Deconstructing Environment Photographers

The Flatiron Building in New York was and still is a piece of architectural beauty, admired in its day and respected even now. Photographers such as Edward Stieichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Walter Gropius, Walker Evens and Berenice Abbott used it as their main subject in sets of works.

Edward Steichen
The Flation, New York 1905 

Edward Steichens camera position is at street level, with the building very central, however not straight on the camera but slightly at an angle as to enhance the buildings peculiar shape This is a similar camera position to how Alfred Stieglitz and Alvin Langdon Coburn set up for their shots. The position, not directly in front of the building gives a very soft frame to the focal point, which is the Flatiron Building, the way there are objects in the foreground of the image, not so much taking away from the images focal point but creating a relationship with the surroundings and the showing an impressive but impacting presence the building has in these surroundings. The very soft lighting conditions in this image of Steichens gives a very welcoming atmosphere to the viewer a slightly different atmosphere is felt in the Walter Gropius image and Berenice Abbotts image which both seem much colder.

Alfred Stieglitz
The Flatiron 1903

Alfred Stieglitz image of The Flatiron building has the same feeling to it as the images by Coburn and Steichen, the similarities lie in the tonal range as well as the composition. The use of tonal difference from the foreground to the background draws the viewer into the image, brings them in to read everything in turn, from the trees and greenery in the foreground to the dominant skyscraper in the back, but this isn't done in a harsh way or with intention to make the building look overpowering or threatening but in my eyes make it look triumphant and glorifies the building by having it side by side with the greenery and trees and having the building the same size as the tree. This combined with the easy tones of the image gives a relaxed ambiance.
Its easy to make simularities between Stieglitz and Steichen as they influenced each other and as in 1902 they formed the photosession group and became close friends.

Alvin Langdon Coburn
The Flatiron Building 1911

Alvin Langdon Coburns image of the Flatiron Building is very similar to that of Stiechen, in the sense of aesthetics, camera position and focal point. The way the tree frames the top third of the image and the trees along the path on the left hand side of the image channels the eye towards the Flatiron Building, the tonal range is different to Stiechens choice of tones, it seems slightly colder and also done by showing more human life in the image.




I feel as though Steichen, Stieglitz and Coburn work together and seem to have many similarities with each others work and kind of fit into a category of their own. The main similarities seem to be camera position, lighting, tonal range and focal point. However Walter Groupius, Walker Evens and Bernice Abbott seem to have a much different style to these three, a much more graphic or design way of work, maybe more about shape and empty space.

Walter Gropius
The Flatiron Building 1928 

The framing of this image by Walter Gropius is very original and has a feel of the Bauhaus art movement in it. By shooting at an angle the edge of the building cuts the image into two geometric shapes, this is much different to the images of Steichen, Stieglitz and Coburn as they didn't souly focus on the building   but had other subjects such as trees and streets to put the building into some sort of context or scale. The lighting is also much different to these three, the lighting creates slightly harsher contrasts of shadows and as the sky seems to all be one constant blanket of the same tone creates a pale background for the building to become slightly more out of context, almost like a drawing or a design.

Walker Evens
Flatiron Building From Below 1928

 In Walker Evens image of the Flatiron Building he seems to reflect it in a much different way, as Evens was famous for recording the families suffering from the depression he can show this by looking up at the great building, giving it a greater sense of importance and prosperity. The camera position is really close to the building, so much it has to look up at it, lighting similar to Gropius and Abbott but i think this image stands alone against the rest for its much more unusual composition and camera position.






 

Berenice Abbott
Flatiron Building 1938

The final image to look at by Berenice Abbott is most similar to that of Gropius in the way of camera position and composition and lighting, again the one tone lighting gives the space around the building an empty canvas feel and really makes the building come out towards the viewer.
Its hugely different to the images of the first three photographers i looked at, Steichen, Stieglitz and Coburn, although, unlike Gropius, Abbott does show some way down the street, not enough to place the building to the street, in the way of giving it reference and scale to the surroundings. Its more like its showing its dominance to its surroundings rather than to give trees or greenery as scale reference.

In conclusion Steichen, Stieglitz and Coburn relate to each other the most, by having similar camera positions being on the ground level and showing the street or floor as well as the Flatiron Building, also by having a much more varied range of tone .

Gropius, Evans and Abbott seem far distant to that of the other three, much in the ways of camera position being as its looking up, not giving view to the floor. Also by having less of a varied range of tone, giving a blank background in the sky. The difference in time of these photos being taken also must have something t do with why theres so much change, between 1903 - 1911 the photos are rather documentary and by using trees seen to reflect on the past and how change has come fast, the other three glorify the change and its modern surroundings.