This image was taken by Olivia Parker and has the title of "End Game". It is difficult to see what objects she has used, but i think she has used a range of natural and common objects, like sticks and seashells. There is very little use of colour, mainly using black, white and greys. The rays of light create texture and pattern to the images background, giving it a more interesting composition. The use of her light manipulation is cleverly used as her collection of objects camouflage slightly into the background. You can see that the element of line and space are also included and are a big part of the photo, as light fills the negative space of objects, so the image looks well balanced. This picture belongs to the still life genre, but is quite different to the average still life. They usually have certain features that we expect to see like colour and usually a large collection of objects, which is why it could upset our expectations. A common aspect of still life’s are they are symbolic. In my opinion, I'm not really sure what this could symbolise, however maybe Parker may have a personal meaning towards this photograph, that is difficult for the viewer to understand.
I think that Olivia Parker thought about the composition very carefully and has considered how she wants to place her objects. I think the light that is being used looks natural as it is very soft and subtle, and studio / artificial lights seem to be very harsh. Although it is subtle it is still is a major part, and i think the the photo wouldn’t be very interesting without it. It almost draw away from the attention of the main subject of the photo, which are the small collection of objetcs. She drew a lot of her inspiration from histories of art, and this still life is very pleasing to the eye. She was very creative and experimented with endless of possibilities of light.
This image has quite a sad or depressing mood, which i think its heavily emphasised by its use of black and white colours. However the contrasting light and shadows, could be showing contrasting emotions. This could reflect on how the viewer is feeling about the image and Olivia Parkers herself. In my opinion I think that is unclear to the viewer what this image may be representing. I personally do not find this image very interesting as it lacks the things i like, such as colour, however i like how she has experimented with light against the objects.If i were to ask Olivia Parker 3 questions about her image, i would ask : What did you want the viewer to feel about this image ? Why did you choose to included these specific collection of objects ? What are your thoughts and feelings about your image ?
Olivia Parker was a still life photographer and photographs collections of objects, using natural light. She began as painter but then became interested in photography. Her work as a photographer could be a continuation of her career as a pinter as she photographs still life’s, which are a huge part of art. In 1955 she was involved in a skiing accident, meaning she was unable to work in darkrooms and studios, so she began experimenting with digital software and computers, which is why her still life’s could look very purposeful.
I experimented with creating still life with using a collection of objects. It was hard because there was no natural sunlight, but i used the cameras flash. My photos have elements of lines, shapes, texture and light. They are simple, however I think the contrast of light and shadows create a more interesting composition, similar to Olivia Parker.
Editing Photos Process
I used PhotoPea to edit my photos. Firstly. i went to image, adjustments and then changed the photo to black and white. Then for extra detail, ii went to image, adjustments and then changed the exposure.
Final Photos
I used PhotoPea to edit and refine my images. I decided to use this technique because Olivia Parker began experimenting with digital software and computers after her accident. Overall I think that my photos are interesting however it was difficult because there was no natural sunlight. When editing them i changed them too black and white and change the exposure, to highlight and make the contrast between the light and shadows more dramatic. I tried to make it my own but add aspects that Olivia Parker included in her work of still life's.