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For my book as mentioned previously, I had originally thought to have an A5 printed booklet but this did not seem to be the right aesthetic. The objects I photographed were all manmade so I wanted something with more of a manmade/ organic feel. 

This book I created matched the aesthetic of the images. Because of the light sometimes reflecting off the objects I was photographing was also a feature, I used the metallic paper so that when the viewer looks through the book, light will reflect off the pages too.

For my first two pages the viewer will see just txt and a lot of white space. I kept the text purposely small as I wanted the viewer to actually read it instead of flicking through to get to the pictures. Having smaller txt and a lot of white space draws the viewer closer to read it. It is large enough so people can see it, but small enough so that the viewer needs to move closer which means they are focused on what it has to say.

Beauty is all around us. It is what we see everyday but goes unnoticed. To take a close up look is something we rarely do. - 

This is not a quote but is something I wrote to give the viewer insight as to what was coming up in my images (without giving them an obvious indication of what is to follow. It is how I felt after viewing the images I had taken. I had seen these everyday objects every day but never realised their beauty. It was not until I photographed them close up that I discovered their real beauty.

“All works of nature created by God in heaven and on earth are works of sculpture”

“Vita di Benvenuto Cellini” by G. P. Carpani, vol. 3, p. 199, 1821.

This quote reinforces my thoughts as to how captivating natural things and objects are around us. We just need to look a bit harder.

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Reflection

Throughout my photography journey and for each of the assessments I have ever completed, I have always turned to portraits. It is what I am good at and feel I have been very successful at it. With this assessment being about growing a photo habit, I decided at the onset to challenge myself not only with my photography but personally as well as I was very comfortable with portraits. It was for this reason that I made the conscious decision to avoid portraits for this assessment. I viewed it as my opportunity to explore new things and photograph things I never would have thought about before. In short, I wanted to find if I had another passion for photography.

We take for granted what we see in our backyard (so to speak). When overseas or viewing an art gallery or something similar, we see the beauty of the surroundings as this is what we are there for. To see art or to see beauty or just to see something different. This assessment opened up my eyes to the beauty that was already surrounding me. The beauty was all around me, but I had not noticed it. I passed it every day without a second thought. 

At the onset of my daily photographs, I selected items that interested me. Items that had personal meaning such as the putiputi that my mentor students had gifted me, a greenstone carving gifted to my mother, the bunnies that my sister had just bought or, my own cat. I found however that the focus started to diversify to objects that had patterns on them or the structure of objects such as the pattern on a vase or even the pattern on packaging material. I was also drawn to nature as well such as a simple flax bush or a rotten broken tree trunk.

I made a mindful decision not to overthink what to select each day as I did not want to force myself into any sort of direction or theme. I wanted an open mind. I kept things playful and explored each item as to angles and backgrounds. What a realised partway through this assessment however was that I was drawn to shooting these images close-up. This is where the spark began for me. I felt more engaged and realised I was getting somewhere. Landscapes or full-form items can be taken by anyone, but I found myself more interested in the finer details. Using depth of field helped me a lot here as it focuses the viewer. It also helped to focus me on what I was viewing. 

It was at this point and when I reflected on the images that I captured, that I realised that my theme had formed. My theme in fact was to take a closer look. To explore an item and photograph it in such a way that showed the beauty in it. There is beauty in nature and there is beauty in art and sculpture. I have explored this allure and feel I have made a connection between nature and art.

Another element that was involved was the connection I was forming between cultural items and art and western art. Also, how nature connects with art and sculpture? An example of this is the greenstone carving and the greenstone heart, or how flax is used to make putiputi. The effect of the weave of the putiputi can then be compared to the packing material and its’ pattern. I made this correlation come to life with my theme. By shooting them close up. 

I thought back to my research on photographers here and could not help thinking of Rinko Kawauchu as she photographed by instinct and never questioned herself on what she felt compelled to photograph and this is how I conducted myself during this assessment. I incorporated some of Lieko Shiga’s conventions also as I wanted my camera to capture the qualities of what I was seeing. My photography was taking on a physical form based on what was important to me.

During this assessment, I realized that the motivation behind my images was very personal. My iwi is Ngapuhi but I have never really been connected to my heritage because my mother, sister, and I have been estranged from my father and his family. This is by choice, but I have realised lately that there was a part of me missing and I have recently been forming connections that are bringing me closer to my heritage. Unconsciously, this was unfolding in my photography.

My other motivation is my love of art. Art to me however is not just about a pretty picture or sculpture, it is something that is visually appealing and something that invokes an emotional response. I have had many years of producing paintings, sketches, designs, and photographs. This assessment has grown me not only as a photographer, but as an artist.

