03: Unseen
Some photographers emphasise what is hidden, excluded or obscured from view rather than what is visible in their work. In still-life photographs by Celine Marchbank, the background is dark and out of focus so that details of the location remain hidden. In the photograph Viewfinder (Octavia) by Arthur Ou, a girl is seen looking through binoculars at something that is not in the picture frame. For her project In Spirit, Alison Luntz used photographs taken on location as backdrops for fantasy self-portraits that can obscure her home as the real setting. Betti Mautner often observed figures seen from a distance, their faces in darkness or turned away from view so that their identity is concealed. Investigate appropriate sources and produce your own response to Unseen.
Introduction
I chose Unseen because I am interested in exploring new ways to photograph things that are hidden or excluded from the photographs that I normally take. When I saw the word unseen I immediately thought of darkness, shadows, blurred photographs which I will be exploring in my photoshoots. But when looking at other artists' take on 'unseen', I realise how differently this can be interpreted. Some photographers such as Marchbank, creates photographs that hide the full context, or subject of the photograph. For example, one photo only shows a hand holding something. As a viewer, I cannot see what is being held, only that something is being held which makes me wonder what is outside the frame captured. Being able to photograph what is usually obscured or not noticed in everyday life is what I will be trying to achieve but also exploring the different ways I can hide the full context and meaning of the photograph.
The title "Unseen" gave me an immediate idea: capturing photographs in darkness, where shadows are the main focus, adding a mysterious allure by concealing the location within the frame through use of light and shadow. Alongside this, I would like to incorporate human subjects into my shots, intentionally obscuring their faces or the objects they're interacting with, thereby heightening the sense of secrecy and intrigue.
The title "Unseen" gave me an immediate idea: capturing photographs in darkness, where shadows are the main focus, adding a mysterious allure by concealing the location within the frame through use of light and shadow. Alongside this, I would like to incorporate human subjects into my shots, intentionally obscuring their faces or the objects they're interacting with, thereby heightening the sense of secrecy and intrigue.
This is my first photoshoot in response to unseen where I explored the different ways that I could represent hidden/obscured things through shadows, reflections. artificial lighting. I separated the photos into different galleries to show the different themes that my photos come under such as, roads, night time, close-ups and shadows.
Dark Light
Nocturne
My goal was to delve into various ways of capturing the theme of 'Unseen', and I achieved this by playing with shadows, obscuring faces, and experimenting with different times of the day to observe their impact on my photos. I particularly enjoyed shooting during the later hours and plan to incorporate this more in future shoots.
After sorting the photos into thematic groups, I realize my next step is to explore daytime photography and how I can manipulate the frame to conceal objects by limiting their visibility. It's an exciting prospect that I'm eager to delve into further.
After sorting the photos into thematic groups, I realize my next step is to explore daytime photography and how I can manipulate the frame to conceal objects by limiting their visibility. It's an exciting prospect that I'm eager to delve into further.
Celine Marchbank
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Celine Marchbank is a British photographer who works in London. Her project 'Tulip' focuses on her mother and her unfortunate passing and is shared as a therapeutic outlet during this time . Her photography focuses on the themes of home, community and family. Her project 'Tulip', has a variety of photographs which symbolises the difference between life and death as some of her photos embrace the light and colours seen whereas others focus on shadows and the implied meaning of what is out the frame. She incorporates a blend of light and dark imagery, serving as a visual representation of her emotional journey and inner turmoil—an aspect I aim to echo in my own upcoming work.
Marchbank's project 'Tulip' really resonates with me because of its clever use of hidden context and the deliberate exclusion of elements from the frame, perfectly encapsulating the theme of concealment. In my upcoming photos, I aim to explore this concept further by deliberately leaving parts of the scene outside the frame and using shadows to obscure what lies beyond the camera's view. Additionally, I'm intrigued by the idea of capturing images in front of windows, where reflections reveal what's behind without directly showing it, adding another layer of mystery and intrigue to the composition. Marchbank focuses on using everyday life in her work and she explains that she likes to photograph things that we would normally overlook or not pay much attention to. Whilst not all photos include people, she aims for her images to show proof that people are present and have interacted with the subject of her photograph - her work tells stories by capturing elements of the every day that we all live. |
Arthur Ou - Viewfinder(Octavia)
Arthur Ou is a Taiwanese - American photographer who is now based in Queens. His work focuses on visual culture, the roles of modernisation, historiography and the documentation in this whilst also making installations and sculptures. The theme of East vs. West is present in multiple of his works and exploring how photographic seeing shapes our relationship to the world.
