.

Roy Liechtenstein - We Rose up Slowly

This piece was hung on it's own wall, due mostly to it's size as it had been exaggerated to be larger than real life people. It has a clear narrative within the piece which depicts a love tale, this links to fairy tales as they are based upon love. I felt this image was powerful and the writing besides it helps to emulate it, "We rose up slowly...as if we didn't belong to the outside world any longer...like swimmers in a shadowy dream...who didn't need to breath..." I feel that captures an essence of romance and the 'almost' kiss highlights that. The bold colours mean our attention is drawn to detail and it keeps it simple so we can focus on the content rather than the style. The image evokes a sense of happiness as gathered from the writing these two lovers only need each other and feel safe with just each other which conveys romance and happiness.

Mrzyk & Moriceau - Sans titre (2005) (Translation: un-titled)


This is part of two pieces both similar but done a year apart. This was the first one of the two. Its a very basic illustration with a strong lack of colour. There is a lack of straight lines within the piece, this conveys the idea of being childlike which is mirrored in the idea of it being a simple illustration emulating the idea it was made for children. There is a lack of detail within the piece and the use of thin lines convey it as we can see more negative space than if it had thick lines which would have made certain parts stand out more and had less negative space. With all these things considered it still creates a beautiful image. The simplicity adds to the beauty and makes it more interesting as I want to see more of it and want to try and find more init. The negative space allows us to focus on the content and this adds to the bizarre nature of the piece as there are no people only birds yet they seem to be of the wrong proportions. This idea of simple illustration is very similar to an artist I have previously studied; Helen Oxenbury. Although she uses colour her work is very simple like Mrzky and Moriceau's piece I have picked here.

Venn Diagram

Day 2: Maison Européenne Photographie

The Maison Europeenne Photographie (MEP) Gallery, located in the heart of Paris holds 2200 works of art, mostly photographs. Opening in 1996 the MEP is easily accessible to all. This was the first full photography museum I saw on my trip around Paris, I found it to be very interesting with one work which interesting me a lot.

Favourite pieces of work
However, firstly, walking around the gallery I found 3 photographs which I felt worked well with my theme but were also very interesting:




Chateau Double (Translation: Double Castle)

Although when I first saw this I wasn't sure whether or not it was part of the artwork on display or something to purchase, it immediately sparked my interest. Also the photograph I got of it I felt was interesting as well. The main reason I first looked at this piece was due to the idea of a bottle linking to Alice in Wonderland which is a dominate part of my personal study. However when I took the photograph I felt it gave a interesting reflecting, the black bottle captured part of the girls face who was also observing it however the person walking past on the left hand side is only clearly visible against the black bottle and the rest of his body is lost in the lighter value of the photograph. I felt this image links to the artist Sergio Larrain who I went onto visit later in Paris. The bottle itself served an unclear purpose it sat in a hallway between exhibition rooms and many people simply based it by, giving the illusion it was there to either look nice or a hidden installation.

Upper Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brazil, 2005

One theme I needed to consider in Paris was spotlight, which is the main reason why I initially chose this image to study as it was a good example of this. The light is used sparingly and comes from a clear source within the photograph which isn't visible to the viewer. I felt it depicted a dark scene not just through the use of chiaroscuro but the fact the girl is sat alone in a vacant place blind folded. To me it evoked sadness and fear, it wasn't clear why she was there and if she was ok, the fact she was almost nude and it appeared that she was covered in bandages added to this hidden idea. Once I began to read up about the true nature of this photograph it added to the sadness of the image, she was a young girl which conveys the concept of somber as she is only young yet sat alone in darkness. She is sat inside her family hut after her first menstruation and is seen here to be accustoming her eye to the light near to end of her seclusion (the state of being private and away from people). The next day she will reveal herself in public and signal that she is ready to find a husband. I felt this image linked to the idea of fairy tales as it shows a dark nature to something which shouldn't be horrible and shouldn't be so misconstrued.

Kafue National Park, Zambia, 2010

Much like the photograph above the artist has continued to use black and white which is seen across the gallery except from one particular piece. It captures an elephant in the decisive moment, much like artist Henri Cartier Bresson who created this idea. The light develops a lot in this image coming from the top left hand corner and being displayed around the elephant which makes us focus more on him and the light source surrounds him. I feel this is a stunning example of the effect of light, it almost seems holy as if the elephant is being drawn somewhere better than where it is now The streams on light echo the idea of leaving a forest as it is seen to come through the trees. There are sharp elements to this piece in the branches and trees which is juxtaposed with the softness of the light an the elephant itself. The use of natural light emulates the idea of documenting photography as it has been captured on a real location and appears to be a real photograph rather than staged. It was made to display the beautiful nature of these creatures as elephants in Zambia are hunted by poachers which makes them afraid of humans and vehicles therefore they tend to run into the bushes when approached. This makes it more interesting as it's a photograph were aware the artist was there at the time to capture this moment and show how although elephants are afraid of humans it's because of how they've been treated and this image communicates a lack of fear and the concept that these animals are beautiful and overlooked.

Key pieces of work
The main piece of artwork I saw here and felt was very influential and drawed my attention to it completely was a short film called Mourning by Gotscho. It was hidden in the corner of the basement floor in the muesem and sat in the dark so the projectors could clearly display the two short films. Unlike the other works in the gallery Gotscho is the only artist who use colour which conveys a deep message within the piece.


                   



I made many notes on this piece due to finding it so interesting, these can be seen underneath. When I saw this, I felt there were many links I could make to the artist Jan Svankmaker and his twisted film "Alice" in which he depicts Alice in Wonderland is a surrealist way, much like the artist here. However next to the films was a sheet which contained information about the piece:
"In the corner of the exhibition room, two short films by Gotcho show a complementary process of destruction and reconstruction. In each of them Anouk Feral embodies the same figure, like a Rorsbach test. One night, at The Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, between hundred of empty jewellery display stands, the squatting woman scoops up the precious stones and blood-spattered sheet bones. At the evening performance of the Romanes Gypsy Circus in Paris, sitting up in the grandstand wearing a black Perfecto, a cigarette between her lips, she puts make-up on her beauty, which is going up in the smoke. Touched nonchalantly, her face keeps disappearing from the mirror she holds, a face whose features are redrawn by the other hand. Nothing clarifies the title, crossed out with a horizontal line, except perhaps one question in extremes: which of the films in the corner is in mourning for the other?"

