Andy Warhol

Although Warhol was not a photographer, his artworks that depict Campbell's Soup Cans, Brillo Boxes and Coke Bottles display the idea of repetition and are looking at the consumer culture in supermarkets, and more specifically at the way these products are displayed in the supermarket.

Peter Peryer

Peter is a contemporary New Zealand Photographer. He has a very simplistic style to his work which is what makes his photographs so sophisticated and memorable. Although his earlier photo's expressed a sense of anxiety, dislocation and have been likened to film stills, his later photograph's became more abstract. His work shows an interest in doubles, pattern and repetition. It is said his work most often focuses on the 'thingness' of his subjects and objects. This is show in the two photograph's below; Swiss Rolls and Neenish Tarts. 
This idea of repetition and pattern is similar to and could be included further in my photographs, with the fruit and veggies stacked very systematically on the shelves. I could also look into the stacking of other objects/food products like bottles, boxes and cans.  

Close up.

The photographs I took this week are looking at the bright colours of the fresh food and the way they are tightly stacked.

I also continued exploring the idea that the supermarket is a really big building/space which towers over the food and people inside....
I think the first to photographs work better as they are taken on an angle, guides the viewer eye down to the people. If i was going to do photo's straight on i think it would work better if i was able to zoom out more to emphasize the idea.

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I also looked at other places which could have a similar composition to the shopping aisles.

although I think this photograph below is better (lighting and compositionally) it doesn't fit with the series as well as the one I have used as the centre line is too high... even though the one used is also too high it is a lot closer.

I also like this photograph of the library because of the high angle used, it is similar to the technique used by the photographers I have been looking at. 

Candida Hofer

Hofer's photographs act as a tribute to spaces defined by the everyday activities of the people who occupy them. The repeated forms within the public spaces (tables, chairs, lighting fixtures, tiles) create pattens and a sense of orderliness. Although her photographs are of empty rooms there is always evidence of human presence.

Andreas Gursky

Gursky's photographs look at the effects of globalization on contemporary life drawing attention to the mass industry and global markets. His images are often of large, anonymous, man-made spaces.
Although the subject of the images change, the way in which he photographs them remains the same.
I believe it is the repetition in the image along with the continuous use of high angle shots are what make Gursky's images so powerful.

Interesting combinations.

While showing my photo's in class the similarities between these two photographs were noticed. This could be something I could look into further and see what other places/rituals would create a similar composition in a photograph.

Supermarkets and Consumerism

The idea behind the second ritual I have decided to explore is a comment on our everyday lives. Compared to the ritual's that go along with church's, the ritual of going to the supermarket is quite different. As it is a place we have create to make our lives easier and I think it reflects our consumer culture and the society we live in with the piles and piles of food.
The ritual of going to the supermarket is not something we do for pleasure, it is a necessary requirement in order to survive and get food, however because of this it has become something everyone does on a regular basis.

While photographing at the supermarket I found it more interesting to let the space and the objects reflect this idea of consuming rather than the people. I also found the layout of the aisles quite interesting as well when thinking about the composition of the photographs.

The photograph's from this shoot can be divided into three different aspects when looking at the supermarket. The first is the repetition of the food and packaging:

Looking down the different aisles:

And the different layouts of the aisles:

I also really liked this photo as it emphasizes the size of the building, the hight of the ceiling and the mass space of the floor which is something you don't normally notice while you are in the supermarket especially at the checkout's where there seems to be an endless row of checkout along the aisles.  

The rest of the photo's are below.

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Exploring Rituals

The first ritual I decided to explore was Churches. I wanted to explore this as a ritual because it represented to me a very traditional event that is very historic and spiritual to those involved. I liked the idea of capturing the essence of the old churches with their beautiful architecture over a more modern church as I find them more visually appealing. The stained glass in the older churches could also create cool lighting effects in the photographs which I could work with.
I could also look into the smaller rituals that together make church what it is. This could be things such as the lighting of candles, the placement of the bible, the wine, and other objects as they are laid out in preparation for a church service.

Below are the photograph's from my photo shoot at the church above Oriental Parade.

These two photograph's are my favorite from the shoot, I really like the way your eyes are drawn to the alter and the cross at the front of the room in the first photograph due to the central composition of the photograph. The two simple candles sitting next to the cross in the second image also works well and I think it is a good example of how the objects in the space can describe the ritual without the people involved using them, i think this works especially well when placed next to the the first image giving it a stronger context.

The rest of the photo's from the shoot are below. I quite liked the photo's of the glass windows, however I think they would have worked a lot better if it had been a sunnier day with stronger light.

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Hans Van Der Meer

These images from the series of photographs by Hans Van Der Meer have really great compositional qualities as the football players are contrasted the the various landscapes around them. This is an interesting take on sports photography which allows the photographs to become more than just documents of the game. All the photographs are zoomed out a lot which is different from more common sporting photographs which are generally zoomed in to capture an action shot of one or two players, where this comparison with the landscape would be lost.