What is it all about??

My final folio is a collection of photographs that explores our societies throw away culture. A culture that is obsessed with trends and is ruled by want rather than need. When bulky items are old, broken or just simply no longer wanted they end up on the curb. We throw away objects to make room for our most resent purchases. These photographs illustrate one critical phase in the life cycle of consumed products. Their fate decided by either convenience or creativity.

In this collection I have documented the waste produced by affluent inner city suburbs. The hard rubbish that has been discarded is awaiting one of two futures. It will either be picked up for reuse in some way or made redundant in landfill. A significant number of people simply do not consider the recycling or reuse option. It is often easier to use hard rubbish services than to think creatively or sustainably about waste. This collection of photographs is not just about the existence of hard rubbish, it also explores the transient and ephemeral nature of material objects.

For these images I travelled to many locations in the late afternoon in order to capture a soft warm light. I used my personal Cannon Powershot camera, a tripod and Adobe Photoshop to create sharp, naturally saturated images. In part 1 of my final folio I have explored interesting close up shots that emphasise geometry, line and form. In part 2 the objects are taken from a mid-shot, which provides the viewer with some indication of the location and the context in which the object exists.

Final Folio Part 2

Final Folio- Part 1

Shutter Speed Experiments

I took these photographs as an exploration of night photography. I did not have a tripod with me when I took these images. Instead I sat the camera on the table and just set it on a slow shutter speed. Some of the images did not work out because environmental factors were a particular problem. I was in a busy bar and people kept bumping the table and picking up the glasses. These two images were my favourite because they capture the reflective surface of the table really well. I like the effect of the mirrored image of the background and the glasses. The colour in these images is quite striking. I love the way the light has made the gold liquid shimmer and it has emphasised the outline of each glass. The contrast of gold against a bleak desaturated background encapsulates an almost sickly or isolated feeling. In the second image I like the poster on the window in the background. The poster is seen backwards and makes and interesting contrast against the ambiguity of the beer glasses in the foreground.

Difficulties Encountered

I have experienced many difficulties with the realisation of my project. The most common problem I had was with the transient nature of my subject matter. I have often driven past an interesting object or arrangement when the light is not right. I plan to return later or the next day but by that time the objects are gone. This simultaneously fascinates and annoying me. I am constantly rushing to locations in an effort to get great shots. I have also found that when their are a couple of days of bad weather I have to put my junk hunts on hold. The light is often too overcast to get the beautiful soft light I aim to capture. This means more missed opportunities to take photographs. In an attempt to reduce the amount of missed opportunities I keep my camera in my hand bag and my tripod in my car. This means that I can snap up photographs when by chance the light is good and I see an object to capture.

Colour or Desaturation????

Original photograph

Black & White

Colour

I like both the colour and desaturated images. they both create a sense of realism.

Other Influences

Still Life Junk Photography

These are a couple of images I found that I liked because of their subject matter. They relate to my theme of junk art, urban decay and the issue of recycling waste. I have been influenced by these images because I have stated to consider the aesthetic of my photographs. I am playing with the idea of realism and colour. I am deciding whether I want my images desaturated with a strong contrast or in colour to document the way they are seen in reality. I will be working in Photoshop to experiment with these ideas.
Chris Jordan

Simon Lewis
Ron Chapple