ALBERTO SEVESO - INK IN OIL PHOTOGRAPHY
Artisit Photographs
After researching the work of Shinichi Maruyama and
the impressive way that a camera can be used to capture liquids in motion. I
came across a further artist who had taken some amazing images of coloured ink
in oil which developed this technique further. Inspired by Maruyama and
as I had found that oil reacting with water produces vivid displays of colour,
I thought that I may be able to capture this with a fast shutter speed to
create a high impact shot.
Italian photographer Alberto Seveso has created a selection
of dramatic images which demonstrate this technique fabulously. He drops
ink into a vessel of oil and by using a high shutter speed is able to capture
beautiful patterns. Interestingly, he turns his images upside down for
display purposes as he believes that this enables the effects to be showcased
better. His impressive visual landscapes are highly detailed and visually
beautiful which inspired me to try and produce some similar visual imagery
using ink and oil.
The above image initially drew my eye as the
formation was not only visually impressive, it also seems to defy the laws of
gravity. The careful use of colour and the way the camera has been able
to capture movement within the shot was fantastic and I was keen to discover
how this effect had been achieved through the lens.
The above photograph is yet another example of
Seveso's work, however, this time a singular colour is used. The fiery
red billowing ink is suspended within the oil amazingly well and using the fast
shutter speed has allowed Seveso to capture incredible detail. I love the
way the photograph has been turned and using this very simple technique has
created such a dramatic result. The image has motion yet is very
dreamlike and I really loved the texture that was displayed within the
composition which I felt was very clever.
The above third and final artist image further
displayed this use of texture, however, this time, Severo's use of colour
within his work embraced this textural technique and I think enhanced his shots
even further. The ink almost takes on an alien form and is really
beautiful to view and although his images are very simple in composition, he
uses a simple background in order to display his work and keep our eyes focused
to the detail in the piece. I hoped to also achieve the same level of
intricacy in my own work together with displaying bright, intense bursts of
colour.
My own photographs
Inspired by Seveso’s use of bold colour, I decided
to embrace this and try to visually capture the same vivid imagery in my
photographs. I adopted a similar
technique of using a pipette as I did with the Ink in Water photography,
however, I was hoping that as the oil was of a thicker consistency, I would
have more time to capture the effects with my camera. I used a wide lens for this shot as it was
able to retain more light and I think that this worked very well as even the
bubbles in the liquid were visible. The oil gave the image a certain glossy
sheen which I found appealing and I was excited as to how this technique could
be progressed.
My second
experimental shot was again taken using the same lens, however, this time, I
chose highly contrasting colours to try and create more depth within my
photograph. The orange leapt out of the
picture as the focal colour, however, the deep reds and blacks in the
background were an excellent backdrop to this strong, almost fluorescent
orange. I liked the way in which the
camera could capture such detail but unfortunately, I could not achieve the same billowing effect
which Seveso had captured in his images.
I found that composition was almost impossible to plan but it was
exciting to experience an unpoised photographic technique and this spontaneous
image capture was both interesting and fun.
My final
image above was also my favourite using this technique and I was very happy
with the overall shot. The layers of
colour used in this image were carefully dropped into the oil and I loved the
way that the separate colours created different patterns within the oil. The red ink dispersed the most whilst the
yellow ink stayed in small globes which added texture to the photograph. I was excited that I was able to create such
an unusual image from my topic of pollution and this would not have been
possible without delving deep into the world of oil and it’s effects on other
liquids.
Contact Sheets
0 comments