At the Tate Modern - Assignment 3, Buildings in use Part 5

1. Light, shadows and sculpture

 I decided to visit the Tate Modern partly because of the massive display area that I knew usually holds some kind of exhibition within it. Unfortunately there wasn't one in the main display area but I thought I got over this quickly and soon found more (much smaller) rooms where there was interesting light. I was impressed with how the Tate Modern almost 'escorted' the visitor around the galleries. There were many different kinds of galleries - like interactive ones as well as more conventional ones where there were paintings.

2. A closer look

   So, (not getting distracted!) I found one, large and spacious room with tall and wide windows from one side only. Because of the time of day and the nature of the windows, the shadows of people crossing where the light from the windows fell was interesting. These suggested with the right composition, which I thought I managed to find (photograph 1.), the vast size of the room and the relationship between the highlighted people (from the light of the windows) and the tall sculpture the room was accommodating.

   Next I wanted to show how the gallery 'escorted' the visitor (as mentioned earlier) around it. The parts to a floor were mostly divided by many doors in line with each other. The rooms of the floor congregated to the middle side of each floor. This meant I could get a shot where all the line of doors for part of a floor lined up and still show a visitor staring intently at one of the works of art (photograph 2.).

3. Observing the art

   Lastly, I found another space with a window: this time shorter and creating less vivid shadows as photograph 1., as the Sun was to photograph 1.'s side of the building. Photograph 3. aimed to show the gallery in use again but with an emphasis on the part-silhouettes and their fascination with the different works of art they were looking at.

   Overall I was pleased with the quality of most of my photographs but more so with the amount I gathered as I carried out the assignment. I discovered first and foremost that light could be key in suggesting a relationship between people and the buildings they were using. Also that composition (especially at the gym and Tate Modern and ) could make the photograph stand out more. At Covent Garden I felt colour was as important in getting across the atmosphere of the place.

At the Chapel in Brockley Cemetery -Assignment 3, Buildings in use Part 4

1. Looking into the chapel

1. gave the set of photographs a sense of place with the gravestones being key and the people in the entrance to the chapel showing it was being used.

2. Observer looking at information about the chapel and cemetery

   This was probably the most small and confined building I chose to photograph. Also the lighting was quite challenging to overcome. However, I thought I demonstrated how this building was being used effectively, with photograph 2. being the most informal. Here the man was clearly gaining insight to the workings of the chapel/cemetery and it was also clear the photograph was taken from inside a chapel because of the large stained-glass window. I thought the light from the window added interest by casting light attractively onto the floor and bringing out the texture of it.

   Again with 3. the lighting was of interest with the people inside the chapel being slightly silhouetted and the people outside at the entrance blown out. It also showed an overview of the scene giving information about the size of the chapel and the amount of people using it. In retrospect I could have improved on less of the people's backs being turned and maybe some foreground interest too.

3. A gathering of people within the chapel

4. Conversing and refreshments at the chapel

   Photograph 4. was more evenly lit and there was foreground interest in comparison to 3. This was in the form of leaflets for the attenders to peruse. If I had added/waited for an attender to actually have a look at the leaflets this shot would have been more informative but I thought the people present in conversation showed how the chapel was being used.

'The Palm House' at Kew Gardens - Assignment 3, Buildings in use Part 3

1. Using the Palm House for study

I wanted largely to convey the size of  the Palm House at Kew Gardens because if you were to visit that part the vast size is the first thing that strikes you when you enter.

   For photograph 1. I was on the ground level looking for a shot to do the aforementioned when I stumbled across this young woman making a study of the palms at the Palm House and she graciously allowed me to take a photograph of her studying. I thought this was a very useful shot of the Palm House in use and that I was quite lucky to find it.

2. Exploring the Palm House by going up...

   To show the scale of the building and the people exploring it I chose to show the people visiting going up the staircase and then observing the canopy. The staircases were a beautiful (in my opinion) feature of the building (as well as of course the palms) and in combination with the light entering through the window and people climbing it I thought made 2. to be an attractive but effective photograph.

3. The Palm House in full use looking down

   With 3. I managed to capture a shot of the Palm House from a high viewpoint looking down on the palms and other visitors. There was added atmosphere from the mist-spraying devices and some of the glass and iron structure was evident, which were important features of the building. Maybe I could have improved on the interstingness of the visitors below in that they weren't looking up at the palms for instance but I thought it was still an effective shot from an interesting angle.

