TODD HIDO:
Todd Hido is an American contemporary artist and photographer who is currently based in San Francisco. Most of Todd's work involves urban and suburban housing across the U.S revealing isolation and anonymity in contemporary suburbia. Eerily lit rooms and abandoned homes increase the effect of loneliness and loss.
Interviewer: There is a very unsettling atmosphere throughout your photography, is this always intentional and why do you choose to shoot such sinister shots? Are you a moody guy?
Todd Hido: I'm actually not a moody guy at all! But I can clearly see that my work is. I guess I'm attracted to that cinematic feeling where something's about to happen. Kind of like a pregnant moment. I'm very much attracted to that kind of narrative element.
HOMES AT NIGHT:
Suburbs, U.S:
The houses in Todd Hido's outdoor shots seem to glow in the dark. While the bright light that shines through the windows gives some indication that these houses are lived in you can also sense their gloomy desolation. Isolated in the frame, almost like a portrait image, the houses stand in a twilight that leaves the viewers wondering if someone is home watching television or absent owners are trying to ward off prowlers.
Although isolation is a clear theme running through all of Todd Hido's photographs the viewer gets an overwhelming eerie sense from many of the images from the 'Houses at Night' collection and produces a strong and powerful sense of loneliness and loss in every image. I particularly like this image as the slight highlights on the grassy bank mixed with the eerily lit windows make this photograph appear to be something out of a horror movie; like something bad is about to happen. The first thing I notice when I look at this image is the dirty, overgrown garden of the lit up house, bringing thoughts of forgotten and abandoned buildings, left to rot whilst their owners are else where. The main focal point of the image is the bright light that is being emitted from the window that is on the house on the right hand side. The light has a slight green tone to it, signifying to the viewer that something is out of the ordinary but is trying to be conceals an ordinary occurrence. In today's society a green light signifies something paranormal; in particular possession and/or abduction. This suggestion clearly reflects what Todd Hido tries to portray in his images and sets off an eerie and creepy mood in the photographs. |
The fog and mist in this image gives a sense of hidden urgency that is easily conveyed to the viewer through the eerie glow from the window and the hidden and blurred secrecy of the rest of the image. This small block of glowing light emanates from the photograph and proves to be a strong focal point of the image, immediately drawing the attention of the viewer to this small area.
Todd Hido has isolated this small portion of light from the rest of this image, almost like isolating life and energy from a world that is dark, grey and lifeless. The distortion that the mist and fog creates gives a surreal sense to the image making the viewer feel that this small portion of light is in a completely separate dimension from everything else, creating an extremely distinctive yet unusual atmosphere. The parallel leading lines that are created by the road and the fence lead your eye naturally towards the house, creating a subject for the viewer to focus on: almost like portrait photography. Cleverly combined with the lines of the house that are apparent in the roof and the texture on the house, you will notice that Todd Hido has been very clever with the positioning of the image and the angle of which he took the photograph, immediately making this eerie house the focal point of the image. I think Todd Hido was clever with the time at night that he took this image and the weather conditions that the photograph was set in due to the mood and atmosphere that was created: I aim to take some images like this to recreate that mood and convey it to the viewers. |
This photograph also uses mist and fog cleverly to create the same kind of mood and atmosphere but this time the house itself looks completely isolated from everything around it, even the cars that are in extremely close proximity to the house. In this image the fog completely blurs out everything in the background and creates a small pocket that the house sits in, the only sign of life being that small glow coming from the front window.
There are parallel lines used in this image as well indicated by the road, gate, roofing of the house and textures on the house again but this time they lead the viewers focus and attention towards the two cars that are parked on the left hand side of the image. These cars show the viewer that they are people living inside the house and there is a high probability that they are home but the dense fog and dark rooms suggest that they are not. The only sign that the owners of this small house in suburbia are actually home is the single window that is brightly lit, cutting sharply through the fog and glowing brightly to alert by-passers that they are home.
If you analyse this photograph based on the 'Rule of Thirds' you will notice that the brightly lit window has actually been placed in the 'golden rectangle' of the image which immediately makes in the center of focus. The glow from the window is a bright and warm glow which slightly settles the uneasiness of the entire image but the eerie and creepy atmosphere of the image contrasts directly against this. I think this is a very clever use of tones and colour to create a mixture of moods and atmospheres within one photograph and I aim to capture something similar to this in my own images, creating confusion and uneasiness among the viewers.
