One of the most interesting examples I found in relation to my work is this image:
It's obviously using a similar technique to how I'm working, and it works well in terms of urban ex because it displays the whole room in one image. The smoothness of the image is necessary in this context because generally, urban ex images are about showing abandoned places and should only be found places and objects, never set up. However, my work is not documentational, it's representational, and this is why I'm not using such smooth lines and joins.
A lot of urban ex images appear to be tone mapped, using HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging. These are techniques I've obviously seen before but never knew the names for, or how it was done. I'm not sure if this is going to be something I experiment yet, it can often appear over-dramatic which can actually detract from the image instead of heightening it, it is something I am going to bear in mind.
It's obviously using a similar technique to how I'm working, and it works well in terms of urban ex because it displays the whole room in one image. The smoothness of the image is necessary in this context because generally, urban ex images are about showing abandoned places and should only be found places and objects, never set up. However, my work is not documentational, it's representational, and this is why I'm not using such smooth lines and joins.
A lot of urban ex images appear to be tone mapped, using HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging. These are techniques I've obviously seen before but never knew the names for, or how it was done. I'm not sure if this is going to be something I experiment yet, it can often appear over-dramatic which can actually detract from the image instead of heightening it, it is something I am going to bear in mind.
I'm most taken with the asylums and hospitals that these people explore. The connotations of the space bring an obvious poignancy to the photographs and leads the viewer to construct narratives around the image. They also act as an insight into a world that is otherwise incredibly hard to access. It's also fascinating to see the decay of some parts/places against how well some parts are preserved, and some of the things that have been left behind.
Although I don't think it's going to be possible to start doing this personally (it's dangerous and I don't know how to break into places,) I want to bear in mind some of the qualities of the images urban ex-ers produce. These are partly the colour palette many of them seem to adopt, as well as this use of abandoned spaces, or at least used spaces while they're not being used. Also the poignancy and connotations of location and what this can bring to an image.
