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Photoshoot 13: 

Possibly my favourite series of images, I really love the colour scheme (taken in the early morning at dawn so the lighting was really soft), and minimalist feel. It is very simplistic, but I feel like the message is very apparent because of this. I also used this particular plastic bag because of it’s message on the front “save the day”, which I think works well in the context of my images being that we can save the day or our environment by thinking about our actions and what we are doing to the environment with our waste. I am using the plastic bag not as a literal way to say stop using plastic bags in particular (because we have stopped using plastic bags here), but more as a symbol for man made objects and waste including plastic that we are putting out into our environment. 

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Photoshoot 12: 

I really like how these images turned out, especially the first one, as I feel like it really emphasises on the impact of plastic and waste on the environment and the greyish/blue colour scheme also adds to this feel and would make people think about their actions. The use of the dead tree/leaves also adds emphasis to this. The last photo is quite different, but I wanted to see what it would be like if I used a more colourful and alive environment to put the bag. It gives it more of a contrast, but I prefer the first three images because I feel like they communicate my message more.

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Photoshoot 11:

I really love the concept of these images, with the bags in the trees acting as though they are part of the tree and yet they seem so out of place there. Also the plastic bag acting as the shore of the beach, or being there instead of sand is something that I could continue with also. I like the colour scheme and minimalist feel that the top two images have in particular, and would like to continue with this. 

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Photoshoot 10.

I really like the concept of the first image, as well as the colours and reflections on the water from the sunrise in the morning. I would like to try this idea with the bare branch and plastic bag on it, as it could have quite a strong meaning that our plastic/waste literally kills the environment. 

Additionally, I like the idea of the second image being the plastic bag almost taking a human form on the seat, but because the sun was shining on it the lighting was quite harsh and I would like more of a softer feel in my images, for for this reason I won’t be using this. 

I really like the last image because of its simplicity and how the bag is acting almost as part of the tree, and I would like to explore this idea more in the next shoot. 

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Photoshoot 9:

I wanted to try the idea of combining the plastic with a native bird like the Pukeko, as to being with I started taking photos of birds in the landscape and I wanted to see how it would work if I juxtaposed them with plastic bags. Although I really like this concept, I don’t think I will continue with this idea, as I want to keep it quite simple and just focus on the item itself within the environment, but i’m glad that I decided to try this anyway. 

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Artist inspiration: Richard Misrach

More landscape photographs that I love from Misrach. I particularly love the use of line in these images, which gives them a very harmonious and balanced feel, and would also like to try this, using the horizon and landcape to almost break up the image into sections. 

Bringing plastic items but brought into a barren/empty landscape like Misrach would emphasise on the impact of our waste on the environment and make the focus be on the waste/plastic and the contrast between nature that surrounds it. 

images via: https://fraenkelgallery.com/portfolios/petrochemical-america

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Favourite photographs from trip to Auckland Art Gallery.  I really loved the photographer Richard Misrach’s work, his muted colour scheme, barren landscapes with somewhat of a minimalist feel which I would love to mirror in my work too. There feelings of solitude that come across in the second photograph which I would also like to show in my work, to create an emphasis on the message that the photographs are conveying and to show how ‘out of place’ our waste and plastic is in the environment. 

I would also like to look into more of Misrach’s work for inspiration and will trial using some of these ideas in my next shoot. 

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Artist Inspiration: Anastasia Lisitsyna 

I really love Lisitsyna’s muted colour scheme, which has an almost vintage/retro feel and the use of reflections and centring of the subject, as well as the locations that they are photographed in being very barren/isolated locations. i would like to trial some of these conventions in my next shoot, with plastic bags/items in the landscape. 

Images via: https://www.brigitte.studio/home/2019/11/25/anastasia-lisitsyna

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Photoshoot 8: Trials with creating juxtapositions between plastic objects and nature. I really love this concept, just think I could have executed it better and I think I would like to take more photos outside in the landscape instead of at home, as I don’t really have a decent space for taking photos and I think the message would be more effective if I took photos within the environment that plastic could be found, and doesn’t belong in. 

