Contemporary Buildings with an expressive massing thanks to the use of shadows and light.
ASSESSMENT TASK 1A : PHOTOGRAPHY/FRAMING
Shadows and Light play a vital role in the way that we view architecture and the city around us. The massing of shadows and light on a building can transform our perspective by complementing the emotion of simple architectural elements thus changing the way we view the city.
Ezra Stoller was an American Architectural photographer whose main points of focus while taking photographs were depicting the element of shadow and light but also through his use of perspectives and framing.
Having my chosen photography technique in mind I walked through the city observing some chosen sites and seeing in what way the shadows changed when the lighting was altered as the sun rose and set. Through observing Stollers photograph of the Seagram building the massing of shadows and light are quite easily recognisable. The dark shadowy mass on the banal buildings front in comparison to the light display of the city below gives the viewer an image of sadness as if it were a neglected building. With my iPhone as my photography tool; I focused on varying my perspectives to see which worked best at capturing the shadows and lights massing on the building creating a more elaborate and meaningful photograph. I wanted to capture the shadowing of the bars in my own photograph to also give the viewer the impression of sadness; as if whom ever lived there was living behind bars.
Through this trial and error, and taking inspiration from Stollers different framing options; I chose the image which I thought best complimented and captured the use of these shadows, emphasising the basic structural elements of the building and the city around me. My choice of photo arrangement for my online portfolio was inspired by the perspectives I personally viewed while observing the city. I wanted to encompass my individual standpoints as much as possible into the composition to give the reader a sense of the perspectives I observed. Purposely placing the images side-by-side vertically to portray the layout of a city scape.
In my opinion, the expressive massing of shadow and light that is seen in my photograph; inspired by Stollers; helps us to view the building with a deeper insight into what it has to offer. Shadows and light at different times of day and from different perspectives all have a different story to tell.
References
Ezra Stoller. 2011. Ezra Stoller. [ONLINE] Available at: http://ezrastoller.com. [Accessed 4 April 2017].