For the layout of my book, my original concept was to have an A5 printed book but decided this did not match the theme and influences of my images which were nature and cultural. I, therefore, chose to present it in what looks like a photo album but an eco-friendly one that fits with my themes more. The paper I used was a Gordan Harris ice silver metallic paper and the reason for this is that light played an important part in my images and the way the light shines off them. Light also shines off this metallic paper so compliments my images.

I chose to only use text at the beginning of my book and kept the margins narrow as then viewers are drawn to this and tend to read it. I also kept this text simple and one per page to not overpower the page and to not disengage the viewer as if the viewer is expected to read a full page of text before they reach the images, they are unlikely to look at the images. I chose also to not include any text at all on the pages of my images as I want the viewer to take in the image without being distracted.

The layout of my images is very diverse in scaling so the viewer is engaged from start to finish. For each turn of the page, the viewer will be anticipating what the next two pages will look like. I mixed the images up throughout but there is a cohesiveness to the scaling as there are only three different sizes. The smaller size (which is either portrait or landscape, a three-quarter portrait size, or a full-page size. The result is one I hope the viewer will enjoy and see the beauty I see in everyday items.

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“Where the material ends, art begins”

Etienne Hajdu

“Painting and sculpture help other people to see what a wonderful world we live in”

Henry Moore

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the Devine perfection”

Michelangelo

“All works of nature created by God in heaven and on earth are works of sculpture”

Benvenuto Cellini

Many people think that a title should be large and noticeable. This can be too overpowering however, Have a smaller sized font can focus the viewer more and draw them in.

My original idea for the title of my book was from one of the above quotes by Michelangelo “The Shadow of the Devine Perfection”, but I wanted something more original and something that was more in theme with my work. This is where the ‘Close Ups’ came from as essentially all my images were close ups.

“Ataahua” means beautiful in Maori and as my aim was to show the beauty in everyday objects, as well as my inclusion of Maori cultural items, I found it fitting to include this in my title also.

As mentioned previously, I had originally envisaged completed my booklet in an A4 stapled or spiral bound book but felt this did not suit the natural theme aesthetic. This was my first attempt at an A4 book with a more eco-friendly cover that I felt suited my work more.

I still was not happy with this however as it did not make my work stand out more so decided in the end to look for a smaller square version that appeared a bit more artistic and edgy.

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 and,Irina Rozovsky

Mock-up of my booklet. My original concept was to produce an A5 booklet that could be staple together. i felt however that this was the wrong direction to go in to present my work as it would not elevate it. My images were about nature and art and having a plain A5 staple book did not match my vision.

My research showed me I needed to vary the size of my images as I need to have visual diversity. I think I need to do this more than the set up above. Maybe experiment with landscape vs portrait and having some full page images.

I did consider grouping images together that went together such as all the vases or all the flax based images but again research on layouts showed that to engage the viewer, you need to have variety so the viewer had no idea what was coming next.

I feel I managed to incorporate conventions from each of the photographers I researched.

Dagmar Keller / Martin Wittwer - Most of my work was unstaged. What I like most about their work was the playfulness and exploration. I really went outside my square on this assessment as I have always tended to stage and plan all my photo shoots

Irina Rozovsky - Not to stage her shoots which as I have mentioned above, I made a conscious effort not to for this assessment. As per Irina’s conventions, I explored different angles throughout this process which I felt added visual diversity.

Lieko Shiga - Lieko will incorporate personal experiences into her work. I achieved this by including objects that were of personal significance to me such as the greenstone pieces and the putiputi. For Lieko Shiga, photography takes on a physical form and this is what i tried to incorporate as I wanted the camera to see what I saw.

Rinko Kawauchi - Rinko rarely incorporates people into her work and this appealed to me as I had always photographed people so I wanted to go outside the square. Rinko also goes by instincts and does not question herself. As my previous work tended to be all staged I worked more on going by my instinct and this led me to my theme which was close ups.

Edward Weston - Edward Weston took images of everyday objects and settings which I found myself leaning towards. Like me, he looked for the beauty in things. Weston did not like to think too much about his work which I am happy to say I had managed to achieve this same convention by the end of this assessment.

Imogen Cunningham - Imogen incorporated light and texture into her work and experimented with the shadows that her subject matter formed. I also liked the way she silhouetted her subject matter.

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This is a new style of packaging that is become very common now. On the day I was looking for something to photograph, we had had a delivery and it was wrapped inside this. It sparked my interest as I walked by and decided to photograph it. As I zoomed up, I realised how visually appealing it really was. I used depth of field for the last image which is visually more intense. I also like the shadows cause by the lighting. 

This is another example of how people can overlook beauty. Things that are right under their noses are overlooked.