 


Day 2: Nikki de Saint Phalle Fountain

Sat in a small square next to the Pompidou Centre is a square full of original street artwork. The Nikki de Saint Phalle Fountain sits central and draws our attention in. Opening in 1983 this fountain was made by artists Jean Tinguely and Nikki de Saint Phalle, each representing different themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. The black-painted mechanical sculptures are by Tinguely and the coloured work by Saint Phalle.

However, the fountain isn't the only artwork seen in this square, the fountain seems to have inspired street artists into creating incredible pieces of work. Including a painting expanding the length of a building depicting a man in the style of an illustration. As well as the artwork drawn on the floor and the posters stuck around the walls. I found there were many reflective surfaces around the area and felt these would make interesting photographs, therefore wanted to experiment with reflection photography as well as working with shutter speeds and the effect of having a fast shutter against a slow shutter. Below are some notes I made in my sketchbook upon seeing this magnificent square as well as some pictures showing it in it's full beauty.



   

Experimentation
Many objects within the fountain regenerated water, to capture this effectively I needed to start working with shutter speeds. Below are some notes I made whilst experimenting with shutter speeds and the photographs I achieved with this.













This was my first experiment with shutter speed, I used 1.6 which allowed in too much light, however this would have been good if I was taking a photograph of a moving image, such as a car but for this situation it was too slow.









This was the second image I took, I used a shutter speed of 13 which allowed in a good amount of light however there was a lack of focus on the fountain and it was as clear as I wanted.








This was the final image I took experimenting with shutter speed, I used 200 which worked well as it was a high shutter speed which meant the image captured the content quickly. As minimal light is entered when a camera uses a high shutter speed I adjusted the aperture to F3.5 which meant it stayed light as it was quite open so much of the image stayed in focus.




Day 3: Musee d'Orsay

The Musee d'Orsay holds home to what I feel is the best view of Paris. With a clock face found of the top floor of the museum which opens your eye to the glorious city of Paris. The museum used to be a railway station and from the open and high ceiling on the first floor it's still evident they wanted to keep these historic figures evident. The museum is home to mostly French artwork dating between 1848 and 1915 and displaying a combination of paintings, sculptures, photographs and furniture. It has one of the largest collections of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces including the works of the great Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Manet.

Before approaching the artwork I was struck by the top floor. It had a clock which once inside took up a whole wall. It allowed you to look at Paris in a new and interesting way. With the low lighting inside the museum and the bright lighting outside it created intriguing opportunity to capture photographs. Below are some I took of this clock face, I also included people in some as the light made them turn into silhouettes.


Favourite pieces of work
Walking around the Musee d'Orsay I saw many influential and interesting pieces of work, below are the notes I made on these pieces.




Since being back from Paris I have studied these images slightly further, please see below for a photograph and further analysis of the 5 images I found whilst walking around the Musee d'Orsay.

Edouard Manet - Ermite Zola

This painting was placed on the wall next to 'Olympia' as both gain controversy but also both interlink. In the corner of this portrait painting we can see a small black and white version of 'Olympia' signifying this writer/reader has something to do with this woman or this painting. We learn this man supported Manet even though most people didn't at the time. This is why Manet painted him as he did it as a thank you gift. The fact the man is looking almost at the painting of 'Olympia' next to him shows Manet wanted people to realise that although it's controversial it's still a piece of artwork and it should be appreciated.



Berthe Morisot - Chasse aux papillons (translated: chasing butterflies)

I chose this photo when walking around the museum as when I saw it I felt an air of calmness. It's simple colour and light brushstrokes communicate a simple meaning. The name I felt added to the sense as it was a sweet and nice concept of 'chasing butterflies' it sounded childlike. The children in the background aren't fully visible but appear to be young girls who are playing in the grass. The woman at the forefront is looking down at her stick which we presume is what she uses to catch the butterflies. However, there is a sense of irony within this as we can't see any butterflies  which lead us to believe this isn't as nice a tale as we first thought. That the people are sad as they have lost butterflies and have little more to wish for. Also the use of the garden could represent fairytales as many fairy tales - specifically Alice in Wonderland - link to this concept of gardens and use them often.


Carleton E Watkins - Wawona, 28 feet diamete, 275 foot high, Maripose Grove

The photography section within this museum was, I felt, rather limited. However, the works they did have on display were incredible. The reason I chose this one was due to it's combination of surrealism and realism. The use of tree is realistic, the setting as a whole is simple the basic forest background combines with the darkest value being the tree closest all links to a realistic set. Yet the tree has a large chunk cut out of it. This links to the idea of surrealism, why did the photographer do this? Well, the fact there are people going through it suggests the concept that we should look deeper into nature and that there are very many things we simply overlook yet the deeper you go the more you uncover. Having people riding through on horse and carriage gives us hints to it's date as it's not fully black and white but it has no clear colour values. I class this type of image as 'sepia' due to it's orange tones which indicate it is an old photographer.

Key pieces of work

Edouard Manet - Olympia - 1863

This was the first painting we studied when we arrived at the Musee d'Orsay. It was painted by Manet, who was a very controversial artist. This particular painting caused great controversy as this woman he painted was a well known prostitue within Paris and many men who visited her grew angry and the sight of her hung on a wall and he had to observe her alongside his wife. It was hung high on the wall as many people threw paint, wee and other substances at it. Due to it's time it was classed as shocking, to see a woman painted nude and in an odalisk pose conveyed a sexual action which was looked down on due to it's time.

