Critique and Evaluation

Below I've done an analysis of the final 10 images and also included then in the gallery at the bottom of the page.

Photo 1

I chose this image because I am just about to enter the woods, that I am standing at the edge and before me there is a space that looks wild, unkempt but natural.

With using the 5x4 camera it really creates an impression of texture to the woods, it almost seems that the smallest branches and twigs are visible and that every little detail has been captured. This can produce a sense of awe of the scene that is in front of the viewer.

Photo 2

This image was chosen because there is the impression that the woods are swirling around and that I am about to enter the unknown.

Again, the quality of the 5x4 speaks for itself with capturing an extremely high level of detail. Also it appears that the woods are providing an oval frame, as if I am being invited in but not shown a clear direction.

However though, with being big in the frame does mean I am more prominent and distract slightly from the texture of the woods, but I am being dominated by the texture of the woods.

Photo 3

With this photograph there is the impression that I am becoming more part of the landscape because I seem to further into the woods.

Again, it has become clear why landscape photographers use large format, the level of detail is phenomenal and really emphasises the texture of the woods. It also looks like I am becoming slowly more embedded into the landscape and the sense of separation between the person and the woods is becoming less. Again I am dwarfed by the size of the trees and gives a real perspective on man’s relationship with nature.

The only slight criticism I would have is the trunk on the left hand side seems very prominent and a bit distracting and probably wold of been worth moving a fraction to the right to diminish its dominance.

Photo 4

This photograph was chosen because I am more immersed in the landscape, more part of the woods and less separation.

There is also a quality of sombreness about the image. With it being taken on a grey, overcast day, there is a heightened sense of quietness, a sense of realness and reflection about the image. Because it has avoided the romanticism of the early morning or late afternoon light and used what can be described as The Grey Palette, the sense of realism has been heightened. This has also been strengthened by the deadpan aesthetic and that not one specific object really grabs the attention, which allows the eye to roam freely around the entire photograph.

Photo 5

I selected this image mainly because like some of the others I am more embedded in the landscape without dominating it.

It looks as if I am now part of the texture of the woods, that I have become at one with nature, because I do not stand out from the woods. I am noticeable, but I do not dominate and I seem to be looking more into the forest and that I have moved beyond just watching the foreground.

If there was something that I could change it would be the tree on the right as it does look too dominant. One of the constant challenges of working in Little Stone Wood was the lack of space and as can be seen, the environment is very dense and compact. Consequently this did lead to having to use compositions that I would ideally of wanted to slightly change, but couldn’t because a tree was in the way, outside of the frame.

Photo 6

The reason for choosing this image is because I am dwarfed by the huge tree on the left, that the environment is physically bigger than mankind and helps to produce a better perspective life events.

With this image I appear to be dwarfed nearly into insignificance by the tree on the left. It reminds me that mankind is not bigger than nature but is part of it and this helps in finding peace and tranquillity within nature. Again, the texture of the woods becomes prominent but I do appear to be less in the landscape as some of the other photographs. Maybe I should of taken a few extra steps forward.

Photo 7

The reason for choosing this image is because I appear to be deeply embedded with in the woods but also coming close to the edge.

Space within Little Stone wood is always at a premium but in this image, there is more of a clearing and is more spacious and not so claustrophobic as some of the other photographs. This could suggest that the sense of solitude, of finding the element of space is happening even though I am embedded within the woods and being part of the landscape.

Photo 8

This photograph was chosen because like the other images, I appear to be more embedded in the landscape, but this time a bit more dominant and more central.

By being nearly in the centre of the frame, and because I appear bigger in the frame than some other photographs, I have more of a sense of dominance but this is also shared with the tree on the left as its sheer size is enough to challenge the dominance of being central. Also, the grey palette and deadpan aesthetic work well, producing a calming sense of realism within the image.

Photo 9

In this image I appear to be close to the edge of the woods, but with no clear way out. There is also a sense of more space, that the woods don’t appear as claustrophobic as before.

Again, one of the most prominent aspects of this image is the texture of the woods and being part of that texture. I appear to be still within the landscape and being part of the woods, but have also found a sense of space, the woods don’t appear to be a closed in as in previous photographs.

Photo 10

With this image it appears that I am reaching the edge of the forest, that I have explored as much as I can.

There appears to be more space in this image, that I am not so hemmed in and am now at the edge of the woods and am ready to leave. By having more space as I am about to exit can mean that I have found more emotional and mental space by being part of nature. Because of feeling refreshed by my time in the woods and by finding the solitude by the physical act of being alone does also produce a sense of freedom, that not everything is closing in on ever decreasing circles.

Overall I am really pleased with the results. Through the sequencing I appear to be taking a journey through the wood, that at the beginning I am entering the unknown and then at the end I have gone through the wilderness and emerged into a place that is more spacious and orderly. This seems to reflect what happens when I am searching for when I go to that special place where I am searching for solitude, looking for peace of mind and serenity.

This is also reflected in the film, where it starts off really windy and chaotic and ends by being calm and peaceful, and by having both projects concentrating on the same theme they both compliment each other.

However though I need to mention the production of the prints. I did originally plan to hand print the images to demonstrate my darkroom skills and to produce them at 20x24 size as these images need to be a big size to be fully appreciated. So I checked with the University if I could print this size and it was confirmed that I could produce 20x24 prints. But when I went to actually print the photographs I discovered the largest darkroom easel the University has is 16x20.

So I was left in the predicament of either printing the images at a smaller size, which would diminish their effect, or pay for the images to be printed in a lab that would cost over £200, or to have the printspace department produce high quality inkjet images.

Eventually I decided that having them printed by the printspace dept was the best option. I couldn't afford to pay £200+ to have the images printed in a lab and I decided to stick to 20x24 size because they have more impact than 16x20 and the presentation box that I was going to use was for 20x24 size prints. It seemed that it was the best compromise I could reach as I would still have prints that were the size I intended and as the images have already been edited in photoshop and are ready for printing, it was also the most straight forward of solutions.

Another element that I wish to mention is about what I've discovered about continuing with a project after it has reached a sense of conclusion. Initially I was going to stop shooting Little Stone Wood after printing the book but I decided to continue mainly because I wanted to see what would happen and how the project wold evolve. I have noticed before that when a project reaches a certain point I decide to stop and move on without considering what else I can discover and I felt myself doing the same again.

So I decided to stay with Little Stone Wood mainly to challenge that working practice and to see how the project and myself would develop. In a sense it felt like pressing the reset button and looking through a different set of glasses as the end result is very different to what I produced before. I can also see how I have developed over the last year, that the deadpan aesthetic is something that I wouldn't of really considered but it helped this project redefine itself.

However, I also think that the film and the images go well together. The images show myself being in the forest and the film shows what I see in Little Stone Wood and also the process of going from being disturbed frame of mind to a calming and peaceful state. The film also adds that extra bit of insight, there is the movement and the sound, which helps to paint a more complete picture for the project.

I can also see that my original vision was quite short sighted, that very early on I decided to make a book and I stuck rigidly to that idea. However with the end result there was no preset plan and by having that freedom gave birth to the idea of making a film. Consequently this initially shows a lack of open mindedness and that I was thinking about projects the wrong way round, that I would have a fixed idea of what I wanted to achieve, whereas now i can appreciate the benefit of time and open mindedness giving a depth that couldn't be achieved before.