Clint SinghDigitalMasterClass March 2009Project: Landscape: the Vista and the Fragment

The Faces of Snowdonia

The Sublime and the Forsaken

1Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

2Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

Project Statement of Intent

The Faces of Snowdonia

In considering how this project could be approached, I decided to break down the Snowdonian Landscape to its bare elements and see if there was a theme that would serve as inspiration for artistic interpretation. You are left with, Sky, Land, Rock, Water, Structure, Plant and Life (Morgan-Griffiths, 2008). With these elements considered, there were two themes that appeared to stand out that could artistically represent the Welsh countryside.

My project will take the form of the conflicting faces of Snowdonia, The Sublime and The Forsaken. The SublimePerhaps no single word better describes the majestic beauty of Wales. Defined “of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe” (AskOxford.com, 2009). This face can be represented in a number of ways, namely traditional landscape photography or perhaps something more abstract, but should show the land in its natural state untouched by man.

The Forsaken: In direct contrast to the sublime, the forsaken explores the land scarred by mans greed. As far back as roman times, the land has been mined and provided a means of sustenance to people. Over the years as industries evolve and people have moved on, the land too changed. This face shows the land once beautiful, now stripped bare and left to decay with only remnants of life from the past.

References:

AskOxford.com (2009) Sublime [Online]. Available from: http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/sublime?view=uk (Accessed 3rd March 2009)Morgan-Griffiths, L (2008) Ansel Adams Landscapes of the American West. 1st ed. London: Quercus

The Sublime

3Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

“Kingdoms wide, that sit in darkness,Grant them, Lord, the saving light;And from eastern coast to western,May the morning chase the night;Pouring radiance,As if one day sevenfold bright”(Jenkins, J. 2006, p.99).

Rev. William Williams 1791

4Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

5Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

Image Details

The Sublime Exposure: 1/6 sec at f/22Filter: 2 stop (0.6) Neutral Density Graduated FilterWaiting for the light: 1 hour

The Sublime

The Forsaken

6Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

“The works of man shall perish and decay,Cities shall crumble down to dust, and allTheir "gorgeous palaces" shall pass away;Even their lofty monuments shall fall;And a few scattered stones be all to tellThe place where once they stood,--where since they fell!” (Jenkins, J. 2006, p.9)

7Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

8Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

Image Details

The ForsakenExposure: 1/4 sec at f/29 The Forsaken

Reflections on the Project

The Sublime In my project's statement of intent, the requirement for the sublime, that included the words, “…. should show the land in its natural state untouched by man”, proved very difficult to achieve. Such is mans’ impact on the land that every photograph I tried to compose during the weekend, showed the effects of man. The chosen image for this theme unfortunately had to be edited to meet the requirements I had set out for the project. The original image can be viewed under Additional Images.

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Additional Images

10Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

11Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment

Image Details The Sublime (unedited)Exposure: 1/6 sec at f/22Filter: 2 stop (0.6) Neutral Density Graduated FilterWaiting for the light: 1 hour

The Sublime (unedited)

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Image Details Sunrise Over Cwmorthin MineExposure: 1 sec at f/22Filters: (0.6) Neutral Density Graduated Filter(0,9) Neutral Density Graduated FilterWaiting for the light: 20 minutes

Sunrise Over Cwmorthin Mine

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Image Details Lonely RoadExposure: 1/13 sec at f/22Filters: NoneWaiting for the light: 10 minutes

Lonely Road

Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment 14

Image Details Still StandingExposure: 1/8 sec at f/22Filters: (0.3) Neutral Density Graduated FilterPolarizer (Fully Polarized)Waiting for the light: 50 minutes Still Standing

References:

Jenkins, J. (2006) The Poetry of Wales, Project Gutenberg [Online]. Available from: http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/8/5/2/18523/18523.htm (Accessed 24th February 2009)

15Clint Singh - DigitalMasterclass 2009 Landscape: The Vista and the Fragment