Eva Gonzales - Une Loge aux Italiens (translated: A box at the Theatre) - 1847

Upon my first viewing of this in Paris I made many notes on this (please see above scan versions of pages from my sketchbook) as I felt it was interesting. There was strong use of colours and the light was mostly used around the woman very sparingly. There were many parts I felt that emulated different things, for example the woman had a choker on which was a sign of prostitution, yet she also had gold binoculars in her hand which thinks to the idea of the Opera and the Theatre so possibly she is wealthy and the man is her husband treating her to the Opera.

Venn Diagram
Two paintings which I felt worked well together were 'Une Loge aux Italiens' and 'Olympia' below is a Venn Diagram in which I have compared and contrasted both these artworks.


Day 3: Musee Rodin

Rodin's museum was incredible, it linked well to my theme from the minute I got there I was overwhelmed by the sights. The trees were singing, the roses were bright and everything was sculpted beautifully. 




Sculpture Auguste Rodin created notable sculptures which were roundly criticised during his lifetime. This museum was different to others notably because it was outdoor as opposed to being undercover like other museums. Rodin's work is predominately figures which are decorative, formulaic and highly thematic. Two pieces of his work which I focused on was 'The Gates of Hell' and 'The Thinker'.

Favourite piece of work

Gates of Hell 

On the left is my analysis of this sculpture upon first seeing it, on the right is a photograph of the whole sculpture. However here are many different elements within the piece so below are smaller pictures of different aspects of the piece.





The Gates of Hell was not hard to miss as I walked around the rose bed it stood out on a wall to itself. Unlike the other sculptures it's stood against a wall rather than being on a podium or standing alone. This makes it more interesting as it's obvious to the wanderer that this piece is different then as we begin to observe it further we understand why. The combination of bodies all interlocked with one another create interesting shapes which are unusual to the eye making us look at it more. I felt the use of these unusual shapes made for interesting photographs which is why I experimented with up-close photography and focusing on a close part of the photo to add depth to the image by making the mid and back ground blurred more. 

Key piece of work

The Thinker




On the left is my analysis of the piece upon first seeing it, on the right side is a photograph of it. Due to it's position amoung the grounds it made a good subject in landscape photography so therefore I took more interesting shots of this sculpture which are shown below as well as further analysis.






















The Thinker was placed on the exact opposite side of the Gates of Hell, when you enter the museum if you stand central on one side is the Gates of Hell the other is The Thinker. Arguably, The Thinker is looking at the Gates of Hell so possibly questioning the actions of the people within the sculpture. It also re-instates how The Thinker is an enlarged person from the Gates of Hell and the fact his eyes are directed at the other sculpture rather than into the distance of into the eye of the viewer. The fact the day we visited this museum it was sunny adds to the brightness of the scenery making it a more positive sculpture whereas if it had been raining it may have been more negative as it would have given off a negative mood to the viewer.

The Thinker and The Gates of Hell are very similar, in a way they convey a similar theme as The Thinker is an element taken from the Gates of Hell. However, the Gates of Hell is made from a darker material than The Thinker which conveys a sense the Gates of Hell is much darker than The Thinker. This is emulated from it's complicated scene which it depicts. The amount of small detail which expresses many different forms within the piece makes it more complex. Compared to The Thinker, which obviously has less detail as it is a single sculpture of one person. This doesn't mean it doesn't have a complicated meaning. Standing alone in the garden begs the question what is he thinking about? The way the artist has displayed him makes us, as a viewer, think for ourselves. Seeing as part of the Gates of Hell make him act as we would thinking of the chaos displayed in front of us as opposed to feeling chaotic ourselves. Both are of large stature compared to the other works in the museum by Camille Claudel. The Thinker is similar to Claudel's work as it appears to be a reflective piece, whereas the Gates of Hell contrast greatly with Claudel's work as it takes a complicated approach with a great size to depict great chaos. 

In the center of the stunning gardens was a house which held more of Rodin's work but also other pieces of work, specifically artworks by Camille Claudel. She was a focus in this museum due to what happened between her and Rodin. Being a woman in the mid 19th century was difficult and becoming a known female artist is even more difficult. Around 1884 she started working with Rodin and become a model/inspiration for his work but also his confident and lover. In 1913 she was admitted to a mental institution by her brother and although her forms read she was voluntarily admitted her admission forms were signed by her brother and doctor. It has been argued that Rodin stole some of her works and concepts however there are clear differences between Claudel's work and Rodin.

Camille Claudel - The young girl with a sheaf


The scanned page on the left examines some notes I made whilst observing the piece in Paris, as well as a photograph of the piece on the right. However since getting back I have made some further notes on this piece as due to time restriction I couldn't make as many notes as I wanted to.













Of all the pieces of works I saw my Claudel this one struck me most, unlike the others it was made of clay as opposed to marble which struck me more. The girl also looked sweet her piece was so small compared to the other pieces and being encased in glass emphasized it's delicacy. . Since Paris I looked at it again and researched the term Sheaf as at the time I wasn't quite sure what it meant and discovered 'a bundle of grain stalks laid lengthways and tied together after reaping' - Oxford Dictionary. This didn't give much more indication towards the meaning behind this but the idea of nature could link to the idea of her being natural highlighted through her being nude and at one with nature. This emphasizes the gentle nature of the girl and possibly that this was made to emulate Camile Claudel as she appeared to be a delicate girl who was treated wrongly by the man she loved.

Contrasting Table
Both this artists have similar traits but contrast greatly. Below is a table I drew up outside the museum in which I examined the similarities and differences between these two artists.


Reflection
At the end of this museum trip we were all given a post-it to document a single thought which signified our experience at this museum.


Day 4: Catacombes and Cemetery

Walking into the Catacombes of Paris was very different to walking into the Montparnasse Cemetery.