The series Viewfinder by Arthur Lu is a series of photos of children looking out of binoculars - a viewfinder - but what they are looking at is unseen, hidden. The viewer has no idea what the children can see or what is out the frame. This is something that I would like to incorporate into my next photos.... not showing what is being seen and keeping it hidden, letting the viewer think of possibilities of what it may be. I like the style of Ou's photographs as it takes an approach to unseen that I hadn't thought about before. Both the majority of the face and what is being seen is hidden from the viewer. By focusing on the viewfinder, Ou draws attention to the process of framing and selective vision. The viewfinder acts as a barrier between the viewer and the world. This intentional limitation of perspective speaks to the idea of unseen and hidden elements that exist beyond the frame of the viewfinder. Ou's "Viewfinder" series prompts me as the viewer to think about seeing the photograph itself and the ways in which our perceptions are shaped by what is seen and unseen, visible and hidden, within the frame of our own viewfinders. |
In this photoshoot, I tried to photograph in the style of Ou and Marchbank which I did by including people in some images, reflections and shadows in others. Below are some images that I thought were most successful:
I found these photos to be successful because they hide context, keeping what's outside the frame a mystery. Shooting from a closer angle allowed me to minimise distractions and really zero in on the subjects. In each image, there is something obscured or hidden which I am really happy about. I experimented with styles inspired by Ou and Marchbank to explore different ways of conveying the theme of 'Unseen'.
For my next shoot, I am aiming to capture more images where people's faces are hidden or what they're looking at extends beyond the frame of the photograph.
For my next shoot, I am aiming to capture more images where people's faces are hidden or what they're looking at extends beyond the frame of the photograph.
Alison Luntz - In Spirit
Alison Luntz is a freelance photographer based in New York City who mostly focuses on documentary style portraits, events and weddings. Her work ' In Spirit' is a sequence of self portraits during the 2020 lockdown when everybody was confined to their homes and only going out for necessities or emergencies. By taking self portraits, Luntz says that she was able to 'transport' herself to different 'places, people and feelings' that she was cut off from due to the confinements of the lockdown. This project focused on exploring the relationship between the distance and and tension of 'the physical and the mental/emotional'.
By taking photos directly in front of paintings or photographs, Luntz is able to make the viewer and herself think that she is in a completely different space with different people when in reality she is still in her home. The viewer wouldn't know this immediately as the edges of the photographs are outside the frame allowing us to believe that she is in a separate location. In most of the images in this series, we can't see Luntz's full face making her obscured which is another feature of unseen which I have been trying to incorporate into my photos and is what I would like to continue to do. She depicts balance between what is visible and what remains concealed, allowing viewers to glimpse moments of connection with the unknown. She often gives subtle visual cues and suggestive imagery to evoke a sense of mystery and intrigue, inviting viewers to find the hidden messages embedded within her work and allowing this to transport the viewer when looking at the photograph.
By taking photos directly in front of paintings or photographs, Luntz is able to make the viewer and herself think that she is in a completely different space with different people when in reality she is still in her home. The viewer wouldn't know this immediately as the edges of the photographs are outside the frame allowing us to believe that she is in a separate location. In most of the images in this series, we can't see Luntz's full face making her obscured which is another feature of unseen which I have been trying to incorporate into my photos and is what I would like to continue to do. She depicts balance between what is visible and what remains concealed, allowing viewers to glimpse moments of connection with the unknown. She often gives subtle visual cues and suggestive imagery to evoke a sense of mystery and intrigue, inviting viewers to find the hidden messages embedded within her work and allowing this to transport the viewer when looking at the photograph.
