TODD VORENKAMP

Artist Research Todd Vorenkamp: Texture

Todd Vorenkamp began his photography career when his grandmother gave him his first camera, Kodak 110-point-and-shoot, he explained he didn't take great shoots with this camera but this started his love for taking pictures. He then Nikon N6006 SLR as a high school graduation gift as he was accepted into the marines he thought taking a camera would be a great way of developing his photography. The only formal photographic knowledge he used for 16 years was a 20 minute discussing with his dad who was a photographer about the fundamentals. He is Now a formally trained photographer and artist, he enjoys engaging in self-generated photography projects that allow him to capture the beauty of the man-made world that surrounds us.

Image Analysis:

Vorenkamp experiments with the formal element of texture using the sea to show the contrast between the water and the land. I believe this was done intentionally to draw peoples attention towards the ocean. This photo creates the sense of paranoia for me as the ocean is so vast and has yet to be explored I want to display with my photos just how never ending it really is. The only straight line present is the horizon and the rest seems rather distorted and more random, this creates a beautiful image with the idea of positivity behind the infinite sea, yet a lot of adversity to come before hand. I really enjoy this piece as it communicates a story to me, a story of the sheer wonder and terror of the sea that still has 95% remaining undiscovered. I will attempt to focus on capturing the sea at a variety of angles while also experimenting with the contrast of land vs ocean. Vorenkamp combines the peaceful sky with the chaotic white waters and then juxtaposed by the calm beach which further highlights paranoia as the mood is never static and always changing depending on where you look.

Response:

canon 4000D, iso 100, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 125, shutter speed 1/25, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 250, shutter speed 1/15, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 200, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 320, shutter speed 1/25, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 250, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 250, shutter speed 1/13, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 125, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 250, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 250, shutter speed 1/30, f stop 16.0

canon 4000D, iso 400, shutter speed 1/25, f stop 16.0

Editing Process:

I first decided to make slight adjustment to the exposure and contrast in order to make the image appear slightly brighter as it was too dark. I then increased the texture to show the ripples in the sea more evidently as that's the key focal point of this image. I then realised the sky itself was too dark and wasn't displaying much colour, so I created a layer mask of the sky and increased the brightness and emphasised the blue colour by reducing the hue to -4.2 as most of Todd Vorenkamp's image have a bright sky reflecting down onto the sea below. The sea still didn't look right so created a layer mask of that as well and essentially did the same thing, however this time I also increased the exposure as the sea looked too dark. Finally I created a layer mask of the people on the bench and lowered their contrast as they are not what's important in this picture.

Original Image:

canon 4000D, iso 400, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0

Developed Image:

canon 4000D, iso 400, shutter speed 1/40, f stop 16.0