Erik Johansson

Erik Johansson born April 1985 is a Swedish-born photographer who creates surreal images by recombining photographs and other material. He combines images in multiple ways in order to create his own examples of believable surrealism. His techniques are so convincing in a way that causes his hyperrealities to become more effective in showing the messages that the photographer attempts to get across.

This image attempts to take an ordinary sight of  woman walking her dog and give it an other worldly, yet humorous appearance. The colour pallet within the image is emphasised with a brown hue that causes the meeting to appear more dull. This is a great choice by the photographer as it causes the effect to be even more contrasting to the rest of the image. The contrast is highlighted by the use of the colourful balloons that are suspending the dog in the image, causing the effect to appear more humorous.

This image uses the hyperreality in order to achieve some ironic humour. Within the image, we see that a vase is being gripped as if to prevent it from breaking. Instead it appears as if the person who was protecting the vase has shattered like one instead. This simple change in roles immediately immerse the audience into the surrealist world that is being created. This gives the audience ideas about other parallels that may be introduced within this world that has been set up by the photographer.

This image takes a very simple situation and heightens it with a blend of surrealism. We see a man, almost as if he has just woken up walk from room to room. In place of where his living room will normally be, we see a complex and jaw dropping backdrop. This effect can be used to suggest that we miss out on the extraordinary as we get caught up in the repetitiveness of everyday life. This is all created through the use of an everyday setting that would normally be ignored.

This image shows a road being rolled out by a someone. The effects used in this image are so seamless to the point where the audience can be engrossed into this surrealist world. The hand appears God-like as it appears from the clouds. The image is strong as a result as the hand paves and carves through the environment, ploughing through the terrain with ease.

Summary:

Erik Johansson's work serves as a massive influence of the different forms that surrealism can take. We see that Johansson uses surrealism to explore widely differentiating themes such as comedy or metaphorical thoughts on life. This is a vast difference in themes that I had previously not considered when thinking about surrealism. I had only really considered it as a way of exploring otherworldly aspects of the subject     

Staudinger Franke

Staudinger Franke is famous for his focus on visually striking presentation. He has won awards for his complex pieces and is regarded as a leading figure in his methods. He takes everyday photography and flips it on its head by changing details within it. I am a fan of his somewhat dark visual comedy at times, for example taking a soft teddy bear and turning it into a cactus or replacing a children's slide with a food grater. This idea of changing certainties within our day to day lives for a comedic or eye opening undertones could be something worth exploring for my hyperreality subject.

This image is interesting as it takes a common sight for most people and changes it to make it something extraordinary. The wing of a plane is a common sight for a lot of people, and for businessmen such as the type seen in the image it can be a sight associated with boredom. Franke has taken this common setting and person and showed them in a new way by having him on the wing of the plane, making it exciting.

This image at first glance can seem quite strange and ordinary upon first glance. Looking into more detail, we can see that this image is actually an exciting rendition of what would otherwise be a boring image. Franke achieves this by changing something as simple as butter into something as extraordinary as a mountain range. As a result, this image plays with the audiences perspectives in a way that is not commonly seen within this common setting.

This image is interesting because of the way that Franke offers a new and interesting way to tell a visual story. We can see what appears to be a shipwreck, with debris floating in the water, chipped surfaces and algae growing on the boat. Franke is able to give us an insight into what life on the boat was like before the wreck. We can see two men having an arm wrestle, who are sat as if the boat was still sailing. This simple method of story telling through contrasting images is an effective way of getting messages across to the audience.

Staudinger Franke is able to give us an insight into what other people are thinking through simple visual methods. The interesting thing about this image compared the Franke's other images that I have shown so far is that it looks as if little amounts of photoshop have been used. We can see the formal element reflection being used in a way that gives the illusion of akan playing guitar. We can assume that the person within the image dreams of becoming a musician or owning that guitar in the window. We can see that he is imagining himself playing it in the reflection.