Betti Mautner
Betti Mautner was a photographer from Vienna who was a Jewish refugee who came to London in the 1930s. Whilst she was taking photographs, photography was seen as an art form. She begun to take photos after finding her uncle's old large format camera which wasn't in use. After finding the camera Mautner begun to learn about the special effects the camera was able to display and how to manipulate perspective as seen in her work. She became an 'amateur photographer' which was a positive term as it referred to someone as being dedicated to the artistic expression, focusing on tones, composition and how to enlarge the 'artistic impact and beauty' of a photograph rather than the straightforward, conventional representation.
In Mautner's photographs, individuals are often depicted from a distance or with only partial views of their faces, shrouding their identities in mystery. The black and white format not only reflects the era in which Mautner practiced photography but also evokes a sense of nostalgia, transporting viewers to a bygone era and offering glimpses into her life and experiences.
In Mautner's photographs, individuals are often depicted from a distance or with only partial views of their faces, shrouding their identities in mystery. The black and white format not only reflects the era in which Mautner practiced photography but also evokes a sense of nostalgia, transporting viewers to a bygone era and offering glimpses into her life and experiences.
Her photographs showcase people who are observed at a distance or not all of their face can be shown, hiding their identity from the viewer. The black and white format of her images represent the period in which Mautner was a photographer but also gives the sense of nostalgia as these are all from the past and show a little bit about what her life was like.
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She frequently uses techniques such as shallow depth of field, obscured faces, and obscured or abstracted environments to create a sense of mystery and intrigue in her images. Mautner explores personal identity which adds to the idea of obscurity and her images blur the line between what is and isn't real - concealing identities. In my upcoming photoshoots, I would like to incorporate photos of people from different distances whilst hiding their identities.
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Making Diptychs
I put these two photos together because both have the same shape in the frame - a rectangle.
Both rectangular shapes hide an object behind which reveals glimpses of what lies beyond but not the entirety of it. This similarity connects the two photos as they have something in common and work well together which I really like. |
In this diptych, the two photos I selected are completely different from one another but still work together at the same time.
I like the light and dark contrast between two images and how there is a lot of negative space in the frame. These are my two favourite photographs taken so far as I feel like the shadows and fog in the photos are clear example of the theme 'Unseen' and are the most successful so far. |
These two photos have the main subject of a light source which is in the middle of the frame but the types of light displayed are different.
What is being lit up can't be seen but the sky and surroundings that can be seen in the frame indicate that it is (almost) night time. The lights also show a little bit of mystery as they are very bright objects in an extremely dark area. |
These two are paired together because of the resemblance of both subject matters. Both are of two different people but the reflections and hidden faces help to keep their identity a mystery and what they are looking at outside of the frame - similar to Arthur Ou, who this photo was made in response to.
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These two photos don't have much in common but both make me think of mystery when I look at them.
The almost pitch black surroundings and shadows only let the viewer see as shapes and figures. Nothing clear is seen and I like the way this pairing is different from the others but still represents the theme of 'Unseen' . |
WWW: Photographing close up instead of zooming in, not being able to see the full object being captured
EBI: Photos were taken at night to add a different light to my photos.
EBI: Photos were taken at night to add a different light to my photos.
Photographer's Gallery: Deutsche Börse
To get more inspiration for my upcoming photoshoots, I visited the Photographer's Gallery which had an exhibition on a numerous conceptual photographers who photographed things related to different wars and genocides that have happened over the years. The way this is represented through sculptures, photo paintings and more made me think of different ways that I can display my photos and turn them into something more.
One of my favourite series of photographs that I saw were Hrair Sarkissian, who is a conceptual artist who was taking photos of public places, houses in Syria which were deserted due to the violence and wars. His photos represent those who have disappeared, it shows the remnants of where they used to be, live, spend their time which now symbolises the impacts of violent acts, and trauma left behind. The families of the individuals whose houses are photographed don't know whether they are alive or not. This set of photos were also the only one that loosely linked to the theme of unseen due to the lack of people and context as well as open/closed doors being visible in every photo further creating mystery and makes me as the viewer wonder what is behind the doors, what the photograph actually means. The meaning behind these photographs isn't obvious at first glance but after researching this artist, I realised how the context visible in the photograph links to the missing people.