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Again more vases in my home which again take on a different form when viewed close up. I love the metal vase and how the lighting reflects off it as well as the shadows that are formed. Photographing close up changes the image from a everyday item to more a piece of art.

When you see something close up, you take more notice and you tend to look deeper into the image. Study the form. Study the detailing. learn to appreciate the item and the craftmanship into the making of it and the finished product.

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Several necklaces which are of personal and cultural significance to me. Again the lighting as well as depth of field spotlight them. As much as I like the necklaces, possibly my favourite image here is of all the straps together handing down. The different colours and pattern to the strap adds visual contrast and by shooting them close up, you can see the different textures of the straps.

By having all the necklaces together, it makes the viewer wonder the significance of each one. This was made possible with the black background, the depth of field and the lighting reflecting from them as this focuses the viewer.

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Decorative balls in my home which again take on a different form when shot close up. I have a black background to add drama and focus the viewer and I like the way the light shines off the metal.

When you don’t know what they are (because of the image being close up), it is so much more intriguing and interesting and becomes more art than something functional.

As I was progressing through the images I captured each day, I found myself seeking out different materials (flax, mirror, metal, greenstone), to not only add variety but to showcase that beauty can be in anything. You just need to take a close up look.

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A greenstone heart necklace that was gifted to me. I was more intrigued and interested by the leather string on it. The depth of field focuses the viewer on the heart and I like the way the light reflects off the heart, It adds visual appeal. 

My shooting these images close up, you can also see the light shining off the straps and you can see the texture of the straps which is a lot more interesting that of the image was from a distance.

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The first image is of some decorative balls but by shooting them close up, it adds depth. I like the way the light reflects off them as well. Whether it is metal, wood, flax or a variety of other materials, light will still reflect from it.

The second is of a water bottle designed by students. The reason this was appealing to me was because of the way the light reflected off it. It is of a simple water bottle but again close up it takes a different form and looks stunning.

The third image is of flax as a close up view as flax has featured in several of my images. I used depth of field here to add interest and because it is close up, you tend to study the shape and form of it including the angles and the way the light shines off different parts of it.

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Exploring flax bushes and fences on and near our property. I am drawn more and more to the close up view as I find this more intense and visually appealing.

The natural lighting adds to the depth of the image. I shot with depth of field to spotlight the first flax and like the way the light almost bounces off it.

For the fencing images, anyone can take an image of a fence, but by making it a close up image, it is more visually interesting. You tend to study it more and the detailing of it rather than just seeing an image of a fence.

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Some examples of layout we were given in class. I feel it is extremely important to have the visual diversity of each two pages so it is not too repetitive. If each page layout was exactly the same, the viewer would become bored and end up just flicking through the pages and not really seeing the images for what they are.

Text is very important in design. Just because there is a blank space, it doesn’t mean to say it needs to be filled with text. The less text the better in fact and then the viewer can give all their attention to the image and not the text.

It is human nature to be drawn to visuals so adding paragraphs of text will mean that these will very likely be unread and will actually detract from the images.

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What I love about the statue and the tree shots is that the tree trunk is very similar to the statue. This element almost brings the tree alive and gives the tree a human element. Again, shooting from different angles provides visual diversity and interest.

The natural lighting was also good to work with especially the first few images where the light was shining through the gaps in the tree. Again it is like there is a certain human quality as it makes you feel as though you are peeking into someone's world.

The two images of the stand and the pattern of the vent within the stand show how looking at something close up can change the view. There is a eye-catching pattern to this which otherwise would have gone unnoticed. 

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I love the different angles of these shots. It is so visually appealing with the patterns of the railings and seeing parts of the city through them. The lighting plays a part here as well as the railings caused a lot of shadows which added visual interest.

I really enjoyed taking these photographs and angles and distances can create visual appeal and I really learnt through taking these images to appreciate the architecture of that area and how the steps, ramps and rails in that area are so interesting.

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In the city from class I decided to explore posters which have seen better days. This is part of city life however so it is very real.

I found this interesting because of the poster “war is over!” as it was something that was out of place.

I experimented with different angles and views as well as multiple distances to create diversity. When the poster is just seen close up, the viewer would think this is strange as there are not a lot of posters around anymore (as everything tends to be online). When you see the bus stop in the distance with ‘city’ on it, more viewers may understand the posters as there tend to be a lot of posters in the city.

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During class we were encouraged to not only just to take 1 image per a day but to take photos of the surrounding area and every perspective possible to ensure that we had a higher chance of capturing the ‘image’.

These shots spotlight why it is important to shoot from different distances and different angles to see how this effects the image.

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Our cats grave site which has sadly been neglected. It was once full of sparkles and surrounded by stones. A reminder as I was exploring outside that we need to visit this more often. By shooting this close up, it has a more personal feel.