Project Title (tentative): "Separated"
Concept: This photographic project will explore the theme of isolation by highlighting the contrast between natural landscapes and man-made structures. By manipulating these elements within the frame, either by adding or subtracting details. The work will examine how environments reflect inner emotional states, revealing how isolation can manifest in both the natural world and constructed spaces.
Approach:
Photography of Contrasts: Capture scenes where nature and constructed elements coexist, yet highlight a sense of separation or disconnection, mirroring internal feelings of solitude/isolation.
Manipulation: Use techniques such as removing or blending parts of the scene to emphasize dislocation, or layering details to blur the line between nature and industry, symbolizing the complexity of isolation.
Exploration of Environments: Capture a diverse range of environments, from urban industrial landscapes to untouched natural spaces, to demonstrate how isolation can take shape in different settings, whether densely populated or remote.
Lone Runner: A Starting Point.
In this image, a lone runner traverses the rugged hills, their solitary figure standing in stark contrast to the expansive, fog-laden landscape. A graduated filter has been added to enhance the fog, deepening the shadows and further emphasizing the runner’s isolation in a world that feels both vast and uninviting.
The image has been edited to heighten this sense of solitude. Exposure and warm have been added to the illuminated areas helping to separate the runner, creating a subtle contrast against the surrounding light of the fog and the darkness of the shadows.
Additionally, two cyclists and two walkers have been removed from the scene to achieve the desired effect, allowing the runner to exist entirely alone within this landscape.
Lone Fisherman: Atmosphere.
A lone fisherman stands near the bridge, seemingly dwarfed by the surrounding landscape. Despite his solitude, the scene feels oddly connected rather than isolating. The overcast sky and muted tones reduce any dramatic atmosphere, softening the sense of isolation. Instead of appearing cut off, the fisherman’s presence seems to blend naturally with his surroundings. His task, fishing, links him directly to the land and water around him, grounding him in this familiar setting. Rather than evoking loneliness, the image suggests a quiet connection between man and nature, where his actions tie him subtly yet undeniably to the landscape.
Shadow and light are often used in photography to isolate specific elements, creating contrast that draws the eye and intensifies certain emotions within a scene. Strong contrasts between light and shadow could make the fisherman stand out starkly, emphasizing his solitude. However, in this image, the even exposure across the scene diffuses any stark contrasts, resulting in a flatter visual effect. This lack of dramatic light and shadow diminishes the impact of isolation, allowing the entire landscape—including the fisherman—to feel cohesive and interconnected. Instead of highlighting his aloneness, the uniform lighting encourages a more harmonious reading, where each part of the scene holds equal visual weight.
Couple: Manipulation.
Using AI to remove distracting elements from images is a powerful tool for heightening the sense of isolation within a photograph, though the desired effect hasn’t been fully achieved in this particular image. Here, the removal of elements like poles and signs provides an example of how simplifying the scene can focus the viewer’s attention on the main subjects, in this case, the two figures on the steps. When executed well, this approach can amplify the feeling of solitude, emphasising how isolated or small the subjects are within a vast landscape.
However, AI editing can also introduce challenges, particularly when printing images at a larger size. Any minor inconsistencies or artefacts from object removal, which may go unnoticed in digital form, can become visible at high resolutions. For instance, subtle texture irregularities or unnatural gradients in areas like concrete steps or sky can disrupt the natural look of the image. This highlights the need for careful post-processing to ensure that edits are seamless and maintain clarity and consistency in print.
While the effect isn’t fully realised here, this image serves as a useful illustration of how AI can help craft a sense of isolation in photography.
Minffordd Path Exposure + top down Exposure - bottom up Removed 6 people from scene Exposure + centre Warmth + centre
Alone at Llyn Cau Exposure + top down Exposure - bottom up Removed one person from scene Exposure + centre Warmth + centre
Hempstead Forest - Foggy Walk with the dog
Using Film.
The use of 35mm film as the medium for this project introduces a layer of nostalgia that deepens the emotional resonance of the images. Film inherently carries an association with the past, evoking memories of a time when photography was more tactile and deliberate. This sense of looking backward mirrors the themes of isolation, as it draws attention to moments lost or disconnected from the present. The grain, tonal depth, and subtle imperfections of film add a textural quality that enhances the feeling of emotional distance, as though the viewer is peering into a memory rather than an immediate reality.
In the context of isolation, film’s slower, more intentional process reinforces a sense of introspection and solitude. Each frame, carefully composed and captured, becomes a reflection of the quiet moments that often define isolation. The medium’s physicality—its tangible negatives and chemical development—further connects the work to the past, suggesting a yearning or loss that aligns with the project’s exploration of separation from both others and one’s environment. Film transforms these images into not just representations of isolation but artefacts of it, bridging the emotional weight of the subject matter with the viewer's own experiences of solitude and nostalgia.
