Research - Theme 2 - Ian Aiken

For my next research I will be researching Ian Aiken. Ian Aiken concentrates on a wide range of different types of photography. This ranges from nature and coastal photography to archeology and astronomical photography. When I was doing my research on the internet looking at different photographers I came across Ian Aiken's archeology photography and I must say I was deeply inspired by his work. So below are many different photographs that I have chosen, analysed and why they have inspired me. All of the photographs can be found by clicking on this link: http://www.ianaiken.co.uk/gallery/historic-buildings/#all

Unforunetley I was not able to get these photographs at a larger size. This is one of my favourite photographs. As you can see it is taken at night so with a black background it makes the cathedral stand out even more. With this taken at night it creates a completely different photograph than if it was taken in the day time. Also natural light isn't really used in these photographs, lights are used at the front of the cathedral to light the main focal point up. What I like about this photograph is that he taken it positioned right in front of the cathedral so he can get the whole of it in the photogrpah, this almost creates a symmetrical pattern with the left side slightly brighter than the right. Colour is also highly concentrated in the photograph with a small amount of peach/red-ish colour on the left of the cathedral and the natural colour on the right. Rule of thirds is also used within this photograph with the trees and ground the bottom third, the cathedral being the middle third and the top of the cathedral and background being the top third.

This is also one of Ian's photographs that I found interesting. Most of Ian's historical building photography is done at night. I feel the reason for this is that taking photographs of these sorts of buildings at night create completely different photographs and sometimes they can appear to look better as they convey a different visual message and impact as to when they are taken in the daylight. Again the one of the main reasons to this is due to natural light not being the main factor in these shots. The only light you can really rely on are the lights surrounding the building. This isn't a bad thing though as this creates different colours and shades of light when shining onto the building itself. As you can see in the photograph above the church goes from bright on the right to slightly darker on the left. Again the church is the main focal point in the photograph as it is placed right in the centre of the shot. With the combination of a dark background and light shining onto the church it creates a faboulous photograph.

Below are some more photographs by Ian which inspire me and what they include:

This is a photograph of the same church just from a different side of the church. Light is concentrated a little more in this photograph. With the lights shining onto the church from the side there is also natural light used in the photograph from the moon. This creates a completely different style of photograph but still concentrates on the same aspect. For example colour is still highly concentrated in the shot to make the church the main focal point. Distance from the church also plays a part in this photograph. By this I mean Ian has stood slightly closer to the church making it look a lot bigger in the photograph. This shows that the church is the dominant object and main focal point in the photograph.

This photograph is similar to the second photograph I have chosen. The difference is that it is taken from a further distance than the other photograph. This does make a difference as you get more of the building and its surroundings into the photograph. Again, with the light shining onto the church creating different shades of yellow, the surrounding bold background which is black makes the main focal point stand out quite alot with it being in the centre of the photograph.

This photograph is taken from a different perspective. Patterns are included in this photograph with the graves surrounding the church. With this photograph taken just as nightfall sets in, the sky is still visible creating different blues so colour is still concentrated in the photograph. There is also a limited depth of field used in the photograph with the graves being quite sharp but the church being slightly out of focus.

Where as these two photographs have a full depth of field as the main focal point being the cathedral is all in focus. Different angles are also used in these photographs displaying a visual message of dominance as the cathederal towers over you in the photograph.

On this photograph, the rule of thirds is used with the ground and church being the bottom two thirds and the sky being the top third. Again, colour is concentrated in this shot with different blues mixed with small doses of red in the background of the sky. This mixes well with the colours on the church making it a much more smoother, warmer photograph.

This photograph is a little different to the others. It mainly concentrates on shapes and colours. With the triangle from the roof of part of the church and the rectangular tower from the other part of the church. Again, the same colours mixed with the light that is available is used to the best of its ability here with the bold black background making the church stand out with a full depth of field.

The final photograph which I have chosen from Ian's collection also concentrates on the same types of composition. Colour is used throughout this photograph from the blues in the sky down to the different shades of greens from the grass. Shapes are used in the photograph aswell from the church itself and the gravestone at the front of the shot. With the colours that are used in the shot, they create a warm photograph whilst still compelling the visual message of history.

All of these photographs inspire me to take these sort of photographs. This is due to the fact that there is great opportunity to experiment and take photographs at night which show a completely different visual message to what they would if taken in day light. It is also good practise for using settings on the camera that would'nt normally be used.

Photoshoot attempting the same kind of work coming soon.