For this assignment I chose to copy the style of my photographs from a French-Canadian photographer named Paul Politis. He began photographing in 1988 using darkroom processes and then became involved with digital photography ever since the popularization of it. Since he began taking photographs, he self-taught himself all the skills and ‘tricks of the trade’ without the dependent reliance on other photographers. He isn’t a popular or ‘mainstream’ photographer like Terry Richardson, but he does have prints that are held in collections at the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa.
Here is a excerpt from Paul’s ‘Artist Statement’ so that you may gain a better understanding of his artistic and motivating vision:
“In my photography, I attempt to capture moments in time that have a quiet emotion to them…. focusing on the objects that humans construct, maneuver and discard….. I hope to kindle in the viewer an empathy for the objects I photograph, or to view them as a personification of a part of themselves.”
Below are five photographs that I personally found most intriguing from Paul’s photography collection and have inspired me to attempt to imitate them, along with a slight twist. PHOTOS HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY MYSELF.
Picture 1
Abandoned House- Paul Politis |
Captured by Myself |
I believe this picture is the best example of a assertion made in Paul’s Artist Statement, “capture moments in time that have a quiet emotion to them.” The raw, bare, and ‘empty’ look in Paul’s photo exemplifies this. It caused me to question the history of the building, the purpose for its existence, and its location. When I went out looking for a subject, I wanted it to force me to ask those same questions, and that is when I found the above abandoned ‘red’ building near a train yard. Its rugged look, similar to the one in Paul’s scored my attention. I personally would have added a landscape to the photo, but I was limited with a large zoom lens. Although, I believe the abandoned building ‘hogging' the entire frame has a stronger visual impact to the viewer. Through some minor editing I enhanced the colors of the photo through hue, saturation, and luminance to give it a similarly vivid look as Paul’s.
Picture 2
Paul Politis- Vertigo |
Captured by Myself |
This is an example of the B&W style Paul portrays in most of his photographs. These image follow with the one's above (Picture 1). Once again it signifies the idea of capturing a moment with a quiet emotion. In comparison between my photo and Paul’s I tried to capture a similar mood of that in horror flicks, “basements don’t lead to anything pretty.” Both pictures send a frightening chill down your spine, as it did for me. I personally connected to the photograph because I myself am frightened of eerie basements due to mental references to gory horror films. In hopes to achieve this message in my photograph, I as well, used the traditional B&W coloring, although darkening the photograph, leaving the only light source coming from the lower level of the stairwell. The angle of the stairwell was shot purposely as it adds another irregularity to the photo, which I believe makes a strong impact on the emotion of the photo.
Picture 3
Paul Politis- Inertia #6 |
Capture by Myself |
This picture isn’t a conventional example of the majority of Paul’s work but it is significant because it's simply a presentation of a fraction of a second in Paul’s travels on the road while in motion. He labeled the photo as ‘Inertia’ meaning, the object’s amount of resistance to change in velocity; the blurry effect depicts the large amount of inertia that is present in that moment. As Paul was on his journey, I was on my journey using the TTC. I walked to the end of the train, reduced my shutter speed on my camera (to produce blurry effects) and took a picture of the moment that was passing by, the degree of inertia that was currently carried by the train. I was hoping to gain the same vigorous and almost violent effect of the lights that Paul managed, but was unsuccessful.
Picture 4
Paul Politis- Graffiti Train |
Capture by Myself |
The biggest similarity between Paul’s photo and mine is the basic subject. As Paul, I went out on a hunt for a rail-car sprayed with graffiti, which actually wasn’t very difficult. His subject is positioned in the middle of no nowhere, while mine is stationed at a Lantic facility. While both photos imply a coarse emotion, Paul’s photograph exhibits a strong linear action, which absorbs most of the focus in the photograph. In contrast, I chose to focus much of the attention of my photograph on the actual graffiti by enhancing the exposure of the lettering with editing software. You’ll notice that once again, like with every work of Paul’s displayed so far, they each exhibit a quiet emotion as the primary concern for the photo. My photo still displays this quiet emotion, but with an alteration in the primary focusing point (graffiti).
Picture 5
Paul Politis- Dead of Night |
Captured by Myself- Thanks to Mike Kahn for posing! |
I saved this photo for last because it intrigued me the most, in a shocking way. What quieter moment in life than death? Paul had represented ‘quiet emotion’ in its most appropriate form. He incorporated this image of ‘death’ within an urban landscape because he believes, “the concrete and asphalt of a city imparts a cold and lonely feeling that is further accentuated by the tonalities of a black and white photograph.” With my photograph I chose a dingy alley within a city because I believe it perfectly represents the idea of a “cold and lonely feeling” rather than Paul’s location in the middle of the street. An alley is a dangerous and avoided location within any city. I darkened the shadows and reduced the exposure levels because I wanted to display a morbid scene. On top of this I chose to lightly outline the body to reinforce the focus point of the photo. (You may notice it more if you click on the photo to view it in a bigger size)
Sources:
http://www.paulpolitis.com/photography.asp