Lisette Model
Lisette Model chose to take images capturing reflection. These were taken in shop windows in 5th avenue in New York. In each image, she captured the city surroundings in the shop windows reflection. Due to how the images are captured, they appear more like collages rather than just photos. When looking at Model's images, because of all the interesting aspects to the image, you almost feel as if you are part of the photo and that it's not a photograph you're looking at, but that you are standing by the window itself and looking in. Model has chosen to photograph a wide variety of subjects in her images but the use of figures is always very central to her reflection work.
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Lee Friedlander
It fascinates me that there is a variety of feeling about what I do. I’m not a premeditative photographer. I see a picture and I make it. If I had a chance, I’d be out shooting all the time. You don’t have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you.
Lee Friedlander is an American Photographer, who as well as creating carefully constructed self portraits Friendlander was adept at creating photographs from his surrounding scenery such as; shop windows, the high street and was equipped at 'assembling' the imagery which was available to him to create interesting compositions which had a flare of humour and poignant images capturing the city life chaos around him, he shot mainly with only a 35mm Leica and black and white film.
Friedlander has made many self-portraits, possibly because of the easy accessibility of the subject to the shot, and partially because of his fascination with how transparency and reflection can affect a picture. By also taking self-portraits, such pictures can remind him later of where he has been that day and what it felt like to be in those places.
Although in this shot you can see his reflection, he did not always use his reflection to create self-portraits but also his shadows too. It is said that the use of his shadow and reflection was also like a signature to his work and would include this in the story of the image. |
“You don’t have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you”.
My Response
This is my first response to the work of Lisette Model and Lee Friedlander. In my opinion, my images closer relate to the work of Model's images rather than Friedlanders because they focus more on the people and the surroundings than a sole object.
When doing this experiment, I had to think about how Model and Friedlander took their photos. Whether they focus on the depth and illusion within the photo or if it was the pure honesty that the reflection could create. I decided to look at Models images as more double exposures than just reflections as she always tried to capture what was behind the surface as well as what was being
reflected onto the surface.
I chose to not use black and white like Model and Friedlander because I don't believe that to create a response you have to exactly copy the artist. The purpose of a response is not to mimic the artist but to understand their process and thought behind each shot. The response should allow us to understand the thoughts and feelings of the Friedlander and Model in more depth in comparison to trying to create identical work produce.
If I were to do this response again or to edit these photos, I would do some in black and white and some also in colour to experiment with the depth that black and white can create, allowing us to understand and visualise the all of the elements of the photo rather than our eyes being draw to the most poignant colours. Also by comparing the monochromes images to coloured, it helps create a more in depth illusion of what is in the foreground, what is in the background and what I have purposefully chosen to highlight in the photo.
When doing this experiment, I had to think about how Model and Friedlander took their photos. Whether they focus on the depth and illusion within the photo or if it was the pure honesty that the reflection could create. I decided to look at Models images as more double exposures than just reflections as she always tried to capture what was behind the surface as well as what was being
reflected onto the surface.
I chose to not use black and white like Model and Friedlander because I don't believe that to create a response you have to exactly copy the artist. The purpose of a response is not to mimic the artist but to understand their process and thought behind each shot. The response should allow us to understand the thoughts and feelings of the Friedlander and Model in more depth in comparison to trying to create identical work produce.
If I were to do this response again or to edit these photos, I would do some in black and white and some also in colour to experiment with the depth that black and white can create, allowing us to understand and visualise the all of the elements of the photo rather than our eyes being draw to the most poignant colours. Also by comparing the monochromes images to coloured, it helps create a more in depth illusion of what is in the foreground, what is in the background and what I have purposefully chosen to highlight in the photo.
My favourite shots
I chose these as my ideal images from my response as, in the first photo, I like how the men walking are superimposed on the manikins in the shop, which create a dark figure surrounding the people walking by, similar to what Lisette Model would do. Additionally, I believe the set of 4 symmetrical photos is effective as we are hardwired to find symmetry and by having the symmetry so obviously laid it creates a sense of visual rhythm and harmony for us when we look at the photos. The symmetry in these photos creates a balance between both sides and prevents over-complication.
I would improve these images by trying to use a shop window that had manikins in it possibly to allow for the reflections of the people are superimposed on the manikins, like in the first shot of this set; combining the two different photo types together. Considering that I used colour for these shots, I would possibly use black and white for the next shots so that the photos are no longer flat, losing the subjects in the surrounding colours but rendering all the harsh, eye-catching colours to more neutral tones, which allows the figures to pop more, increasing their visibility which draws our eyes to them more. The lack of colour also means there is no hues to distract us so the composition of the photos would become more pronounced and the photo would be reduced to its bare essentials.
I would improve these images by trying to use a shop window that had manikins in it possibly to allow for the reflections of the people are superimposed on the manikins, like in the first shot of this set; combining the two different photo types together. Considering that I used colour for these shots, I would possibly use black and white for the next shots so that the photos are no longer flat, losing the subjects in the surrounding colours but rendering all the harsh, eye-catching colours to more neutral tones, which allows the figures to pop more, increasing their visibility which draws our eyes to them more. The lack of colour also means there is no hues to distract us so the composition of the photos would become more pronounced and the photo would be reduced to its bare essentials.