Although this exhibition didn't directly link to my theme, I was inspired by the different ways that the artists displayed their work, for example photo paintings which I was really intrigued by as I have only used this method once and would like to explore again as I am making different types of photos.
One of my favourite series of photographs that I saw were Hrair Sarkissian, who is a conceptual artist who was taking photos of public places, houses in Syria which were deserted due to the violence and wars. His photos represent those who have disappeared, it shows the remnants of where they used to be, live, spend their time which now symbolises the impacts of violent acts, and trauma left behind. The families of the individuals whose houses are photographed don't know whether they are alive or not. This set of photos were also the only one that loosely linked to the theme of unseen due to the lack of people and context as well as open/closed doors being visible in every photo further creating mystery and makes me as the viewer wonder what is behind the doors, what the photograph actually means. The meaning behind these photographs isn't obvious at first glance but after researching this artist, I realised how the context visible in the photograph links to the missing people.
Although this exhibition didn't directly link to my theme, I was inspired by the different ways that the artists displayed their work, for example photo paintings which I was really intrigued by as I have only used this method once and would like to explore again as I am making different types of photos.
London + Hever Castle Photoshoot
From my recent photoshoot, this is one of my favourites because I like the contrast of light and dark and how the shadows fall on the wall. The space in between the walls are dark and not much can be seen, it just looks like empty space making the room look deserted. The shadows reflect the patterns on the ceiling which are distanced from each other so the photograph looks more abstract. Although its sunny outside, the darkness inside and lack of windows on the opposite side of the room mean that there is a bigger contrast between light and dark, white and black.
This gave me the idea to take some photos in black and white so that instead of focusing on hiding the context, I hide what the photograph really looks like - in colour. My next photoshoot will include some black and white images as a different approach to the 'Unseen' theme and see how it changes the mood and context of the image as well as taking photographs in a different lighting. Overall, I am happy with this photoshoot as I managed to take photographs featuring objects that aren't usually seen in my work. Due to Hever Castle being surrounded by a lot of greenery, I found a lot of photo opportunities that hide the main focus of the image. |
Nick Waplington - Living Room Exhibition
'Living Room' is an exhibition based on depicting working class life during the 1980s in Britain. This series documents lives of friends, family, neighbours in the Broxtowe estate in Nottingham.
Although this exhibition doesn't directly link to Unseen, I found that in these images, identities are hidden as not all faces or bodies can be seen. Waplington hides the identities of individuals by cutting parts of their body from the frame only leaving me as the viewer to wonder what is outside of the frame but also to focus on the what is actually going on within these photographs. In the photos, somebody is always doing something, their actions and element of moving hides part of their bodies so not everything can be seen by the viewer. Incorporating people in my photographs is something that I would like to do more and conceal the identities of who is is that I am photographing. To further convey the idea of obscurity and being hidden, I will use a monochrome format to hide colours and details.
Although this exhibition doesn't directly link to Unseen, I found that in these images, identities are hidden as not all faces or bodies can be seen. Waplington hides the identities of individuals by cutting parts of their body from the frame only leaving me as the viewer to wonder what is outside of the frame but also to focus on the what is actually going on within these photographs. In the photos, somebody is always doing something, their actions and element of moving hides part of their bodies so not everything can be seen by the viewer. Incorporating people in my photographs is something that I would like to do more and conceal the identities of who is is that I am photographing. To further convey the idea of obscurity and being hidden, I will use a monochrome format to hide colours and details.
Unseen Zine
Using some of my favourite and most successful images, I made an 8 image photozine. The images displayed in the zine are some that I thought hid something within the photograph either by an object or shadow. I am pleased with the outcome as I believe the photographs complement each other whilst offering diverse perspectives that convey the theme.
Below is a flip through of the zine:
Below is a flip through of the zine:
John Baldessari
John Baldessari is a conceptual artist who distorts his images by combining a photograph and text which are unrelated. This combination makes our brain start to think of different ways that the text and image are related, coming up with a variety of theories to try and link the two together when there are no links or similarities in order for us to question out assumptions about photography and storytelling. By juxtaposing images with seemingly unrelated captions, Baldessari challenges the conventions of photography, encouraging viewers to rethink about the role of context and interpretation in shaping meanings. Through this series, Baldessari was trying to convey the question 'Why should we conform to the conventional aspects of art and photography? Why should our work be judged? ' . This portrayed the idea that whatever we make can't be right or wrong because it is our personal response and everyone has different perspectives.
