Photographer Research - Jose Antunes

Biography

Jose Antunes is a writer and photographer based in Portugal, working professionally since 1980, for magazines, newspapers and books. From aviation to zen photography, from technology to nature gazing, he has covered it all. Founder, in 2002, of one of the most important photography magazines in Portugal, FOTOdigital, he keeps it alive, these days, in a modern digital verso. He also writes and photographs for multiple clients, both editorial and commercial. Executive editor and photographer, for six years (from 2002 to 2008), of a Portuguese aviation magazine for professional pilots, Sirius, he is a keen aviation photographer, besides loving to be outside, walking along the coastal areas, and photographing what he calls the Atlantic Realm. He leads photographic tours in this area and also in the whole region of Sintra, mixing photography with a look at the cultural aspects of the land, elements always present in the photo tours he leads in his country.

Why I've chosen him

The reason why Jose's photography caught my eye was because a lot of his work conveyed weather, even if it wasn't intentional. His pictures vary from landscapes to close ups of flowers which are all aspects of portraying bitter weather and warm weather. A topic I am exploring in my project is weather through evidence; I am looking at things against the sky and will hopefully shoot landscapes on my holiday so choosing Jose as part of my photographer research will help inspire me in some of my shoots. He takes all of his photographs outside from places he visits and creates tours on his websites for areas in his country for tourists. A lot of colour and sometimes depth is used in most of his photography which are two formal elements in which I enjoy shooting the most. His photographs vary so much that his pieces are always so interesting because they don't all consist of the same theme. 

This landscape photograph was captured in the area of Sintra as part of Jose's tour in west Portugal. He runs these tours for small groups of tourists who just want to focus on photography, and exploring different places and things that they can photograph. Having half of the frame filled with headland crowded with houses/buildings, and the other half filled with the ocean and the sky creates an effective contrast in an overall photograph. There is evident areas of the headland that have been darkened through possibly the curves tool on photoshop, which creates texture; an effective formal element in lots of photography. This piece is my favourite one of Jose's that I want to use for inspiration in my holiday shoot, where I will aim to capture a picture that has similar features to this one.

This second photograph of Jose's is simply of a dark yellow  flower with tiny petals and a thin stem. It has been situated in the right side of the frame to allow the rest of the space to be filled with its blurred background. Having the background blurred is effective in allowing the subject of the image to pop out from the picture. The background has also been slightly duplicated, so there is double of the flowers next to each other, creating depth and all round an interesting photograph. Having the yellow contrast with the pink looks bright and fun for the viewer because there are no dull tones in this photograph. The season of summer is clearly shown through this picture through the use of bright colours, which is why it attracted me so much. 

This photograph is different to Jose's typical outdoor styled photographs. In this piece, he has captured a plane mid fly through the sky, with its propeller blurred because of movement; another effective formal element that Jose has used in this picture. Having the bright blue sky in the background is a strange combination of colours mixed with the black, white, red, yellow and trays on the plane. Perhaps the plane would look more successful in front of a white background. Nevertheless, this photograph was still a successful outcome for Jose because there has been no wasted space and the subject of his image is interesting. 

This is the second piece of flower photography that I have included in my photographer research because it was my favourite one of his that caught my eye the most. Like the first flower picture, he has positioned the flower in the right side of the frame; again effective in allowing the blurred background to be more emphasised. The background of this image is near enough the same colour as the petals on the foreground flower, which creates an impressive piece of photography. Having the yellow pollen directly in the centre of the petals makes this flower so attractive, because bright yellow and bright pink look effective when paired together. Colour, pattern, texture and shape are formal elements that Jose has used in this piece in order for it to look so appealing.

How he has influenced me

Jose Antunes' photography was very inspirational in a holiday shoot of mine, along with going back to edit a picture that I had previously captured. The first picture below is of a flower I positioned in front of the sky, knowing that the background would convey warm weather along with the bloomed flower. Jose always blurred the background of his flower photography and this is why I then went back to my flower picture and blurred the blue sky behind it. It could have been more effective if there was more surroundings behind the flower, however it did work in allowing the white flower to stand out more. The second photograph is what I took when I went on my holiday. Jose influence me to, if found, photograph a headland against the ocean, because when he done this in the first photograph of his I looked at, it was really successful in filling the frame with rock and sea. 

