Research a creative input - Final Integrated Assignment

Before really getting too absorbed in the production process it is always good to obtain creative input through research of respected professionals in the field of photography. Throughout the past two years I have been drawn to two main photography movements, New Objectivity and Pictorialism. These couldn't be further apart in what they are trying to portray. The pictorialists who were always looking for the aesthetics  in the final presentation of the image to New Objectivity -  clear, sharp focused images. By taking a little of one and a little of the other and combining should produce a unique style of photography.


Ever since writing about Karl Blossfelt in one of the assignments, I have admired his simplicity  and beauty in his photography. Blossfelt never intended to exhibit his images as a collection of fine art. They were to be used as drawing aids for students at the Kunstgewerbeshule (college of arts and crafts) in Berlin. It was here that he would project his images on to the wall for his students to copy. To select his plants he would walk the hedgerow in search of plants that had a defined architectural structure. Using a wooden plate camera he would produce macro images of the samples he collected.

With the  Pictorialists there are many that I admire, however, the one person I always look at in admiration is Edward Steichen. In contrast to Blossfelt, Steichen would use all the subjectivity he could muster when creating his pictures. Such as soft focus and Gum Bichromated for the finished print.

A contemporary artist who is using the Gum process in a new and exciting way is Peter Liepke. Based in New York, Liepke presents an alternative way to see one of the most famous cities in the world. Capturing his images on large format equipment and utilising two alternative technique (Gum Birchromate and Platinum), he has a way of taking photography into a whole new fine art genre.