Imogen Cunningham Research Note

Imogen Cunningham 

This image by Imogen Cunningham is an Amaryllis Flower. The image really focuses on the form of the flowers and the depth of the petals. I really love this image because it makes me think of how something so beautiful can shine even in the darkness and how it goes from a tiny seed to blossoming into a remarkable thing of beauty. It is a very good photo considering it was taken in 1933 when editing wasn't around. This shows me that Imogen really concentrated on how the light would make the flower appear. One aspect of the photo that really stands out to me is how one flower in dark and the other is light, this again proves how much concentration Imogen put into ensuring the light reflected what she wanted to show. To take this photo, I assume that she had the light on the right side of the flowers so that the right flower was illuminated. There is also a lot of texture in this photo which adds to the realness of the flower, when seeing the detail on the petals, stalk and leaves it leads your eyes further and further into the photo. 

This image is part of Imogen's collection 'the form of Botanics', it was taken in 1925 so again a time where editing wouldn't be available. This image is of a Calla flower, it inspires me in my own images because it's very simple yet effective. I like how the flower petal curves round into the centre of the photo. This is an example of a leading line which causes your eyes to follow it from the bottom of the photo to the centre. To me, this really draws the whole image together which is really eye catching. The curve of the image adds a very tranquil feeling and indicates something beautiful and perfectly formed. Imogen has really emphasised that in this photo as she had made sure that even though the photo is very bright there is just the right amount of shadow to extenuate the curve. 

Although this image is very dull and muted I think it gives it a really good effect. It is a Ghost Flower in the image, therefore the grey and dull colours of it really ties reflects the name of it. I really like how the image has been taken because it shows form in a really interesting way. From the angle is was taken and with the use of the lighting we can really see the petals, their thickness and all round how they are composed. I think the lighting of the image must be shining from the top as there are shadows cast on the bottom, this really makes the form of the petals deep and allows us to see two different aspects of the flower. The bottom where its dark and has a lot of detail and the top where its light and looks practically mark-free. The use of black and white in this photo shows the shadows much more than it would in colour, further emphasising the depth of the flower.