4. Going back down from the canopy

Lastly, I decided to logically show some visitors using one of the staircases to go back down, thus completing the 'tour' of the building in use. I thought this photograph showed well the elegance of both the staircase and the palms and there was also the detail of one of the visitors photographing the palms, which was quite a common occurrence within the Palm House.

A take on colourful Covent Garden - Assignment 3, Buildings in Use Part 2

1. A 'chained' performer inside the square

As I mentioned in my research for photographing Covent Garden, it used to be a food market but was now famous mainly for tourism in the form of merchandise and entertainment. I thought the interior of the market was very colourful and lively from the performers to the clothes stalls and this wasn't an exception in the outer square as you could see in photograph 4.

2. Perusing a clothes stall

   From a building in use point of view I felt it succeeded for two main reasons. Firstly, all of the square was full of different choices in food, crafts and clothes as well as performers including musicians. This allowed the tourists and other visitors to explore and pick what they wanted to purchase easily. Secondly, the arrangement of the inner square the market and the outer square was easy to navigate from my point of view, which complemented the vast array of choice.

   The important features of the building for me were the pillars, which showed the history of the building, the glass roof over the top of the main square/'Apple Market', the open central square and the very colourful market. I tried to incorporate these features into my photos, sometimes in combination with another feature. For example with photograph 3. I showed the vast space of the square with the glass roof overhead.

3. Overlooking the square and its music

   I was quite insistent on including people for this building because I felt they were so key to making the building seem so vibrant, especially the performers.

4. The outer part of the square

   I thought the over-the-shoulder perspective in 3. was effective in replicating the lively atmosphere of the place while still giving a good feel of the building in use. With photograph 2. I concentrated mainly on colour but also the sense of space within the building with the glass roof present at the top of the photograph. As far as showing the street performers in the context of the square, 1. and 4. depict how packed and well-used the square was both in the inner square (1.) and the outer square (4.).

At the Gym - Assignment 3, Buildings in use Part 1

I worked out at the gym (forgive the play on words!) that since there was a lot of activity going on that it would be quite a simple building to photograph being used.

   The gym was designed to help people get fit, whether this was to lose fat or gain muscle. In keeping with this those two aspects of getting fit were mostly separated: weight machines were located on the ground floor with the exercise balls and running machines on the first. Then there were also other rooms on the lower floor for dancing etc. My impressions of the gym when I actually arrived was it was spacey, which was a good thing: as the people who used it were respiring heavily this was a necessity in my opinion. There was also an abundance of windows: also a good thing as the people using it wouldn't feel confined. I saw this as a good thing for me too because it meant I could use the windows for different lighting.

1. A low viewpoint replicating these three gym user's point of view

2. Symmetrical patterns in the mirror at the gym

3. A tilted orientation replicating the user's viewpoint again

   In order to make my photos stand out from the usual treatment I decided to employ three techniques for the three photographs. The techniques consisted of: a low viewpoint aiming to replicate the user's point of view. Secondly, I included mirrors in two of the images. This showed how people utilised the gym mirrors by looking in them while they exercised. I thought this was effective in demonstrating how the building was used while adding interest to the photographs because I felt it was an attractive feature of the gym. The reason for this was because the mirrors were large in size and obviously reflected what was going on in the gym and so could be used creatively; for instance symmetrical patterns. Lastly, I chose a tilted camera angle as the viewpoint for the photograph of two dancers using a separate space inside the gym. The reason I chose this viewpoint was to try and emulate their perspective of the space as they were doing a lot of acrobatic moves, which I thought was interesting.

   With photograph 1. I thought the low viewpoint was effective because it showed both the user's viewpoint and a glimpse at the top of the frame of the different usage of the gym (aerobic) as I'd mentioned earlier on the top floor. This was in contrast to the heavy weights being lifted on the bottom floor.

   I felt the strong lighting in 2. and the symmetrical patterns were impactful as well as functional so I was pleased with this photograph. The feel of the photograph was more open in my opinion, which was in contrast to 1. where the impression for me was more confined. This was mainly due to the strong lighting from the windows landing on the floor and more subtly the mirror served to create a seemingly larger space.

   With 3. the mirrors somewhat resolved the sense of confinement that was present for me in the photograph but in some ways this sense of being inside a relatively (compared to the previous shot) small space wasn't a bad thing. This was because it was in keeping with the out-of-the-ordinary angle of the viewpoint, which was an attempt to immerse the viewer in the space.