The Catacombes of Paris are an ancient cemetery within Paris which is found deep deep underground. Dating back to the 18th century the catacombes were made after people of Les Halles became infected by a source of infection associated with a 10 century old 'Cemetery of Innocents'.Years later in 1786 the bodies were moved to make a tourist attraction under the streets of Paris. A blessing and consecartion took place during the transfer of the remains which began to fill the disused quarries, continuing till 1788 as it was conducted only at night fall. Paris cemetery filled the catacombes until 1814. Now the bodies are stacked orderly and some placed in a pattern on display to the public to be photographed, drawn and observed. Fair to say it was a interesting experience. Due to the low level lighting in the catacombes and the ban on flash many photos were of poor quality however some images of the skull's near the lights gave off interesting shadows and lighting. This is why some photos are blurred and poor quality however there are a few which are interesting.




Experiment
I got many interesting photographs from the Catacombes, below is my favorite one and then how I edited it through the use of Photoshop. I chose this photograph due to the development of light throughout the piece and the contrast between the bright light of the spotlight and the deathly imagery of the skull. I liked the effect of the spotlight as it only illuminated a certain part of the skull which draws our focus to it rather than seeing the long display of the bones and skulls to avoid our attention being drawn to it too much. This way we aren't exposed to the deathly nature of this place as we don't see too much in detail.



Firstly I adjusted the levels, this creates a light base for the image. I wanted to make the image have two main tones without needing to have the image desaturated. I  wanted to avoid desaturating the image and darkness is usually related to death and I didn't want this image to solely represent death but also have an artistic approach to death which is shown in the catacombes as the bones are arranged in an artistic form.
To enhance the difference in light and colour within the piece I adjusted the curves. This made the tonal changes more obvious. Although the shapes in this image and rather organic and nothing new the way they have been placed and designed are unique. The way the light hit the skulls meant it focused on only that section giving the image a vantage point which provides a leading line. This leading line spans from the light down to the skull becoming narrow.
However after this I did some additionally adjustments to the vibrancy making it more enhanced and the lightest values stronger, the darkest values darker. This way there were strong contrasts within this image making it more interesting so the photo looked more unique rather than looking like a image to demonstrate how it's an artist design rather than just to show deathly images.Below is my final outcome.


On the flip side of this was the Montparnasse Cemetery. This displayed tomb stones for hundreds of families including famous artists; Man Ray and Bresson as well as writer Samuel Becket and the tomb stone of the great Pigeon Family (not famous but have a famous tomb). The cemetery in slight into two parts each displaying different tombs. Much like the Catacombes tombs are placed close together so there isn't much room to manoeuvre but it is far more peaceful with the autumnal colours of the trees and the open space. You're allowed to walk all around and absorb some beautiful tomb stones, it seems to respect the dead and place them to rest. This felt to me far more comfortable since I couldn't see anything too graphic and the bodies were more respected and displayed how they wanted to be rather than put somewhere for convenience.





Experiment
One grave which I felt was particularly interesting as well as very earnest and sweet was the one with a couple hugging and kissing. The sculpture was captured in the moment which makes it sweeter. The simple name 'The Kiss' adds to this earnest love and innocence. I chose this as a final picture as it represented the innocent nature of the cemetery as opposed to the darkness of the catacombes. Also the background to this image represents the outside nature and the trees in the background with the autumonal colourings making it more interesting to represent the outdoor nature of the tombs. Below is the editing process I went through to make this image more interesting and artistic.



Firstly I adjusted the levels, much like with the other images I have done this with it makes a good base for the photograph. This created a contrast between the stone tomb and the natural background. I did this so that the tomb would become more prominent, that way the tomb becomes more of a focus within the image.
The curves were the next step I took in the editing process. I did this to enhance the levels of light in the photo, unlike the image of the catacombes I didn't want too sharp a tonal change. Therefore it wouldn't accentuate the sharpness of the image in keeping with idea of natural colours and natural settings. I did minimal changes to the curves so that the tones weren't too sharp keeping it natural.






Next was to edit the vibrancy, I wanted to keep it light and colourful. Whilst making it more vibrant I realised how I wanted to combine it with another image, therefore I chose the image of a rose to combine it with. The image of the rose was a macro shot which captured water droplets on the roses. However they were fake roses so I didn't want them to over power the image as it was draw away from the natural element of the original photograph.


I cut around the rose and copied it onto the other image, then before I started to place it into the photo I wanted to ensure it looked realistic. From this I edited the levels making them darker so the tonal changes all linked together. I made it big so it was  a part of the background and didn't stand out too much.


In order to make the rose in the background I cut around the stone sculpture with the lasso tool and then deleted this part from the rose image. I wanted to keep the image behind the stone tomb so that it doesn't draw focus from the original focus in the piece.
Finally, I made the overlay on the rose image so that it blended in with the background. I feel roses are symbolic of love with relate to this sculpture so I added more roses to the piece. Using the same techniques I placed half a rose on the bottom left and bottom right hand side of the image.


Below is my final outcome:


Venn Diagram
Both the Catacombes and the Cemetery are homes to the dead but they show it in very different ways. Below is a venn diagram which displays, I feel the similarities and differences between these two places.


Day 4: Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation

Henri Cartier Bresson, a famous artist with work which explores the formal elements of documenting day to day life events which we may overlook sometimes. Bresson is considered to be the 'farther' of modern photojournalism due to mastering candid photography. He developed street photography (life reportage) which was coined 'The Decisive Moment' - this has influenced generations of photographers who followed after.