Summary

Overall, Jose's photography is extremely varied and interesting, allowing his pieces to stand out because they're not all of the same subject or theme. His outdoors work is refreshing and extremely eye catching  because of the use of colour as the main formal element. His flower photography is possibly my favourite along with his creative landscapes due to his very interesting tourist areas.

Discussion - Evidence

Evidence photography, in the literal sense, would be to record a crime/accident scene as accurately as possible so that such evidence can be used in a court of law to assist a judge or jury in understanding what happened at the time of the incident. This could be interpreted into this topic by made up crime scenes and purposely put together sets that represented an assaut or accident. Props that are often used in crime scenes such as guns, knives and gloves could all be companions in an evidence shoot. 

However, I decided that I didn't want to approach this topic with the obvious meaning of the word, because it didn't attract me in the beginning until I actually done some research into this starting point, and realised that I could photograph absolutely anything as long as it portrayed the evidence of something. My types of ideas for this are evidence of summer, winter, spring, autumn or weather in general. Evidence of food and drink, colour, shadow, pattern, depth and any of the other formal elements. Evidence of love, friendship, partnership and life. Evidence of flowers, nature and natural habitat. It's clear that anything could be the evidence of something, and I will just have to focus my photographs specifially on putting this kind of idea across. 

This starting point is such an open topic that it will be a challenge to conclude my ideas into one, but the further I evolve into this project I intend to finalise my decision on at least something around the same area. 

Some pictures that represent the evidence of something have been inserted  below to convey how they are all evidence of something.

Evidence of trainers, black and white, fashion.

Evidence of fashion, black and white, pattern.

A photographer that I looked at in my Research Log and Photographer Research called Barry Underwood captures light in an intriguing and abstract kind of way. He would be a photographer I'd look at when also photographing light because his pictures are great for evidence. An example would be the one below, which is a clear example of 'evidence of light'.

Joel Robinson is also another photographer that creates surreal pieces which is something that interests me for the future of this project. I like the way his images are interesting and filled with detail. He does a lot of book photography which conveys evidence of knowledge and reading. He will be someone that will inspire a shoot of mine at some point in this project. An example of his work is below.

After looking at how photographers perhaps approached this type of topic it gives me ideas on how I could approach this type of topic, and it excites me because I have no idea where I'll be going with this starting point, all I know is that I'll hopefully be accumalating successful photographs along the way. 

For my starting point of this topic I looked at evidence of weather as I liked this starting point, however knew that I'd be able to include it somewhere in evidence along with taking other photographs aswell.  

I want to look at metaphorical examples of weather through colours representing certain seasons for example, yellow and high saturated pictures could represent summer whilst unsaturated and black and white photographs could represent winter. As I take my photographs, I will see where they can lead to as I am sure my project will develop into something new and different after each shoot.

Image Bank - Evidence

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These photographs in my opinion are all evidence of happiness. Happiness has been portrayed in a variety way through these three images. It's been conveyed through a literal meaning of the word being written on a piece of paper and held in someone's hand to portray how they are in ownership of their happiness. It's also been portrayed in a different sense, this being a bunch of flowers filled with fun colours. This is evidence of nature however could also represent happiness, because a bunch of flowers never fails to put a smile on someone's face. The simple portraits of the girls smiling is also an example of happiness because it is evident that they are both filled with joy through their facial expression of laughter. Happiness can therefore easily be exposed in a variety of photographical formats.

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These photographs all contain elements that allow them to conform to the "evidence of winter" title. Winter can be portrayed through the actual weather itself, the mood of people along with their clothing etc. In these above pictures, the two portraits of the female in warm clothing represents how she is wrapped up ready to fight the bitter air outside. The clothes being blue is colour imagery that is a symbol for the frosty weather. This is inspiring as it means I can capture photographs of portraits of people dressed in appropriate clothing to suit a certain weather condition, therefore creating an 'evidence of winter' piece. The other three images are all environmental surroundings covered in a layer of snow or rain. The last two have been portrayed in a black and white effect to make it evident that cold weather brings a minimal amount of joy, hence the gloomy colours. The black and white effect also pairs perfectly with the rainy photograph at the bottom as this emphasises the glumness of the image.