Bibliography - Buildings and spaces

 R. Angier (2007), Train Your Gaze, AVA Publishing SA, Lausanne (2007).

S. Carruthers, The King Alfred, http://simoncarruthers.org.uk/portfolio/king-alfred/

S. Carruthers, The King Alfred, [Photograph]. In M. Short (2011), Basics Creative Photography O2, Context and Narrative, Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA, pages 92-93.

C. Cotton (2009), the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009.

B. Ellis, Where Light Dwells, http://www.photoeye.com/gallery/forms2/index.cfm?image=1&id=12375&imagePosition=1&Door=7&Portfolio=Portfolio1&Gallery=2&Page=

M. Short (2011), Basics Creative Photography O2, Context and Narrative, Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA.

D. Spero, 'Ball Photographs' http://www.davidspero.co.uk/imagepages/ball/001ball.html 

D. Spero, 'Interiors' (1997-2000), http://www.davidspero.co.uk/imagepages/interiors/001interiors.html

S. Szwajkos, Personal Space,
http://www.damnrabbitstudios.com/#/portfolios/fine-art/personal-space/080413-02-4-Edit_NEW

 J. Wall - Insomnia, 1994 in C. Cotton, the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, page 50.

L. Wells (2009), Photography: A Critical Introduction - 4th Edition, Routledge, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14, 4RN.

Reference page - Buildings and spaces

S. Carruthers, The King Alfred, http://simoncarruthers.org.uk/portfolio/king-alfred/

S. Carruthers, The King Alfred, [Photograph]. In M. Short (2011), Basics Creative Photography O2, Context and Narrative, Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA, pages 92-93.

C. Cotton , the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, page 50.

B. Ellis, Where Light Dwells, http://www.photoeye.com/gallery/forms2/index.cfm?image=1&id=12375&imagePosition=1&Door=7&Portfolio=Portfolio1&Gallery=2&Page=

D. Spero, 'Ball Photographs' http://www.davidspero.co.uk/imagepages/ball/001ball.html 

D. Spero, 'Interiors' (1997-2000), http://www.davidspero.co.uk/imagepages/interiors/001interiors.html

S. Szwajkos, Personal Space,
http://www.damnrabbitstudios.com/#/portfolios/fine-art/personal-space/080413-02-4-Edit_NEW

 J. Wall - Insomnia, 1994 in C. Cotton, the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, page 50 

Researching the Tate Modern - Assignment 3, Buildings in use

The Tate Modern was eventually introduced when it became clear in December 1992 that modern art from around the world and Britain was limited to too small a space in Millbank where it was then located.

   The plan was to create the new home for modern international art (thereby creating more exhibition space and strengthening the identity of the modern international art) by 2000. In April 1994 the new location of Bankside Power Station was announced. One stand-out feature of the building for me was the huge roof light box providing the light source for the main part. This was to create more light on the main part of the building to show off the dramatic and massive display area. Another feature was its massive single chimney when it was built in two stages in 1947 and 1963.

   The building when it was redesigned in 1995 retained much of its original design with subtle alterations and most notably the light roof box adding extra light. The building was redesigned by the firm Herzog & de Meuron after winning a competition for this privelege.

Researching the Brockley Cemetary Chapel - Assignment 3, Buildings in use

I had visited the chapel of Brockley Cemetary before so was fairly well aquainted with it. I knew it was not very big and quite intimate. I would be visiting on an open day so there would be extra information boards and refreshments so I would have to take that into account when I photographed there.

Researching 'The Palm House' at Kew Gardens - Assignment 3, Buildings in use

I had already visited Kew Gardens before and so knew of the Palm House but didn't know much 'concrete' information about it until I started to research it properly.

   I found it fascinating that it was the largest remaining Victorian building still around that was built out of glass and iron. The structure was a vast open space made possible by wrought iron beams. I discovered a restoration was badly needed and took place in 1955-57 due to flooding in 1848 and subsequent bad weathering. However, this restoration wasn't very well carried out and in 1984-88, when technological standards had improved drastically it was restored for a second time.

   While considering the Palm House as a usable space the first thing that became apparent was its size. Of course it was designed with the huge plants in mind but there were walkways and staircases to help people have a good look to show off the palms. Indeed, the walkways were actually made wider during the second restoration accompanied by seating.