Who is it?
For this photoshoot, I decided to take a different approach to 'Unseen' - taking portraits of individuals to try and incorporate people in this theme but to also keep the theme of 'Unseen' clear. In order to do this, I chose to capture images of individuals from behind ensuring that none of their facial features were discernable. Additionally, I photographed various parts of their bodies to give an additional layer of anonymity.
This was inspired by Betti Mautner and Arthur Ou as they both include people but hide their faces. By taking photographs of different parts of people, their identity remains hidden and the viewer can only see what I allow them to.
This was inspired by Betti Mautner and Arthur Ou as they both include people but hide their faces. By taking photographs of different parts of people, their identity remains hidden and the viewer can only see what I allow them to.
I really enjoyed taking these photos as they presented an approach that I hadn't initially considered. Throughout the shoot, my focus was on minimising the visibility of peoples faces, achieving my objective of concealing identities.
Opting for a more monochrome format added an additional layer of intrigue and mystery , yet I have also included the colour versions below to highlight the transformative effect of this choice.
Opting for a more monochrome format added an additional layer of intrigue and mystery , yet I have also included the colour versions below to highlight the transformative effect of this choice.
Haze
For this photoshoot, I made a deliberate choice to explore blurry, out-of-focus imagery which isn't my usual style. Experimenting with various lighting , I found that I especially liked the darker photos, where minimal light adds a luminous effect to the photograph. The process of capturing intentionally unfocused images was something that I really enjoyed , and added more creativity into my work. It was a pleasing exploration of a new aesthetic, allowing me to push the boundaries of what I usually do.
This experimentation closely aligns with my theme, as it invites viewers to engage with the mystery emphasised in the images. By obscuring details and focusing solely on colours and light, the viewer looks beyond the initial blur to figure out what the image actually is. I am very pleased with the outcome of this shoot, as the out of focus format hides a large amount of details and challenges conventional photography which mostly showcase clear, focused imagery.
This experimentation closely aligns with my theme, as it invites viewers to engage with the mystery emphasised in the images. By obscuring details and focusing solely on colours and light, the viewer looks beyond the initial blur to figure out what the image actually is. I am very pleased with the outcome of this shoot, as the out of focus format hides a large amount of details and challenges conventional photography which mostly showcase clear, focused imagery.
Threshold Concepts
Whilst looking at the photography threshold concepts, I thought #4 and #5 particularly linked to my photography and theme of 'Unseen' as they both focus on the choices the photographer makes and how this impacts the outcome, what the viewers see and perceive. These concepts show how photographs can be manipulated and how much power the photographer has when capturing these moments in time.
Threshold Concept #4 - Photography is an art of selection rather than invention.
When taking a photograph, the photographer has an abundance of choices to make: where, what, colour or monochrome, what will be in the frame, angles, the options never end. The freedom to choose what to capture can be challenging when a theme or focus isn't decided. Choosing the theme of 'Unseen' gave me limitless ways to explore this genre and decide how best to represent this and I have loved the process of doing so. My main focus was to obscure and minimise what the viewer can see and I have done this by using different styles to represent what Unseen means to me.
