Line

Line 

Definition & Theory

• A line represents a "path" between two points.
• A line can be straight, curved, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or zigzag.
• Lines imply motion and suggest direction or orientation.
• A line can also be implied and is then filled in by the mind when several points are positioned geometrically within a frame.

The direction and orientation of a line can also imply certain feelings 

• Horizontal lines imply tranquillity, peace and harmony
• Vertical lines imply power.
• Diagonal lines imply movement and change.
• Curved lines or S shaped lines imply quiet and calm.
• Lines that converge imply depth, scale and distance - a fence or roadway converges into the distance provides the illusion that a flat two-dimensional image has three-dimensional depth. 

  

Research (of artists and techniques) 

I researched Peter Keetman (1916-2005). Keetman was born in Germany. He played a decisive role in shaping photography. One of the more famous works is of an volkswagen assembly line. His work is a close up of everyday objects. In some cases manipulating the viewers prospective. The work is always in black and white.   

The above images are of every day things. They have been put in black and white in my opinion to show how boring they are when you see them in every day life.  The picture of the VW's shows it doesn't have to be an actual line. It could be objects making a line. It has helped me be more creative with my photography.

I gained inspiration from this by producing my own pictures with the same simple idea which I subsequently converted to black and white.

Image bank

The following images were added as part of my visual research.

This above collection of photographs that represent some of the images that I felt I could capture. They represent a variety of lines, most of the images are quite abstract closely cropped.  I decided that I would adopt a similar approach for my work. Only I will use black and white.

(AO:1.  You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued. )

Contact sheet(s)

My Best images 

I selected the following as my best images 

Images that require improvement. 

The picture of the foot isn't line but shape. If I got closer to the foot of the statue it may of been line.

The essentials picture has a glare from the windows as well as being taken from the wrong angle. To improve this image I would get closer only having the word essentials in the shoot. At the time I felt it fit in with the topic of line but later realised it wouldn't work even if taken at a different angle.

The water gardens sign doesn't show line over then the bricks around it. When I took it I thought the signs background of water showed line but I framed it wrong. I could reshoot this sign by not putting the whole sign in the shoot instead just the water or I could try something similar with real water.

Both maps of the area have too many over shape which distract from the lines. After looking at them again they don't have many lines at all.

I didn't zoom in on the zip zap wrapping paper and the lined paper above it. The over wrapping papers being in the frame distract from the zig zags. As well as the over wrapping paper the frame with the words in the bottom left corner is also distracting this makes you wonder what it says, which takes your attention away from the zig zags.

This image was meant to show how lines are in everyday life but the framing is off and the sign of the barbers can't be read clearly. I hadn't zoomed in on the barber shop enough because of this the bowling alley is visible and draws away the focus on the lines.

If I were to reshoot I would use a camera instead of a iPad and I would also use a tripod to prevent blurry images. I would also think before I take the picture to see if it goes under line.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

My idea for line was to photography every day items both natural and man made. I was inspired by Peter Keetman's images. Most of the images tuned out as I expected. 

With reference to the Best selected images

The double yellow lines on the road were shot as I like that its a sign to not to park there as well as the fact its not perfect and has worn away after time. It's also got a random dot at the bottom a mistake when it was painted on. This slows that rules put into place to help us as people can also make mistakes and fade after time after time.

The image of the cactus was inspired by Peter Keetman, as it zooms in of the image I also tilted the iPad. Although it isn't an man made object like much of Keetman's work. Its an example of lines in nature.

I took the image of the rails with the shadow as I liked the destroyed mirror image of the shadows. It shows that not everything turns out like you hope whether it for better or for worse, including the image itself which I wasn't sure it would work when I took it.

The parking spots were inspired by Peter Keetmans style. I put the iPad at an angle to confuse the direction of the viewer and to change the objects appearance. It reminds me of his image of the VW's that I list earlier.

The picture of the water and sign was taken to get a picture of lines in nature. This was inspired by photo of the water gardens sign that I didn't like earlier. 

Nature also inspired the picture of the leaves as well as Peter Keetman's close ups. It has imperfections were insects have eaten it which perfectly show not everything is perfect in life.

The trolley was inspired by Peter keetman's close up style. Especially as it's man made like most of the objects in his over works. It was taken at an angle to distract from the shape of the trolley and focus on the lines.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

With regards to some of the images that did not come out as I expected, I was not using a camera but an iPad. This also means I couldn't use a trip to prevent blurry images. I will also think more about the image fitting in with the topic. 

To improve my images I decided to import some of them into photoshop and use this to create black and white images with more contrast. How this was done is shown below in a sample image.

The screen grabs selected show how Photoshop was used to create a high contrast black and white image.  To do use this, I used the Curves tool and the Black and White tool adjusting the colour sliders to get the desired hard contrast effect.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

The artist research was helpful as I realised that the theory on line meant that I could tackle the subject from a range of perspectives.  My research of Peter Keetman helped me to focus on the close ups. The research on line and emotion/mood was particularly helpful to this study at first, however some of the shots were composed just thinking about Peter keetmans style.

I believe that I have produced a decent series of images inspired by my research of line, composition and the images of Peter keetman. The final images produced were refined by developing the contrast and converting them into black and white images.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

I believe I have created a strong series of images inspired by Peter Keetman. The final images were adjusted by converting them into black and white to emphasise the lines.