Favourite and key pieces of work

Two of Bresson's works which I felt were very interesting were 'Seville, Inde, 1947' (translated: Seville, Inside, 1947) and 'Derriere la Gara St Lazare, Place de l'Europe, Paris, France, 1932' (translated: Behind the Gara St Lazare, Place de l'Europe, Paris, France, 1932). Below are some annotations I did whilst looking at this pieces within the museum:

Seville, Inde, 1947:

 

This image was hidden in the side of the room at the back, rather than out on obvious display which drew me to it more as I wanted to know if it was hidden for a reason. Unlike the other photographs I saw this one seemed to depict a clear meaning. Now I know the translation of the name it's obvious to assume Bresson's reasoning for captioning this photograph was to expose the truth of what was happening in Sevillie. It seems to show many different meanings and emotions in one piece which evokes a mixture of different meanings from the viewer. The ragged edging in the foreground suggests a destructive nature as if the wall has been broken down and the fact this is in the foreground shows Bresson is an outsider looking in on Seville and what was happening in this place. Having just children in the photograph makes the audience think more about why there are no adults and allows us to feel more sympathy as we may have not felt the same way if there were adults as we feel they are stronger than children. The focus of the image is the boy at the front with crutches as his role is contradicted. Upon first look he seemed upset and scared as if he was running away from the situation, then looking again his face contradicted this first thought he appears to be caught between similing and crying which confuses the viewer which could replicate the confusion in Seville. The composition of the photo is rough, there are no indication that this has been put together but that it is a piece of documentary photography taken to show the rest of the world what is happening in this country. 'Further research allowed me to discover at this time in Seville and at the time Spain was undergoing a referendum in which General Franco has just died and the Law of Succession stipulated the revival of the Monarchy. - Wikipedia.'

Derriere la Gara St Lazare, Place de l'Europe, Paris, France, 1932

 

This photograph was instantly recognizable from previous observations of Bresson's work prior to my trip. The photo is simple, a man has jumped across a puddle and Bresson captured it in motion. The simplicity adds to it's elegance. The reason I felt drawn to this photo in particular was the dark colours used, as it's an outdoor photo the dark tones indicate it was taken in a evening or a dark day. This begs the question as to what this man was doing. Also the fact he is almost out of the image indicates that he was in a rush and Bresson has captured him in he 'decisive moment'  as his figure is slightly blurred communicating the concept of speed. 

The first photograph of Bresson's work I saw had a much deeper meaning than the second, it showed a key moment in time and depicted a mixture of sadness and happiness. Whereas his second picture has a simple meaning, it's just a man jumping. This could be due to the location, at the time in Seville there was chaos due to the referendum, whereas the second image was taken in Paris which was just a nice city. However, these ideas are juxtaposed in the lighting used within them, the first photograph is very light which alternates it's concept as it should be dark due to the dark meaning but the light makes it slightly happier as there is some light in their world. Whereas, the second photograph uses much darker tones which conveys a sense of danger but the content doesn't present this as although we can't see the person's face the fact they are jumping conveys happiness. Both are captured in the moment which is something Bresson was made famous for making both images strong as well as the use of the formal elements (I explored this within my annotations above). These images were taken from two different perspectives, the first one was captured in Seville and due to Bresson being French he captures this image from the eye of a tourist which contradicts typical tourism. Most tourist focus on the positive things capturing typical sights yet Bresson subverts this in the image much like Sergio Larrain in his piece entitled 'Paris'. Also Bresson's image taken in Paris shows something happier, this could be due to him being biased about his home country and wanting to present it in the same light, in the same way as Sergio Larrain, yet he displays his home country in a different way showing it's beauty unusually in his piece entitled 'Chilli'.

Sergio Larrain Exhibition
One artist Bresson inspired was Sergio Larrian. Pre-Paris I explored his work so I knew what to look out for when I saw his work but nothing prepared me for the quality of his work. Displayed using larger photos than Bresson, Larrian's work shows documentary pieces which are unique and interesting. His work embodies something which may be commonly overlooked from a tourists perspective. The chilean photographer worked in many different places specfically his home country of Chilli but also visited Paris often.Two photographs I saw of Larrian's work which I felt were very influential was: 'Paris, 1959' and 'Volparalso, Chilli, 1963'. I found these images to be incredible therefore made many notations of them which can be seen from the scanned in pages below (please click on them to enlarge).

Volparalso, Chilli, 1963:

Volparalso, Chilli, 1963:

      

Venn Diagram
Both these photographs posed many qualities which made them incredibly successful in demonstrating clear meaning as well as the formal elements. Below is a venn diagram I drew up comparing both these pieces:


Both Bresson and Larrian's work is similar but when looked at in detail there are many similarities and differences within their works. I made notes on this when walking around the exhibitions.


Tourist Attraction

Montmartre Sacre-Coeur

Research
Montmartre Sacre-Coeur was the first sight we saw on the evening of our first day in Paris. It's the highest point in Paris (higher than the Effiel Tower!) and standing at the bottom of it you see some exquisite views. The Sacre-Coeur itself allowed for a perfect night time photographic opportunity in which I worked with both flash on and off to experiment with the natural lighting applied around the sacre-coeur as well as the additionally lighting from my flash. I also worked with my camera phone to experiment with different medias to test the different quality of the photographs.
Photographs


Development
Due to the darkness many photographs appear of a poor quality, however others are good quality and show Montmartre Sacre-Coeur in all it's glory. Of the photographs I took I chose the one of the left and my favourite due to the positioning, it's a interesting angle but I feel this makes it a good photo. There are strong contrasts between the lightness of the building and the darkness of the background. I aim to emphasis this in the development of this image.


I feel adjusting the levels (left) and the curves (right) are a good starting point to perfect the image. I made the levels 41/0.69/212 to make it darker and accentuate the natural shadowing in the image due to the natural spotlight surrounding the building. This made the building the lightest value in the photograph. The curves then highlighted this by adding to the lighting effects. It made the shadows more prominent which meant the building had darker effects around the side drawing out eye to the stunning architecture.

The picture had good lighting now however lack vibrancy. Therefore I adjusted the levels on vibrancy and saturation within the image. Firstly I made them brighter (left) which made the colours sharper and more strong. This creating a strong chiaroscuro effect as the vibrance was +100 and the saturation +13. However, this powerful use of chiaroscuro is often a key part to make a successful black and white image, so I removed all colour from the image (right). Changing the vibrance to +0 and the saturation to -100 made it a strong black and white image. I chose to use this black and white image as my final response to Montmatre Sacre-Coeur.

