Bill Brandt

These 3 images show a set of a series from the photographer Bill Brandt, They all show extreme abstract photography.

The first image is called 'Ear on the beach' taken in 1957, which has become one of the most famous photographs today, The image shows a structure; foreground, middleground and background, this structure works well and shows images genuinely work well in sections of three. With this structure of 3 in this image it makes lines in the image, which are clearly defined as the image is split. It makes the viewer view the image in sections, starting with the bottom of the image as it is the main focus with the ear. This image has a surreal theme to it, by mixing human features of the body, which is the ear and the natural environment of the cliffs and the pebbles on the beach. This work is similar to a surrealist photographer Jerry Uelsmann who's theme in photography is always using the facial features on landscapes in black and white for a strange, eery surrealist feel to the photographs. The main focus of this image is the ear, as the light in that area is a lot more highlighted and has a more defined contrast around the ear. Also the title of the photograph shows the focus and subject of the image, 'Ear on the beach' which describes the photograph fully. The images picture style is black and white, this effect brings out great textures in a photo, in this case it brings out each section of the photograph by defining each piece in the photo such as the pebbles.

The second image is 'Bombed Regency Staircase' taken in 1942 which is in relation to the war. This image shows great light and shadows, which is one thing that Bill Brandts photography is about; Light and shadows. The light and shadows in this image create lines which are highlighted with contrast and the shadows on the wall, it creates a spirally and symmetrical effect, there is platform in the middle of the photo which acts as a symmetrical line in the photo, as below is very similar as above, which is due to the lighting and shadows in the image, the lines are shown as reflected. The photo is busy yet balanced out due to the platform in the middle, as the patterns and lines are the same. The lines in the image lead the viewer in to the center of the image where the platform is.

The third image shows a similar structure to the first image 'Ear on the beach' the way it is split into thirds, which is done by the amount of lines on the image. The tunnel itself is a leading line, as it goes all the way to the bottom. The angle Bill Brandt took it on is to show the line in between the middle, it shows a juxtaposition which is the contrast of to opposites, as the train tracks are completely deserted to the pathway which is filled and crowded with two people, which is what juxtaposition is, this is the opposite to balanced images. The content of the image is about the war, which i found out after researching. I feel the intention of the photographer was to show a historic event which is why it has now become a famous photograph.