Summary:

Staudinger Franke offers an interesting variation on surrealism through different purposes of his methods. Where some surreal artists will look just to show a distorted reality, Franke puts story within some of his images. We can deduce what a person wants, what they think or we can even tell what life may be like in different circumstances. All of these images are set within relatively standard settings that may appear boring to some but are immediately made extraordinary due to Franke's special blend of surrealism. I could utilise this idea and develop it in order to take an everyday situation and heighten it in similar ways to Staudinger Franke, similarly to how the media create heightened versions of reality within film and magazines.

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Thomas Barbey

Thomas Barbey grew up in Geneva, Switzerland and has been a photographer for over twenty years. He has recently adopted a style of photomontage and has had a big role in surrealism. This genre has allowed his work to become very distinctive from other forms of photography. He specialises in taking our ideas of reality and showing them in a different light. He combines images in a way that make his effects more believable, allowing more people to be engrossed in the hyperreality that has been set up.

I like this image because it has a child-like innocence about it. We can see a simple technique has been used in order to compress the focal length to make the image appear as if he is playing with the cars. The child aspect of the image comes from the way that he looks like a child playing with toy cars. This could be a great way of showing what the child is imagining as he moves the fake cars around. This is a great example of hyperreality as we can see it from a child's perspective and imagination.

This image is interesting because it plays with perspective. Barbey takes our ideas about gravity and everyday life and changes them as a way to create his own hyperreality. Barbey achieves the effect so convincingly that he manages to make the initial viewing of the image even more puzzling for the audience.

This image plays with hyperreality on different scales. There is a contrast between something as big as a mountain range to something as small as a table cloth. The seamless blend of the two scales cause the hyperreality to become more convincing and amazing as a result. The image is interesting because it takes something as common as a table cloth and makes it extraordinary by bringing a unique perspective to the image.

Within this image, Barbey changes one aspect which causes the entire image to appear distorted. Again, the effect is made to look so seamless that at first glance some might miss the fact that the entire background is Flipped on its side. What could be just a picture of a person looking through a telescope is immediately made other worldly as he changes just one aspect within the image.

Summary:

Thomas Barbey has a very effective style of surrealism that looks plausible compared to some other photographers who aim to change all aspects of their images in order to create a surrealist effect. Barbey achieves this by keeping the changes in his images relatively simple, often relying on one or two aspects of his images. He likes to play with perspective within images in a way that often appears seamlessly within the image. His sparing use of convincing techniques causes his images to have a visual style like no other. I am a massive fan of the way in which he uses ordinary sights and uses them as a platform for otherworldly effects. I could utilise this process as a means of creating extraordinary yet believable sights out of everyday life. This will be the base for my hyperreality.

Phillippe Halsmann

Phillippe Halsmann was an American portrait photographer who was born in Riga as a part of the Russian Empire. Halsmann had a unique visual style within his photographs which gave an impression that something was slightly off. This granted his work instant recognition amongst audiences. When Halsmann began to collaborate with surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, his work continued to branch out into the more visually dynamic. Halsmann is able to use strong imagery in order to create a hyperreality without any assistance from computer technology, which is something that I would like to consider in my own work.

This image utilises a typical setting of a man at his desk. Halsmann manages to change the foundations of what would typically be an average image by decorating the environment with people. This slight change within one of the simplest of images causes massive effects to how the audience perceive the image. This is an example of how a simple alteration can have massive effects on the image or setting.

This image is instantly concerning. The audience will notice a suspicious man who is appearing next to a skull. The audience, upon further investigation will begin to notice that the skull is made up of people. This creates an almost unnerving image as a result. The effect is heightened as two different images are merged together in a way that causes them to appear from one perspective. This causes further disorientation to the audience as they attempt to make sense of the image. This image simply shows how to take simple tricks and present them in skewed ways in order to create an unnerving effect/reality.