Final Outcome


Notre Dame

Research
Notre Dame is a histroic Catholic cathedral build by the Parisian's for Paris, it's one of the greatest example of French Gothic architecture and as a result of this is one of the most well known church buildings in the world. The cathedral is surrounded by small individual crafted statues which work as column supports and water spouts. Many of the small statues are gargoyles, they're used as they are known to warn spirits away but also work as good objects for rain to run off. The building took years to be completed, starting in 1163 and finishing in 1345 taking around 182 years to be finished. However, unfortunately over the years much damaged has attracted the building by people. In 1548, over 200 years after it's completion many people damaged the features considering them idolatrous - idol-worshipping - as well as World War 2 causing damaged through bullets damaging the stain glassed windows. However, this being said it is still a stunning area to visit. It instantly reflected my theme of fairy tales as the famous tale of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was based around this cathedral and there was a couple getting married outside the cathedral which, of course emulates the concept of fairy tales. Below are some photographs I captured of both the inside and outside of the building. 
Photographs

 

Development
Although I felt I achieved many stunning photographs of this brilliant place, one stood out the most. The picture on the left was the one I chose as I felt it showed Notre Dame at it's best. When I walked inside Notre Dame it was even more impressive and the grand aisle dividing the cathedral in half mesmerized me. Therefore I chose this photograph to reflect that. I liked much of the natural low lighting in the cathedral so didn't want to over develop this image too much to avoid ruining what it captured.



The main problem for me with this photo was the fact there was someone standing on the bottom left hand side. Therefore I used the content-aware tool to try and cut him out. My first attempt is on the left and although it didn't cut him out well it duplicated the sign which looked odd. However, it did cut him out well, but I wanted to give it another try to see if it would develop any more so my second attempt is on the right hand side. This did work slightly better on the section above the railing as it made the light all look right. So I kept this but cropped the bottom off (bottom left image). Due to the content aware I could keep the lights visible on the left side but just cut the bottom off due to it looking bad because of the duplication of the sign.

Finally, I adjusted the levels and curves. As I didn't want to ruin the natural lighting in the image I adjusted them minimally. The levels (left) changed to 24/0.77/229 which made it slightly darked add emphasis on the low lighting. The curves (right) changed to 242/255 which made it more clear what the focus was on. Also this change to make the image slightly darker mirrors it's Gothic features and architecture.

Final outcome


Eiffiel Tower

Research
The Eiffel tower, possibly one of the most iconic scenes of Paris, although the Parisian's may dismiss it as a tourist I was amazed by it. The tower was built in 1887 and unlike Notre Dame only took 2 years to be completed. Since completion it's become one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world with over 200,000,0000 visits and I feel very lucky to be one of them. Although I didn't get a chance to go up it absorbing it's beauty from a distance, then up close, then underneath allowed for some wondrous photographs. We were very lucky to have seen this as well since the tower was only made to be a temporary exhibiton piece to be on show for 20 years however this was over turned due to it's tourist interest and is still standing over 120 years later. Below are the photographs I took of this beautiful monument. The sunny day allowed for some lovely photos, yet at the time I did accentuate the lighting on my camera by adjusting the brightness, aperture as well as experimenting with my phone camera to see what different types of shots I could get. Specifically I achieved a panorama shot which I wouldn't of with my camera.
Photographs

 

Development
The Eiffiel Tower was a perfect photographic opportunity, with it's grand size and unique architecture it made for some interesting angles and shots. I chose this one as although the Eiffiel Tower was a tremendous sight, the fact our stay in Paris was the same time autumn was beginning to set in meant that the colours on the trees were fabulous. I therefore, chose this image as I like how the colours on the trees are similar to the colours of the tower, complimenting one another. Also it's a interesting angle of the tower as it doesn't capture it fully and it's in the mid ground of the image which subverts the typically photograph of the tower as usually it's the main sight.


As usual I started with the levels (left) by adjusting them to 24/1.38/210 this meant the tower was a darker colour than the sky making it more of a focus within the image. Then the curves (right) which were adjusted to  9/0 which meant minimal change yet it helped add to the light balance within the image, as I wanted the tower to be of the darkest value so it was the main thing within the image I wanted to almost remove the clouds in the sky to make it the only feature in the piece.

Next step was the vibrancy, I wanted to emulate the vibrancy of the area as many people travel from afar to see this great monument the atmosphere was full of excitement. From this I enhance the brightness to 65 and the contrast to 13 which meant the image was light. I wanted to add more vibrancy to the image though, to develop this I worked with the vibrancy changing it up to +53 and the saturation to +30.  This meant to autumnal colours were enhanced and the tower looked brighter.

The final step was to emphasis the colour once more. Changing the hue to -4 and the saturation to +10 was a minimal change but worked effectively. The image grew lighter and more brown which is a key colour in autumn and in Paris I was surrounded by this colour so wanted to reflect this in my picture of one of Paris' key monuments.


Final Outcome


Fairy Tales in Paris

Paris felt to me like a fairy tale, and being surrounded by beautiful buildings highlighted this fairy tale idea. Below are many photographs which I took of this tremendous city which reflect the idea of fairy tales.
Photographs

 

Experiments
From the photographs above I have developed some within Photoshop and Illustrator.

This image was made within Photoshop I simply copied the rose at the front onto a new layer. Next I made the bottom layer black and white and made the red very dark so the roses were darker. After this I used overlay on the coloured rose so it didn't look as odd but still stood out and added colour to the piece.









For this image I worked with the exposure and made the building incredibly light then deleted the white sky from the image and deleted the same section for the background rose image. Then using the overlay soft light I brought the two images together. I also used the opacity so the rose wasn't too overpowering.
This is one of my favourite images, it reflects the classic fairytale idea of an apple being so much more. I like have it has a gloss effect which really makes the building look more real even though it's not. One thing is because the apple is round it would have worked better with it being warped to the shape of the apple. However, the colours are bright and vivid and it catches peoples eye.






