ANDY ELLIS:
Andy Ellis is an award winning freelance artist working in the fields of illustration, film, design and photography based in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. Occasionally going back to his birth place in Japan he occasionally visits to take breathtaking and beautiful images, capturing the subtleties and importance of family and home life.
"Freelance photography has always been my ultimate passion - I have always loved every moment I am out with my camera, exploring the diverse world of taking beautiful photographs. In addition to my hobbies I am also the marketing manager for a boutique family-owned organic / bio-dynamic winery who produce world class wines in the sleepy village of Greenock, Barossa Valley - one of the worlds most famous wine regions."
Andy Ellis
BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA:
Isolation in Portrait form.
Isolation is a clear theme running through Andy Ellis' images in both his portrait and landscape photographs. This black and white, desolate and lonely landscape accentuates the isolation of the subject whilst the body language of the subject clearly shows her longing for something more.
If you analyse this image based on the 'Rule of Thirds' you will see that the subject has been placed in the 'golden rectangle' of the photograph allowing her to become the main focal point of the image. Through this Andy Ellis tells a sad story of loneliness and isolation, conveying emotion and sadness to the viewer through the dynamics of the image. The black and white editing of this image add to the recurring theme that Andy Ellis portrays in his photographs and I find that his style of work fits perfectly into the personal project that I am developing. |
In this image the main theme of isolation and loneliness runs through again but this time there is a different mood to the image. The colorful sky and rich landscape adds to the happier and cheerful mood of the image which signifies to the audience that this subject enjoys being by herself rather then having the company of others.
If you analyse this image based on the 'Rule of Thirds' you will see that the subject has been placed on the left hand side of the image on one of the lines that the human eye naturally scans across when viewing an image. This allows the subject to become the focal point of the image again and allows Andy Ellis to tell yet another story through the image. The story that is told in this image is completely different to the one of the left: Andy Ellis is now allowing the viewer to see isolation in a positive way rather then something to avoid. |
There are many different techniques that I aim to take from Andy Ellis' photography to incorporate into my own images to allow me to develop my personal project and experiment with different forms of images within a specific theme. The portrait images that Andy Ellis produces that are based around the theme of isolation have inspired me to take my own series of images similar to these allowing me to experiment with different forms of photographs whilst still keeping to my broad theme of isolation. I want to use various forms of editing to create different moods within the images to create diverse opinions on isolation: a black and white edit of an image would mean the audience feel that isolation is a bad thing and something they would want to avoid whereas a colorful and vibrant edit of an image would mean the audience feel that isolation is a good thing and a personal paradise where they can begin to look deeper into themselves and find comfort in their own presence rather then in the presence of others.
BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA:
Isolation in Landscape form.
Andy Ellis also shows isolation through the use of simple landscapes with a focal image placed in the images to create a sense of loneliness and desolation. As you can see in this image the ram-shackled shed that is in the middle of a dry field looks very shut off from the rest of society and forms a tranquil and peaceful mood for the viewer.
The composition of the image brings a peaceful mood to the viewer and conveys the positive representation of isolation to show the best things that being alone can bring. In this case the beauty of the landscape is being shown through the singular features of the photograph and allows you to appreciate how the minimal structures could create a peaceful and delicate mood to the image. If you analyse this image according to the 'Rule of Thirds' then you will see that the shack is strategically placed on the left hand side line that the human eye naturally follows when looking at an image. This means that the small building instantly becomes the main focal point of the image and allows Andy Ellis to show isolation to the viewer in a powerful and significant way. |
This simple yet stunning landscape shows how isolation can be portrayed in a beautiful way; the lack of man made buildings and obscurities in the landscape make this photograph so peaceful and tranquil signifying a desirable side to the theme of isolation.
The small black sheep instantly become a small feature that draws the viewers attention to the hills of the image: the size of the small sheep allow the audience to comprehend the vast size of the landscape and appreciate the beauty of the hills. You could not analyse this image according to the 'Rule of Thirds' based on the fact that there is no outstanding focal point of the image however the hill and sky lines have been strategically placed to allow the viewers eye to easily and naturally scan across the landscape. This means that the small black sheep and the clouds become a vital component to the image to distinguish between the two very different elements of the image. I think the simplicity of this photograph perfectly portrays the theme of isolation at the same time as setting a peaceful and tranquil mood for the viewer as they scan the image. I aim to capture some of this natural beauty in my own photographs, capturing isolation in a positive way to make this seem desirable. |
This image is very different from the other landscape images that Andy Ellis produces in a lot of ways. For example the main focal point of the image is in a silhouetted form that draws attention away from it due to the lack of detail but the bold,black colour means that the viewers eye is naturally attracted to that area. Through analysis according to the 'Rule of Thirds' you will see that the silhouette of the horse has also been placed on the left hand side line of the image to make this the focal point and the rolling hill line has been placed on the bottom line of the image to allow the viewers eye to easily and naturally scan across the photograph.
The silhouette plays a very important role in this image to tell the story of isolation: the angle that the horse is looking in signifies the longing to find others and be in the company of other horses and the body language connotes that the horse is ready to gallop away. However the image also looks peaceful and tranquil at the same time which may confuse the viewer as two very different views on isolation have been portrayed in the same image very cleverly due to the colorful sky and the peaceful hills in contrast to the harsh, black lines of the silhouette.
I want to attempt to try and capture silhouettes in some of my images to tie in with my theme of isolation as I think this image in particular is extremely beautiful and the contrasts have allowed Andy Ellis to tell an intricate story through a very simplistic image. I love the composition of the image and the mood that it creates: this is definitely something I want to re-create within my own personal project.
The silhouette plays a very important role in this image to tell the story of isolation: the angle that the horse is looking in signifies the longing to find others and be in the company of other horses and the body language connotes that the horse is ready to gallop away. However the image also looks peaceful and tranquil at the same time which may confuse the viewer as two very different views on isolation have been portrayed in the same image very cleverly due to the colorful sky and the peaceful hills in contrast to the harsh, black lines of the silhouette.
I want to attempt to try and capture silhouettes in some of my images to tie in with my theme of isolation as I think this image in particular is extremely beautiful and the contrasts have allowed Andy Ellis to tell an intricate story through a very simplistic image. I love the composition of the image and the mood that it creates: this is definitely something I want to re-create within my own personal project.
There are several different elements from Andy Ellis' landscape images that I want to incorporate into my own photography work and to create a diverse and different take on my theme of isolation. The landscape images that Andy produces are based around the theme of isolation and yet they portray a stunning and desirable place that people want to visit at the same time. This is definitely something that I want to try and recreate through my own images as part of my development and experimentation through my personal project, building up a large and diverse look at the different themes in isolation and the attitudes people have towards it.
All of the images on this page were taken from Andy Ellis' own website: http://theartofandyellis.com/