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Artist inspiration: Kate Amery

“Kate is a London based visual artist working with collected and recycled materials to raise public awareness of the impact our man made materials are having on our natural environment worldwide.”

I particularly love her series “The Plastic Revolution”, which is an exploration into how plastic is affecting our planet. The aim of the series is to shock the public into recognising their individual impact and overcome the apathy that is exacerbated by government’s slow action. I really love this message, as it is also what I want to convey in my images. Also the idea of using plastic objects incorporated with nature/plants and scenes in nature to show a contrast and possibly making sculptures from plastic items could be something that I could try in the next shoot. 

Images via: http://kateamery.com/

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Final images:

The environment of Aotearoa, is precious and we as a community and individuals must do our best to protect it. In my series of images, I explored the concept of plastic waste and how we are responsible for looking after our beautiful environment.

I began to explore waste items which had been left in nature by humans, and started to document these findings. I then was inspired to look at the human impact on our environment and started to use plastic, some of which had been found outside/within nature and using this on the face, as well as covering the head to symbolise how we are suffocating our environment with our waste.

This concept really symbolised the message that I wanted to convey, and almost reversing it so that the people are the ones being impacted and if our environment suffers, we suffer with it. I also want to show the connection between the people, environment and the destruction that we are causing to it. And that it is extremely unethical for us to continue to litter and pollute Aotearoa with our waste, as it not only is extremely damaging for our environment but also for the wellbeing of everyone and all life that exists in it.

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Photoshoot 7:

Taking the idea of human impact on our environment with plastic waste into nature. I took these as the sun was just beginning to rise, which casted a pinkish/warm orange light that I really love. Overall, I feel like these images best convey my message and also gives me a strong idea to move forwards with for the next assignment. 

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Photoshoot 6: 

Experimenting with overlaying plastic items over the face, and playing around with slow shutter speed, and artificial and natural lighting, using a lamp to cast warm light and soft shadows. I really loved this idea, and how the photos came out, but I also really want to take this idea out into nature and take some similar photos but with landscapes in the background, as I think this would be a lot more symbolic of the message that I am wanting to convey. 

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Artist model: Elina Brotherus

For my next shoot, I am really inspired by this photography by the Finnish self-portrait photographer, Elina Brotherus. I love how it seems as though she is trying to blend in with the sunflowers, and the yellow plastic bag being symbolic for the was that plastic is such a common thing we see within nature, but it does not belong in our environment, and we are the ones responsible for this. This idea of including plastic/waste over the face/covering the head is something that i would like to explore as well, as it really symbolised what we are doing to the environment as we are suffocating it with our waste. 

Photo via: http://www.elinabrotherus.com/photography#/baldessari-experiments/

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Photoshoot 5: 

Exploring the idea of found objects within nature left by humans. I love this idea, and the meaning that it conveys being the impact people have on the environment and how we are bringing our manmade objects/litter into the environment where it doesn’t belong. I would like to bring people as well into the landscape with various objects to show the connection more, and how we are responsible for destroying the environment. 

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Artist inspiration: Archie McLeish. 

I love this contrast between the environment/nature and human waste/objects, which I would like to continue with for my next shoot, and possibly then including people within the landscape to show the link between humans, our waste and the environment. 

Photos via: https://www.archiemcleish.com/live/photography

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Photoshoot 4: 

Taking manmade objects into nature/landscapes, inspired by Basurto’s work,  whilst playing on the idea of reflections. I particularly love how the umbrella photo turned out, but I think for my photos to have a deeper meaning I would like to focus on the human impact on nature/the environment of Aotearoa, whilst including some manmade objects or possibly human waste/rubbish. Whilst I was on my walk taking photos I noticed quite a lot of plastic waste and objects that shouldn’t belong in our environment, so I think i’d like to revisit this location and document some of these.