Throughout this process, I have chosen - 'selected' what can be seen and what cannot, I have cropped the full context so little or none is visible, allowing the viewer to think of possibilities and guess what my images are of or what is outside of the selected frame. I have taken photos of my surrounding and cut off parts that I don't want the viewer to see giving my photos a mysterious effect, inviting my photos to be questioned. 'Unseen' provided me with an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and approach photography in a manner that diverged from my usual techniques. I have been aiming to challenge conventional photography by cutting off the main focus and making the less visible elements the subject of my images. Instead of selecting what I want to reveal, I've been deliberately focusing on what I want to conceal and this has allowed me to focus on photographing objects that I would normally skip past and ignore. John Starkowski talks about how photography is a process of 'visual editing' , we have to choose amongst 'endless possibilities' which are infinite and this resonates with me as I found that I had to make multiple decisions -all of which would have an impact on the outcome of my photograph. These choices allow me as the artist to choose what I do or don't want to be seen which can change the entire perspective of the image. This threshold concept has helped me think about all the choices I make as the photographer. What I decide to include and exclude changes the perspective of the image but also gives me the power to control my photography whilst still linking it to the focus of 'Unseen'. This reminded me that there are multiple opportunities for me to photograph something hidden or obscured, I just have to decide what that is and how I will carry it out. |
Threshold Concept #5 - Photographs are abstractions shaped by technology
Photographs have the ability to create illusions of reality and warp our perceptions of what is real and what isn't. Every single photograph is an abstraction so taking photographs give me the power to decide what and how much I abstract and change. Photos are not always an accurate representation of what can be seen in reality, editing paves the way for reality to be manipulated and changed through a few simple edits and changes in framing. By choosing Unseen, I have been able to manipulate my images by not showing the full context - cropping the frame using technology like my phone and photoshop.
While making a response to Unseen I have been focusing on obscurity and this involves minimising the elements within the frame and shooting in closer proximity to the subject. By doing this, I have been able to create more abstract compositions which I think fits the theme and gives it more of a hidden effect. This concept illustrates how much photographs can be manipulated and changed to give an illusion of what is visible and has helped me see how I can make decisions when taking photographs that can completely change how my work is perceived by the viewer. A lot of my images are abstract as I have removed most of the context which would help the viewer to really understand the photograph, of on my aims during this process has been to create images that evoke questions and intrigue. For example, my photoshoot of the back of people's head conceals their identity and would make me as the viewer wonder who it is and what they look like. Over the past few months I have been exploring various ways to portray the theme of 'Unseen' and I feel like I have been successful overall as I experimented with different styles which have in turn made my photographs link to the idea of being hidden. The artists I have researched have greatly inspired some of my photoshoots as it gave me new ideas of representing Unseen that I had not initially thought about. This threshold concept has also helped when in the process of taking photos as it reminded me that all photos are illusions, they are flat, monocular - not what we see with our eyes and is to an extent an illusion and this made it easier for me to photograph my subject as it is already an abstraction, to some extent. |
Making Day Plans
Day 1 - 07/05/24 : Make an installation of my photographs in the studio using planks of wood of different lengths to stick my photos on and layer them on top of each other in order to hide parts of the images so not all of them can be seen and some are hidden. On the backdrop there will be a film being projected whilst I document the installation. Print out around 20 of my favourite photos that I feel illustrate the theme of ' Unseen' the most from all of my photoshoots and responses and print some of these photos on tracing paper. This will be documented by taking photographs of the process and final installation.
Day 2 - 08/05/24 : Create an exhibition of my photographs but display them in a way that is hidden e.g putting all the photographs in a dark room and people who look at the photos have to use a torch in order to see them - only one can be seen at a time. The photos will also be placed in different locations around the room so they additionally have to be searched for. I will video this process and the exhibition as a whole.
Day 3 - 09/05/24 : Make a collage on an A3 piece of card. I will cut and layer my photos on top of each other so only parts of reach image can be seen. I will be using tracing and printing paper for my photos. I will then photograph the process of the collage being made and photograph the final piece once completed in different lights - obscuring some parts so not all of it can be seen. I will additionally be photographing the collage in different locations as well as placing it in places where it is harder to see/find.
Day 2 - 08/05/24 : Create an exhibition of my photographs but display them in a way that is hidden e.g putting all the photographs in a dark room and people who look at the photos have to use a torch in order to see them - only one can be seen at a time. The photos will also be placed in different locations around the room so they additionally have to be searched for. I will video this process and the exhibition as a whole.
Day 3 - 09/05/24 : Make a collage on an A3 piece of card. I will cut and layer my photos on top of each other so only parts of reach image can be seen. I will be using tracing and printing paper for my photos. I will then photograph the process of the collage being made and photograph the final piece once completed in different lights - obscuring some parts so not all of it can be seen. I will additionally be photographing the collage in different locations as well as placing it in places where it is harder to see/find.