What would have been a simple portrait image has been transformed due to the use of practical effects. We can see that a bird has landed on Alfred Hitchcock's cigar in a way that causes the audience to immediately associate this image with something out of a film. This simple factor of the image immediately causes the image to become otherworldly. Surrealism has caused a simple portrait to become something more, which will cause the audience to view it totally different as a result.

This image show perhaps Halsmann's most interesting and recognisable works within surrealism. He uses complete practicality in order to create a zero gravity effect. The most noteworthy aspect of the floating objects is the fact that only every day items are included. This is just another example of how Halsmann has taken an everyday setting and turned it on it's head, creating his own hyperreality.

Summary:

Phillipe Halsmann's work is a massive inspiration for my project. I have studied how he has managed to manipulate an image or an everyday setting and create something extraordinary. The thing that I appreciate most about his work is the way that he had to experiement with surrealism before the invention of photoshop, meaning that he had to utilise other more practical methods. As a result, he creates an instantly more believable world that causes audiences to be amazed at the hyperreality in which he has created.

Don McCullin

Donald McCullin, was born 9 October 1935 and is an internationally known British photojournalist, who is commonly recognised for his war photography and images of urban strife. His career, which began in 1959, has showed an extreme focus in examining the underside of society, and his photographs have depicted the unemployed, downtrodden and the impoverished. McCullin utilises bold imagery in order to communicate a single point. This type of story telling is on that I would like to seriously consider when doing my own work.

This photo is interesting because it shows the gritty industrial areas in a few interesting ways. The black and white filter of the camera enhances the gritty and polluted themes within the image. The image is set up in in a way where the sky is used in contrast to the gritty industrial structures in the bottom of the frame to enhance the themes of pollution . There are formal elements included within this image, including contrast, pattern and depth. Contrasts can be seen against the white sky with the black pollution.  The figure in the road shows more examples of contrast as they appear as a silhouette against the lighter background. Pattern can be seen within the panelling of the fence as it begins to fall down. Depth can be shown as objects such as the fence and the lines on the road change as the distance increases.

This image features a man mid-action. The use of the man holding a gun acts in contrast to the white background. This promotes the thought that the violence of the man is acting in contrast to the purity of the white wall. Other formal elements such as pattern, contrast and movement can be seen within the image. The bold black colour of the open door creates a clear contrast against the white background. Examples of pattern can be seen on the door frame in the form of large squares. The movement within the image can be seen as the man appears to have a foot off the ground mid-sprint.

This image shows pattern within uniform and shows a united power amongst the police. Contrast is also emphasised here as the protester stands out and becomes the focal point of the image dues to his difference in both outfit and position within the frame. Contrast is a main feature of the image and serves a powerful purpose. The clothing of the policemen stand out against the white sky. The contrast of the dark outfits of the policemen and the light colour of the protester create a visually powerful image. The lighter colours used indicate that the protester is purer than the policemen. These contrasts cause the protester to be the focal point of the image and the fact that the audience cannot see what sign the protester is holding, creates a more interesting image.

This image is interesting because of its composition. In this photo we can see the facial expression combined with the body language of the soldier to show us that he is shocked and frightened. The result culminates in a way that shows shell-shock. The composition is a key factor in making the image reveal the soldier's emotions. The bottom of the frame is used to show that the soldier is clutching a gun, causing him to appear more defensive and afraid. The form and tone of the image enhance the shadows on the face and clothing revealing more detail in the emotion and state of mind of the soldier.

Summary:

Don McCullin's approach to his images offers layers of meaning to be seen by the audience. He is able to use multiple themes to tell a story in his pictures. Tone is reflected throughout his images by the emotion shown by the subjects along with the black and white filter and dark colour pallet. McCullin's use of formal elements in order to create strong images serve to tell the audience a small story. I would like to use similar themes in order to create striking images that can tell stories and reflect heavy subjects within hyperreality.