I want to try and capture my own images based on Todd Hido's 'House at Night' collection, producing my own take on this very famous set of images. This will aid my experimentation by taking inspiration from a photographer I have researched and trying to reproduce his work with my own development of ideas mixed in. I think this will be a very nice add on to the development of my final idea as this is a new form of isolation that I had not included in my planning: a new idea that I have sourced from work of other photographers.
There are parallel lines used in this image as well indicated by the road, gate, roofing of the house and textures on the house again but this time they lead the viewers focus and attention towards the two cars that are parked on the left hand side of the image. These cars show the viewer that they are people living inside the house and there is a high probability that they are home but the dense fog and dark rooms suggest that they are not. The only sign that the owners of this small house in suburbia are actually home is the single window that is brightly lit, cutting sharply through the fog and glowing brightly to alert by-passers that they are home.
If you analyse this photograph based on the 'Rule of Thirds' you will notice that the brightly lit window has actually been placed in the 'golden rectangle' of the image which immediately makes in the center of focus. The glow from the window is a bright and warm glow which slightly settles the uneasiness of the entire image but the eerie and creepy atmosphere of the image contrasts directly against this. I think this is a very clever use of tones and colour to create a mixture of moods and atmospheres within one photograph and I aim to capture something similar to this in my own images, creating confusion and uneasiness among the viewers.
I want to try and capture my own images based on Todd Hido's 'House at Night' collection, producing my own take on this very famous set of images. This will aid my experimentation by taking inspiration from a photographer I have researched and trying to reproduce his work with my own development of ideas mixed in. I think this will be a very nice add on to the development of my final idea as this is a new form of isolation that I had not included in my planning: a new idea that I have sourced from work of other photographers.
OCCUPIED HOMES:
Suburbs, U.S:
Both of these images have a very powerful atmosphere that is easily detected by the viewer at first glance: the crumpled sheets and pillows signify that this home is occupied and the beds have been recently used yet the cold and harsh tones of the photographs suggest otherwise. You will notice that the image on the left is considerably darker, colder and the shadows are much larger and intensified which suggests to the viewer that the occupant isn't home and the once frequently used bed has now been forgotten and isolated in a dark room. However the image on the right is much lighter and the tones are slightly warmer which signifies the opposite to the viewer: that the occupant is in fact at home and the bed is used regularly. These contrasting meanings to the image work very well with my theme of isolation as they show two similar images under different circumstances and they both reflect different connotations allowing the viewer to clearly distinguish between isolated, lost and forgotten against used, inhabited and integrated.
Both of the images use leading lines to draw the viewers focus towards the pillows which both have a clear significance to the meaning of the photographs. The leading lines appear in the lines of the bed and the crumples in the bed sheets, accentuated by the intensity of the shadows that appear in specific places. The main focal point of the image becomes the pillows that Todd Hido has cleverly positioned to tell the stories of the images: both rooms are used but one has been forgotten for a while whereas the other is in use right at the moment of the image being taken.
I would like to try and take some images that look just like these: to replicate the look that Todd Hido has created. I love the vintage look that has been put into these photographs by the positioning of the bed, the simplicity of the image itself and the way the shadows form around the focal point of the image. To do this I would need to take the photographs at dusk or dawn to achieve those colder and/or warmer tones to the images and to create the lurking shadows that appear in the crevices of the image.
Both of the images use leading lines to draw the viewers focus towards the pillows which both have a clear significance to the meaning of the photographs. The leading lines appear in the lines of the bed and the crumples in the bed sheets, accentuated by the intensity of the shadows that appear in specific places. The main focal point of the image becomes the pillows that Todd Hido has cleverly positioned to tell the stories of the images: both rooms are used but one has been forgotten for a while whereas the other is in use right at the moment of the image being taken.
I would like to try and take some images that look just like these: to replicate the look that Todd Hido has created. I love the vintage look that has been put into these photographs by the positioning of the bed, the simplicity of the image itself and the way the shadows form around the focal point of the image. To do this I would need to take the photographs at dusk or dawn to achieve those colder and/or warmer tones to the images and to create the lurking shadows that appear in the crevices of the image.
All of the images on this page were taken from Todd Hido's own website: http://www.toddhido.com/