Researching Covent Garden - Assignment 3, Buildings in use

Well, Covent Garden has a reputation for its colourful market and very colourful street performers. I found out it really started in the 1660's for the market but it used to be a food market rather than merchandise or restaurants. The food market kept on expanding until it filled the whole square. However when the food market was moved in 1974 the square was rejuvinated. Then it became famous for merchandise and restaurants and also of course for the street performers. Notably, tourists are a major influx to Covent Garden as it is one of the most famous attractions around London. I made a note to be aware of how many (or few) tourists would be desirable in the photographs I produced.

   As far as architecture of Covent Garden went, many of the buildings are original from the 1630's but there are also many newer ones after the rejuvination. Also, interestingly, Covent Garden was the first square to be made public in the country. It was designed with straight lines being the priority by Inigo Jones and the streets around the square reflected this. The main building was erected in 1830 by Charles Fowler with the glass roof of the piazza being put up later in the 1870's. I decided to remember what I had learnt from the 'Spaces and light project as the glass roof might create interesting lighting at different times of the day.

   I was familiar mostly with the 'Apple Market' before this research- which sells a variety of goods like antiques, handmade clothing and craft items. From a photography perspective including this would add a lot of extra interest to the space by including some of these goods in one of the photographs. Other parts to Covent Garden included the 'Jubilee Market' where all sorts of mainly tourist-based merchandise were sold. Then there was the main square where at least one street performer performed per day.

   From my experiences with Covent Garden (I had visited many times already in the past) I knew the markets were quite cramped and often full with tourists so this was a factor for consideration but I was also well aware how colourful and vibrant the place could be with the street performers in particular and also the clothes markets. So the place was both cramped usually (which I felt added some charm) and lively, therefore in my opinion fulfilling its main objective nowadays - to act as an attraction for tourists or city-goers and to sell food and clothing.

Researching the gym - Assignment 3, Buildings in use

My impressions after reading up about the gym I would be photographing at were that it was quite new and impressively specified. It was designed with university students in mind as it was at a univesity campus. I found out that quite a lot of money had been invested so I knew the gym would probably be luxurious. Also there were dance studios inside as well so I kept this in mind as an option for photographing there.

   As far as its effectiveness as a usable space it was situated in a sensible location of the campus and was decently large in size, which meant the 90 exercise stations could be used by members without hassle. As you could imagine with 90 different exercise stations the gym was quite large and every type of exercise was catered for and this included machines for all kinds of muscle groups.

Space and Light at Leadenhall Market, then relocated to my friend's living room

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I started photographing for the project 'Space and light' at Leadenhall Market at one particular time; namely late evening. I had been inspired as shown in the previous post by Blaine Ellis' - 'Where Light Dwells' and so had purposefully chosen a location where light could enter through windows.

   Leadenhall Market was fine for lighting in the evening with many lamps in the vicinity and I got some atmospheric shots. I thought the (almost fully) artificial lighting made the space seem a lot more intimate and the people within too. I could see by looking at the photographs I took at this time that the reason for this was the warm 'glow' produced by the lamps. They provided a mostly yellow colour, which was mirrored by the walls.

3. Morning comparison

   However I found out that the morning shot I had planned for didn't work for two reasons. Firstly the lamps were still on quite late into the day and secondly not enough was coming in through the windows even though the Sun was shining brightly.

4. Evening comparison

5. Late evening comparison

   I decided to relocate to somewhere a lot more convenient (as the course had suggested initially) and I settled on my friend's living room where light entered at both morning and evening through the windows.

   In the morning there was for me a quite dreamy, tranquil feel to the room. Later in the evening the atmosphere was much more warm and mellow with lots more contrast. In both the morning and the evening the light from the opposite windows created long, dramatic shadows across the room.

6. Morning 1

   Lastly, for late evening I took a last photo with the house lights on, which I wasn't surprised to see (as I had already discovered it with Leadenhall Market) changed the atmosphere of the living space so that it became more intimate. In keeping with this'intimacy' I took some of the late evening photographs from a low user viewpoint to get across the closeness of the atmosphere this lighting produced.

7. Morning 2

9. Evening 2

8. Evening 1

10. Late evening 1

11. Late evening 2

12. Late evening 3

   What I came away with from this exercise was that light and shadows could change the complexion of a room radically and alter the mood of the photograph. I found the research I conducted in the previous post to be helpful and leave me with a lasting impression: what could be achieved with striking lighting in an interior. If I could have improved anything in this project it would for me to have found a space where the rays of light were visible entering the space like in Blaine Ellis' photographs - 'Where Light Dwells' as mentioned in the previous post.

