Research - Theme 2 - Tony Howell

Tony Howell is a professional photographer who mainly concentrates on landscape photography. He also experiments in a wide range of different types of photography. I am going to be concentrating on his historic building photography (churches and cathedrals). Tony Howell likes to keep his photography simple but at the same time likes to push a strong visual message with his photography. Below are ten photographs I found fascinating and how they inspired me. All these photographs can be found at by clicking on this link: http://www.tonyhowell.co.uk/photographsofchurches.htm

This is the first photograph that I have chosen from Tony's collection. This photograph is brilliant in many different ways. It's bright, colourful and the main focal point is really pushed out to be made clear. Darker shades of blue feature at the top of the photograph from the sky and then they gradually get lighter as you move down the photograph, this is very improtant that he has got this right with the right amount of colour as this makes the cathedral look more bolder and stand out more creating a strong bold photograph. Rule of thirds are also used here with the bottom half of the cathedral the bottom third, the middle of the cathedral the second third and the tops of the cathedral and sky the top half. I can also see how symmetry is used within this photograph. This is used with having the cathedral centred in the shot alongside the genral design of the cathedral itself.

This photograph is of the same building, the Wells cathedral. This photograph is taken from the other side of the cathedral. This photograph is simple but powerful as what he has done is centred the cathedral to make it the main focal point but he has also included it's surroundings into the shot which could also pull attention to the viewers eye. Again, rule of thirds is also used here but this time the ground being the bottom third, the cathedral being the middle third and the sky being the top third. Natural light has been used for this shot with the sun rear facing to Tony, it creates some natural warm colours onto the cathedral with a mixture of sunlight and the cathedrals natural colour. Colour is deeply concentrated within this shot especially in the sky as there are many different shades of blue within the photograph all the way down the different greens from the grass.

This photograph is of the same building again but taken at a different time of day. As you can see this creates a completely different photograph. Replacing the brighter shades of blue with darker shades creating a warmer photograph and in my opinion makes the cathedral stand out more making it look a lot more bolder and dominant. Again, with a rear facing sunlight shining onto the cathedral creates different yellows. Patterns and symmetry are also used here from the design of the cathedral almost being mirrored and from the patterns on the cathedral itself.

Where as this photograph concentrates on the use of angles showing how tall the tower is. A limited depth of field is used here as the main focal point covers most of the photograph. A mixutre of natural light from the moon and lights shining onto the building are also used here.

Another photograph using the rule of thirds. This photograph also uses lines to guide the eye with the pathway leading to the cathedral being the foreground and then the cathedral still being the main focal point in the background. This photograph was taken in quite strong light therefore creating splendid, warm vibrant colours both from the sky and the cathedral itself. Again, symmetry is included in this shot from the design of the cathedral.

This photograph is alot different to the other ones I have chosen. It takes a different approach than the other photographs. There is a strong use of light that is man made. The main focal point is the church in the background but the monument and bush in the foreground have made into a silhouette making the background stand out more with a strong contrast. With all of this used in the photograph Tony has created a very gloomy photograph of the church with not much colour used in the shot. Quite a large F-Stop would have been used in this shot to get the foreground and the background in focus.

As you can see from most of these photographs are simple but convey a strong historic visual message. This photograph uses a mixture of what natural light is available alongside bright lights that shine onto the church. This creates a warm coloured photograph which was taken from a level vantage point. As you can see the central focus is the church but also the gravestones that are scattered about the graveyard are also in focus to attract the viewers eye showing the history of this historic area. Use of colour is concentrated here from the different blues in the sky to the greens in the grass.

Something a little bit different here. This is what I also plan to practice, using black and white in the photograph. This conveys a compeltely different visual message to what it would if taken in colour. I feel that it gives a more historic look and feel to the photograph. As you can see there is a dramatic change in contrast at the top of the photograph. This is great as it makes the spire of the church more bolder than the other parts of the church. This also shows that natural light was used for this photograph alongside a clear sky. With rear facing sunlight shining onto the church it makes that particualr area look whiter than normal.

These are the final two photographs that I have chosen from Tony's collection. I have chosen these because I will be attempting these types of shots and I already have some which are shown from my St Peters Church photoshoot post. These have both been taken up close at an angle. This shows the building towering over the photographer creating a strong overlook effect. The first photograph is a little different to the second photograph, it uses angles but also concentrates on the patterns on the building. A mixture of zoom and a low F-Stop were used here to get everything in focus making it the main focal point in both photographs.

Tony has also been included in many different books and has two of his own. This one in particualr is most relevant as it includes most of his architecture photography and why he has taken them.