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Evidence of sweets and food is portrayed in these 5 photographs. I like this idea of evidence because it is fun and creative, where you actually have to arrange all of the food to look presentable and photogenic. I appreciate the fact that a good quality photograph can sometimes take a while to create. The fruit and vegetable image is filled with a variety of these organic products to convey the healthy option of life, perhaps representing evidence of health. The picture would look less creative if it was just a photograph of green vegetables, therefore the mash up of colours is successful. My favourite images are ones of the sweets because these are filled with colour which is my favouite formal element. They aren't just one packet of a branded sweet either, it's an assortment of sweets to give more depth to the photograph. The last picture is a creative example of portraying evidence of sweets, it being a lipstick for the model demonstrates how she has just eaten sweets and the evidence has physically been left on her lips. This is inspiring for a multiple imagery.

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I like the way that the rings are all positioned here. It's easy for the viewer to read each word on the ring and it also represents how love needs to be surrounded by friendship and trust in order for it to be a success.

These six images all represent friendship in one form or the other. I like the idea of the first two being evidence of frinedship through humans and their animals because these are the most truest and heartwarming friendships that anyone could share. Both are completely different in composition but still convey the same evidence. The photographs of the two girls are the type of photographs that everyday best friends would like taken of them. They're both positive images filled with fun and happiness which is what I admire; friendship is a real positive connection to capture in an image. The last two photographs are evidence of jewelerry along with evidence of friendship. they are simple images with great composition as the subject of the picture is always evident. I love this friendship photography as I think it all says something when someone looks at it. 

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Black being the main colour in this image was clever because it focuses the viewers eyes on all of the dark sections; the dress, shades and hairstyle. The tiniest hint of colour in this picture would be her coral lips which concludes this image together perfectly.

These four photographs are all evidence of fashion. They represent this topic because in each one, the models all have their own statement; a fashion statement. This ranges from a messy plait, round sun glasses, a beanie and a baby beige blazer. Fashion is all about something that stands out or an outfit that pairs together in an attractive way. Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and also a large variety of colours, patterns and styles to choose from. Colour and Pattern are two of the formal elements which construct an appealing photograph, therefore these being discovered and portrayed in an item of clothing makes a photograph that much more attractive. Fashion in photography is also a big influence on people like me who want to construct photographs that look ellegant and simplistic through body posture and attire.

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The message written in this throth demonstrates that it is the morning which could then make it a photograph portraying the evidence of the morning perhaps. The coffee beans surrounding the mug supports the contents of the mug as being a cappuccino because it has a throthy top layer, therefore making them a useful and successful prop.

These last five images are evidence of yummy beverages/tea. They can also be evidence of steam as it is clear that some of the contents in the mugs in these images is boiling water. With these style of images it is a great way to become creative. In these images they have all been tweaked to look photogenic. Some have been placed infront of an odd background or one that looks quite mystical, one has the steam forming into the shape of a ballet dancer which is quite interesting, one has a message in the throth of a cappuccino along with a set up all beneath it. The other two are just positioned so that the tea cup and spoon are positioned in an appropriate way together in order for them to look good in a picture. I would love to get creative with images like this because it would be interesting to create all of my own sets, however it woud all have to be done at home and this will be something I intend to accomplish in this project.

Definition Post - Evidence

Dictionary Definition: Evidence, broadly construed, is anything presented in support of an assertion. This support may be strong or weak. The strongest type of evidence is that which provides direct proof of the truth of an assertion. At the other extreme is evidence that is merely consistent with an assertion but does not rule out other, contradictory assertions, as in circumstantial evidence. 

Describing Words:

- Suggestive

- Circumstantially

- Documentary

- Conclusive

- Example

- Reflective

- Supporting

- Symptomatic

- Symptomatically

- Inadmissable

This photograph is a clear example of a sunset. It's evidence of the night approaching as the viewer can see the sun going down behind the mountains in the far distance of the photograph. A formal element that exaggerates this would be depth, as the photograph is positioned in a way that you can see the whole sea line until the end, where the sun is just above it. The colours enhance the magical beauty of this evenning as the oranges and pink shades blend together to create a warm, relaxing and tranquil feel. This type of evidence photograph is interesting, rather than the typical evidence of guns and footprints etc. I feel like thinking outside of the box when it comes to evidence is more creative and allows pictures like the one above to be captured.