'Where Light Dwells'

I recently came across a photographer that was a timely and inspiring discovery for me. His name was Blaine Ellis and I found his series of photographs called 'Where Light Dwells' (found at: http://www.photoeye.com/gallery/forms2/index.cfm?image=1&id=12375&imagePosition=1&Door=7&Portfolio=Portfolio1&Gallery=2&Page= and accessed on 14 July 2012) to be exactly what I needed as I researched for the project 'Space and light'.

   The main aspect of those photographs that I got a lasting impression from was the way light fell dramatically and distinctively (compared to the rest of the components of the photograph) through the various windows. This light then fell on the features of the rooms and created interesting shadows and showed off textures.

   Probably the most intense example in the 'Where Light Dwells' series by Blaine Ellis for me was 'Caravansarie, Central Turkey, 2000' where all three of the features mentioned in the previous paragraph came into play.

   What I came away with from looking at these photographs was how light through windows or glass could dramatically affect the objects within an interior. Of course this would change as the light changed from outside or within but I was sure to take note of the manner in which light from outside could change the feel of a room.

From the User's Viewpoint

I found that the concept of taking a location, in this case a building or space and mirroring the viewpoint of the user to be very interesting. This was because I suppose I had been experimenting with this in the previous part to People and Place, although this had all been from a low viewpoint. I also found it easier to imagine distinctive user viewpoints as being low down for example at a bowling alley or at a yoga class.

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   Eventually I settled, for the low user viewpoint, to photograph a bowling green space as the location, with a few people playing bowls to emphasise that they clearly had to get down really low when placing their shots. I used the flip-out screen of my camera to get down to the desired level easily and took a variety of shots that I thought showed effectively how the space was being used. The reason I concluded this was the lower viewpoint made the viewer more involved like you were there. I knew this was a common term in photography but I experienced this to be true with the low viewpoint.

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   Logically (for me at least) the next viewpoint to photograph from would be from high up looking down and so this is what I did. There was only one kind of scene I could imagine after thinking of ideas and that was of a performance with the user being one of the audience in the crowd looking down. There were a few options for this like a play, a musical or a ballet but I settled on a lecture hall.

   I was pleased with the results of the high viewpoint as well. To some extent there was a feeling of the user (or the viewer) being present in the room. Also there were no people present in the room but I found the space showed many human traces like the empty chairs, lecturer's desk and the projection screen; ready to be used.

'The King Alfred'

While researching non-architectural photography of buildings I found an (architectural) photograph of 'The King Alfred' by Simon Carruthers in the book 'Basics Creative Photography O2, Context and Narrative' by Maria Short. The reference for this is: S. Carruthers, The King Alfred, [Photograph]. In M. Short (2011), Basics Creative Photography O2, Context and Narrative, Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA, pages 92-93.

   Although the photograph (and photographs I later found on the Internet-
(http://simoncarruthers.org.uk/portfolio/king-alfred/, accessed on 10 July 2012) were mostly architectural and so weren't the type of photograph I was strictly looking for, I read a statement by Simon Carruthers that optimised what I had been coming to the conclusion of with my research. The quote was: 'My aim is to produce striking images to grab the attention but once I have your attention then it is time for the meaning of the work to come through.' -S. Carruthers, The King Alfred, [Photograph]. In M. Short (2011), Basics Creative Photography O2, Context and Narrative, Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA, page 92.

   My impressions of photographing buildings in use for the course were pretty much summed up by that one quote. Therefore I made a note of it and was quite confident it would come in useful as I went on.

The British Museum

Well, I managed to complete the exercise 'Exploring function' after a couple of setbacks. Firstly I discovered I needed permission to photograph at my local library so I decided to visit the British Library instead in an attempt to utilise the planning I had done with a library in mind. However, I found the British Library to offer a only marginally better proposal. This was photography being allowed in the main lobby but prohibited elsewhere, which wasn't whast I was looking for as my aim was to describe visually how a library 'worked'.

   I resorted to visiting the British Museum (fairly nearby) and started planning converting my impressions of the museum, as a public interior in terms of function, into a photograph that reflected this. Here is what I wrote:

   This space should primarily be somewhere people from all places can visit and explore a vast collection of varied artifacts and material from around the world. It should also 'lead' the visitors around the museum effectively so they can leave with interesting impressions. Lastly, it should provide a means for students or other learners to visit and gain insights that they might not be able to get otherwise.

