Cruel and Tender research

Imogen Cunningham 1883-1976

Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer famous for her industrial landscapes, nudes and botanical images.
Her floral and plant photographs from the 1920’s became her most well known work.
Around this time in her career she came together with other like minded photographers , such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Willard Van Dyke to form a Group called F/64. This group was renowned for producing sharply focused and carefully framed images.

Below I have selected some of Cunningham’s images that interested me.

Below is my image of a Lilly taken at Kew Gardens. Like Imogen Cunningham’s photographs, I like taking a simplistic approach and focusing on the beautiful shapes of the plants. On the right, I have transformed my image within Photoshop to produce a more dramatic and creative feel to the flower. Cunningham’s photographs are in Black and White I wanted to try some experimenting myself.

I find the way she produces her images in Black and White adds to the creation of drama and depth of the shapes created in the frames.

Below is one of my favourites. I love the way Imogen Cunningham has gotten in close to the plant and filled the frame with just the edging of the long, slightly pointy foliage. Taken slightly on the diagonal, this adds an abstract pattern that totally transforms the plant.