This image was edited in Photoshop by combing two separate images and overlaying them on top of one another. I developed this into an illustration through illustrator. I used a dry brush and quick strokes so it looked like a sketch. I then used the colour picker and selected a colour from the original image for the skin, dress and roses. I used the pen tool to cut around the arm and dress and filled in the colour then used the paint brush tool to colour in the roses.


This is an illustration I have produced based on a poster I saw in a train station in Paris. I used basic colours and had the image behind it constantly so that I stuck close to the original piece. The smaller image of Alice however is different. As it was a rushed photograph I couldn't see the girl properly, but I knew she was there from the silhouette. So I took a photo from Google then drew over it simply with the same brush. I used the brush for the colour as well.





Photographs of The City

As well as captioning photographs of things relating to fairy tales, the number 34 and spotlights I also just captured photos of the city. Throughout the trip my camera was planted permanently around my neck and this meant at many opportunities I could capture interesting and unique shots. I have placed these images into a few contact sheets which can be viewed below:

 

 

 

 

Exhibition Tasks

Chosen Number - 34

As part of my tasks for Paris one task was to find the number 34 in as many places as possible, however, rather annoyingly this wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. Unfortunately I only found 2 different examples of my number, so therefore I captured two different style of shots of these two examples.
Photographs


Development
I picked this photo as I liked how it was taken from below. Also the number is taken slightly off center which makes it more interesting. When I begin to edit this I will accentuate how it's taken from below and experiment with moving it slightly over to emphasis the number being off center.
 Firstly, as usual I edited the levels (left) and curves (right) first. I moved the levels to 33/0.75/180 this made it darker to make the number contrast more with the colour of the wall. The curves were moved to 255/241 which made it a bit darker in places than others.

Next I wanted to emphasis the distortion of being taken from below. Using rulers I took the side in by using CTRL & T then holding down CTRL I moved the top corner sides in. Then I needed to make sure there were no edges visible behind the picture so enlarged the image to take up the whole space.  I kept the pole over to one side so the number was still off center.

I wanted to highlight more how the number was off center. So using the lasso tool I cut around the number plaque then copied it onto a new layer. I then moved it over onto one side and used the content aware tool to blend the wall where the number was. However, I didn't like it very much so moved it back. Yet I kept it on a second layer as I wanted the number to be clearer so on the background layer I made it blurred. Using the Gaussian blue on 8.0 pixels it made the number stand out more and then merged the layers back together.

Finally, I adjusted the shadows and highlights (left) to shadows 11% and highlights 62% this gave it an interesting effects. As well as it making the colours brighter. Then I adjusted the levels (right) once more to finalize the image. I enhanced the levels to 31/0.83/237 which made the image stronger colours and a good effect.

Final Outcome


Best Photo

Earlier displayed all my photographs taken from Paris under the header Photographs of the City. Below are 12 photos which I feel are my favourite from the trip, although I do like my final Eiffel Tower, Monmatre Sacre-Coeur and Notre Dame photos but as I have used these already wanted to try something different.

Chosen Images


I liked this photo as the angle is interesting due to being taken from below yet also from the front. Its a confusing image as the signs are pointing in many different directions. However the light does develop from one side to another which looks effective.








I like how this photo was captured at sunrise and not originally a black and white image and I have never edited it which makes it more effective. I like how the sun casts a shadow/reflection on the floor creating an interesting pattern.











The locks above this fairy tale lock casts a shadow which makes the tones interesting and the light develop on the lock. Also the way the camera focuses on the lock means the others are blurred which helps draw the focus to this particular lock.









The sun has half risen so is caught behind the tree which illuminates the tree making it brighter and brings out the colour in the tree. Also it juxtaposes the use of the light as the sun provides the light in this piece rather than the street lamp.




This one isn't one of my favourites as the bottom is cut off so you don't see the full fountains and the top is cut off so the building is close to the top. Yet the lightness develops within the image which is interesting.





This photo was taken at the same time as the one a bit further up yet it is darker, this is due to me changing the brightness settings on my camera to allow the sun to focus and make the other objects darker.





This has been taken from an unique angle, being lower down gives depth of field and the locks provide a leading line making the bridge elongated. 






This has a lens glare which makes it brighter as well as the focus being on the first cup which makes the rest blurred giving the image depth.






I like this image a lot, although the Eiffel Tower s a key part of Paris this photo subverts this and makes it less important. If I was to chose this image I would colour splash the green light and make the rest desaturated.








This is a perfect example of leading lines within my own work I feel. The contrasting colours are also interesting however it's captured slightly off center which would need to be fixed if I was to chose this.








I captured this image in the style of Bresson as it's a seemingly ordinary object yet capturing it at this angle makes it less ordinary. However annoyingly some of the bike tyre is cut off. As well if I was to chose this I would need to content aware the girl standing int the back out as well as blurring the background to add depth.





Favourite Image

Although the above images are good this one is my favorite. I chose this image because it has a good example of chiaroscuro the difference between the skyline and the Eiffel Tower creates a interesting mood. The development of the skyline going on to the sun setting shows depth and makes it look like the photo goes on for ages. The Eiffel Tower creates a frame around the top of the image which makes it interesting. Below are screenshots of how I developed this final image.


Development
Firstly I used content aware to remove the person and the bottom centre of my image as I felt it slightly took away from the image. Then I adjusted the levels, I made them 10/1.32/211, this made the people darker to the point where they were almost lost and then made it brighter so the sun shinned strongly through the clouds.
I wanted to accentuate the vibrancy of this image so using vibrance (left) I adjusted the levels of vibrance to +36 and the saturation to +26 this made the light more prominant and interesting. The heighten this I then played around with the lighting effects within the image. Using Filter -> Render -> Lens Flare I added a flare to the image which made it more interesting. I chose the 35mm prime as it had a small flare which meant it made the lighting specific to the center of the image and made it 143%.
Final outcome



Self Portrait

As part of my exhibition I have to produce a photograph of the number 34, my best photo taken in Paris, a response to Paris, a grid of my theme 'spotlight' as well as a picture of me in Paris. Below is the picture I chose, I liked how it had a good depth of field and the angle of my face which is only in the side of the image. Additionally the focus on the small Eiffel Tower earring with the larger Eiffel Tower in the background adds to the interest.