   As far as 'leading' people around the museum went I felt the museum worked very well. Examples of  this were clear and informative signs at the entrance to most doorways between rooms. One, more visual aspect of these doorways, was their size. They were always quite large, which in my opinion, made the user more inticed to see what awaited in the next room. As you might expect from a museum as well-renowned as the British Museum, the museum had so much variety and interesting material and at times it was quite hard not to get distracted from the planning of the photograph!

   One thing I did notice however, was the way people leaned forwards as they peered into the many glass cabinets and noted this down as I thought it was interesting and helped to show how the museum worked.

   With all this information I had collected related to making a shot that showed function in a museum I set about putting it into practise. I firstly looked for a room that contained a large door and glass cabinets (that wasn't too hard to find). Also I took into consideration the fact that many rooms were not 'well-lit' so I looked for one that was. This was in order to not be constrained by technical difficulties like shutter speed for instance.

   While looking for a room that met these specifications I, quite luckily, stumbled across a room that contained a statue. While this might not sound particularly interesting or out of the ordinary, there was one feature of this statue, which stood out for me. This was the fact that the statue appeared to be 'looking' down and in the direction of the door where many people were entering.

   This for me meant there was extra interest added to the photograph I eventually took as it showed a person peering through one of the glass cabinets (as I had originally planned) but also the statue apparently 'staring' at the visitor. That was what made this photo 'stand out', I felt,while fulfilling its main purpose, which was to show how this interior space worked.

   Lastly, there was a large doorway in the frame of the photograph with signs informing the visitors what to explore as I had originally planned would be a feature of the photograph. This was important for me because  it showed a sense of progress through the museum could be achieved.

1. A functional photograph of how The British Museum works

   So here is the photograph, which I thought worked very well overall. My reasoning for this is that it served its main purpose well (showing how the museum functioned) but with added interest fom the statue. The statue for me suggested a relationship between the museum and its visitor.

Initial thoughts and research for 'Buildings and spaces'

The interior 'space' that sprung to my mind first when I started thinking about 'Buildings and spaces' was inside a library. More specifically the scene included a member of the library searching for a book while someone studied on a table nearby. This was quite a detailed imagining of the scene, which helped me generate extra ideas and viewpoints for how I would photograph a library as it was intended to be used later.

   As for research I admittedly found it difficult to come across artists that specialised in non-architectural photography of buildings and instead relied upon mostly singular works that I found fitted this niche and that inspired me.

   Some examples of this type of photgraph were Insomnia, 1994 by Jeff Wall found in C. Cotton, the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, page 50 and David Spero's series of 'Ball Photographs' and 'Interiors (1997-2000): found at http://www.davidspero.co.uk/imagepages/ball/001ball.html and http://www.davidspero.co.uk/imagepages/interiors/001interiors.html and accessed on 5 July 2012. With Jeff Wall's work: Insomnia I thought the scene was very striking, obviously because of the man lying on the floor but also visually including colours and lighting. Those were the features that had the most impact on me firstly but looking again I found my eyes 'lead' around the photograph due to mainly the composition with its diagonal lines, half open doors and the placement of seemingly inconsequential objects that took more importance as I grasped the concept of the photo. The book I originally came across this photo in was: 'The Photograph as Contemporary Art' by Charlotte Cotton. It also made the same observation that the diagonal lines cleverly lead the viewer's eye around the photo and I made a note of this for myself for later on. For reference their way of putting that was:'the angles and objects of a kitchen scene directing us through the picture and leading our understanding of the action and narrative.'- C. Cotton, the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, page 50.

   With David Spero's 'Ball Photographs' series the objects were of more importance and although quite unobtrusive at first glance, they made me look at the photographs in a different way; namely spatially. Again I made a note, this time regarding how objects when placed deliberately could impact on how a photograph was viewed. Obviously for me this would relate more to conveying how a building was used later on and the objects used would probably be different (not balls!) but I thought it was useful nevertheless.

   One artist I did find however, was Sarah Szwajkos. Although her work (of what was available) found at http://www.damnrabbitstudios.com/#/portfolios/fine-art/personal-space/080413-02-4-Edit_NEW and accessed on 6 July 2012, was stuck firmly in people's living spaces, I found it to be very useful and thought-provoking. The photographs for me clearly showed how the (all) interior spaces were used by people. This was very much in keeping with what I was trying to become familiar with. I thought it was clever that although no people were present in the photographs, to me at least, they were very much there in presence. I thought she managed to achieve this by placing objects that would be immediately familiar to the viewer in the photographs. Those objects would then suggest what the space was being used for. I decided I would keep a note of this artist and use it in Buildings and Spaces.