This photograph of a model crouching down and facing the camera sideways could be seen as evidence of fashion. Her posture allows the viewer to see her whole outfit along with the background. The model could be classed as a hippy because her unique clothes and hairstyle isn't the everyday look. The outfit also symbolises warm weather as she has a loose blouse on and high waisted denim shorts which are items associated with summer. Fashion is clearly evident in the picture because her clothes aren't plain, they have patterns and creative rips, along with a funky necklace, hairstyle and boots. It's a different approach to evidence, through attire, which could then go onto representing other things such as mood and the seasons etc.

I love this photograph. The reduced saturation enhances the simplistic look of the buildings above and on the water. It can be seen as evidence of tourism as most tourist who visit London don't leave without taking a photograph of Big Ben. The composition in this image is excellent, as it features a range of different things such as Big Ben itself, a boat on the water, a bridge, a building in the background, all against a white sky and then paired with part of the River Thames. This picture is a lot more interesting than if it was just of Big Ben itself. Another reason as to why I love this picture is because it can be evidence of more than just tourism. It could be evidence of history, London, buildings, life, scenery etc. This photograph tells more than just one story which makes it appealing to a viewer.

This is a studio photograph which is a symbol for a birthday, hence it being evidence of a celebration. I admire this picture because it means that a lot of other images could link to it to further the evidence of a celebration. The simple cake on its own is brought to life through the sparkler and the multicoloured cupcake case. Without these attributes this photograph wouldn't have looked as appealing to the eye as fast as it currently does. It could perhaps represent a childs birthday party as the cupcake decorations are quite childish for an adult. The confectionary being positioned on the left hand side of the frame was effective because the pastel blue backdrop works well with the cupcake so it was a successful decision to keep a lot of it on show.

Real Example: Sweet/Chocolate wrappers.

My Defintion: Something that provides proof to an accusation or assumption.

Work Diary - Shoot 4

Evaluation

This lesson I went out around campus and set myself the task of looking for colourful flowers/leaves that I could hold up against the sky, as it was white today and would therefore contrast any bright petals. I also decided to look at evidence of other things aswell to broaden the sub topics in my project because I didn't want to excel this theme of sky and flowers as I felt it would become too repetitive.  Examples of the sub topics was evidence of litter and evidence of knowledge/education. I decided to do this because the weather wasn't looking too positive and I didn't want to centralise my shoot around just natural living things out doors. I thought that today was a successful day for shooting, however I always find it a struggle to take attractive photographs when the weather is always so miserable. This encourages me to perhaps think of a studio shoot that I could do during class time one time. 

This was my favourite picture I captured from today's shoot. I believe that it is a successful picture making progress from last lesson evident. I wanted to look at different coloured flowers against a white or another blue sky. The red flower definitely contrasts more effectively with the white sky instead of perhaps a blue sky. I also took another one of these with green petals and I feel that it compliments my assortment of this style of photograph.

This picture was also another one of my favourites from the shoot. I admire how this image is an example of depth which is something that I learnt in Unit 1. It definitely makes this photograph more effective. I believe that it's a successful example of evidence of a library or evidence or knowledge. My intention with this picture was definitely to demonstrate an evidence of intellect as a library is a common place for intelligent and determined, open minded people. 

Progression

In order to push myself to achieve more successful photographs, I would like to excel my idea of looking at evidence of weather, however it is winter and only slow approaching spring, therefore making this idea a struggle. For now, I'd like to explore into my project further by looking at different photographs making something else evident. I want to attempt a photomontage piece similar to the picture that I've inserted below because I feel this is an extremely creative technique when admiring photographs. It can also enhance a topic completely as the main subject of the picture is enlarged to focus more of the viewer's attention on it. I came up with the idea of shooting this style of picture because it is of a book, which the library image encouraged me to look at. 

This photograph is also a style that I'd like to attempt soon.

Straight Images - Shoot 4