Chosen Photograph


Development
Firstly I changed the levels, I did this to make the image darker which made the gold more prominent. I changed them to 24/1.20/233 the fact it is darker makes the tones in my hair more unique. This added depth and made more parts darker.
I knew I wanted to experiment with colour splash in this image and felt the gold small Eiffel Tower in my ear would make a good role for this. The fact it is small it may be over looked so by making it the most colourful thing it leads the eye to it. I used the lasso tool to cut around the tower and then copied it onto another layer.
Finally, I desaturated the image. I only desaturated the bacbkground layer as I wanted the gold to stay prominant. However I didn't want it too look too dark so using the vibrance tool I adjusted the vibrance levels to +23 and moved the saturation level down to -58. This meant there was still slight colour in the image but the small Eiffel Tower was the lightest value and the background was the darkest value.



Final Outcome


Grid

Spotlight

During my trip to Paris I was given the word spotlight and had to capture images relating to this idea. Below are the photographs I have chosen. I have already edited them and next to the photographs are notes on this.  I only did minimal changes as I wanted it to be simple and just highlight the lightness and create contrast throughout.

Chosen Photographs

Firstly I adjusted the levels to make the spotlight the lightest value and the background the darkest value. I did this by adjusting them to 29/0.6/222. Then I adjusted the curves to 255/248 to enhance the outer edges being darker and getting lighter as it goes towards to spotlight itself.







Much like the above photo I adjusted the levels to 29/0.73/218 this enhanced the idea of a vortex which was created by the lampshade. I kept the darker parts on the outside of the image which added to the idea of a vortex and make the lighting develop into the center of the image. This gave it depth and made it interesting.




The next photo was a levels adjustment again, I changed the levels mostly as it gives the image depth as adjusts the light and dark areas of the photo. For this one, I changed the levels to 32/0.94/239 which made the spotlight more prominent. As unlike the other two above this has a colour object I used the colour balance to enhance the red teapot, I changed it to +32 for the red as it made it more colourful.







This image was tilted so using the rulers and CTRL & T I straightened the top edge so it was more accurate.Then I changed the levels to 27/1.15/238 this made the spotlight stronger and the lightest value within the image.










I liked this photograph already due to the simplicity of it there is no external background and the light bounces off the wall creating a interesting effect. Therefore I just minimally changed the levels on this image to 16/0.90/255 which created a good example to contrast within the image.





This was one of my favorite examples of spotlight, the way the camera focused on the light and brings it straight to your attention, as well as the blurred background and use of rule of thirds makes it unique. Again I did minimal changes on this due to not wanting to compromise it's quality. I simply adjusted the levels to 16/0.95/236 this made the lighting develop from the left side to the right, darker the lighter.



I'm planning on making this image the center of my grid so wanted to have a circle of light in the center of the image and the darker parts of the outside. To do this firstly I adjusted the levels to 19/0.93/231 which set it up then drew a circle using the lasso tool around the statues and subverted it making the outer part black then overlayed it making the edges darker. This highlighted the object in the center.





This image has a interesting angle but a lot of background to distract the eye of the viewer so using the levels made the background darker which lost the pattern on the ceiling. The levels were made to 15/0.88/224 which made this darker.





I wanted to make a clear contrast within the light in this image so using the levels adjusted them to 17/1.70/230. This made it darker on the outskirts of the image and lighter by the light. As it is close up there wasn't a lot of room to play about with clear chiaroscuro but the light and the lampshade itself contrast with each other.






Now I have all my photographs edited I can begin the create my grid. Making a sheet 30cmx30cm then dividing it up to create equal sections for each photo to sit in. I placed the images in the grid and started making them look good.

Grid 1


Grid 2
Although I do like the grid above, it is a bit rough therefore I shall change a few of the pictures around so that they show a clear theme and look better. I wanted to have the lighting going from bright to dark, so have the darkest photos on the bottom and the lightest on the bottom. Below is the outcome:


Final Grid
There were some white line marks on the grid and these needed to be changed as well as moving some images around slightly. I also experimented with overlaying images, I took the image shown on the left and using the overlay tool I enlarged it majorly and placed it over all the images on the grid. I found in doing this it brought out the spotlights of all the images, although it wasn't what I intended to do it did work well I felt. Below is my final grid:


Fairytales

As I had many pictures from Paris relating to my theme of fairy tales I decided to show them in a grid, much like I have done for my spotlight images. Below are my favorite 9 images representing this theme and some notes about how I edited them, on the left are the original photos and the right the knew edited version:

Editing Process
This is the odd photo of the bunch so will go in the center. Therefore I wanted it to look interesting so using the lasso tool made the background black and white and the lock full colour. I then accentuated the tones by using the levels tool and adjusting them slightly to make the gold brighter and the dark tones darker to create contrast.






These photos reflect the idea of fairy tales in the use of roses. They are a common theme in fairy tales as they illuminate the idea of purity. I edited the, simply by changing the levels and curves. Below are my four rose pictures. The one on the left is the original, next to it on the right is the edited version.
                          






The next four images are of buildings I saw in Paris which I felt reflected the idea of a fairy tale castle. I edited them simply by changing the levels to add more tones, however on some pictures there were cable wires obstructing the image so using content aware I removed these. On the left is the original photo, on the right is the edited:

                     





Grid 1

Grid 2
I then decided to swap the corner images with the other four images:


Final grid


Bibliography:
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R134343&nm=Sergio%20Larrain
http://www.google.co.uk/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

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