Re-View, The Exhibition (NGV International)

The exhibition featured works from brilliant photographers throughout history. The photographs were selected from each decade from the 1840s onwards. It was amazing to see William Henry Fox Talbot's photographs that were taken in 1843. These photographers looked very old and had faded to a sepia tone. Talbot used salted paper to produce his images. The subject matter of the early works (1800s/early 1900s) seemed to be portraits and landscapes. These periods included works by Henry Le Secq, Thomas Annan and Edward Steichen. Ironically, I found myself drawn to the smaller photographs by Talbot and Ansel Adams, rather then the recent digital photographs which were printed at a large scale and were quite bright in colour. Adams and Stiechen's landscapes were quite dark and eerie. The strong contrasts between light and dark areas produced amazing images. I particularly liked Steichen's Moonrise (1901) which featured a lake with the moon light sillhouetting tall, thin trees in the distances. The image was very dark, black and white, and rather grainy. The scene appeared calm and silent, and I imagined what it would be like to stand at the edge of the water.

The exhibition allowed me to view a timeline of photography, exploring different mediums and subject matters used throughout the last two centuries.

Moonrise 1901

Edward Steichen

The Alice Series

This was a series photographed on the same night as the 'bizarre' series. I'm not sure if I want to present this series as it doesn't quite fit with the other images. I was looking at the idea of people disguised in costumes, hiding their real self.

Final Folio: Series Four - Portraits of Friends and Family

I have chosen these four images for my series of portraits. Each photo is unique as each person is unique. The environment in each image is closely connected to the people. This series contrasts to the others, as here people are expressing themselves and their personality and what creates the image.

Final Folio: Series Three - Objects

This series explores the idea of people as objects, blending in with their surroundings. Certain people maintain a strong hold over their material possessions, and I think the idea of people transforming into objects themselves is quite interesting.

Final Folio: Series Two - Bizarre

This series focused on bright colours and bizarre positions. The photographs also symbolise an attachment to material objects. I am exploring the relationship between people and objects, people as objects, as well as colour and shape.

The photographs were transformed to an angle where they would appear the most bizarre. I think this works effectively as they are eye catching and hard to understand at first glance.

Final Folio: Series One - The Body

This series focused on the human body in its abstract form. I wanted to draw attention to the shapes the bodies made in the photographs, therefore I desaturated and darkened them. The series each person is simply an object, void of any personality. The series also looks at the unique qualities each person has in terms of their body.