Genre and Purpose
Duncan Philpott considers himself to be an action/adventure photographer and has travelled to 3 continents and 15 countries during his career. There are different kinds of work for photographers, for instance: editorial, commercial and personal. Editorial means working on assignments for e.g. a magazine, commercial is when you photograph for the sake of promotion/advertisement and personal is when you have the freedom to work on your own projects. Philpott has participated in all of these during his career, recently he’s been commissioned to take images of Sheffield that promote sport within the area (this is a commercial piece). He’s also done advertisement for Nike, which was shown on their Instagram, and photographed for the ‘won’t back down’ promo in which he took images of Steve Peat the mountain biker in preparation for the release of his DVD.
Before doing a shoot Philpott needs to plan out a shooting schedule- when doing this he will have to visit locations and take into consideration light positioning at certain times of the day- for instance shooting in the trees when it isn't sunny means the shadows will not be as harsh. He may even need to use local knowledge to find suitable locations. Whilst he loves his job for many reasons such as the travel and the fact that he is being paid for doing what he loves, there are downsides. Photographers have: no job security, no fixed income, long hours and the constant possibility of hurting themselves. In his down time he mainly tends to do paperwork or chase people for money they owe him, as well as sending proposals. A proposal is when you email a company with an idea for a collaboration- otherwise known as creating your own work! In this age, he has to promote himself by blogging, collaborating and networking. He does this by posting on social media i.e. Instagram and has been known to work with other photographers to gain contacts in the industry.
Image analysis and meaning
I really love his work, it dramatises even the smallest moments within sport. The beautiful landscapes he photographs within make the images a feast for the eye what with all the colour and tones offered to highlight the images details, without these backdrops I don't think the image would have quite the same fantastical effect. The low viewpoint of this image (pictured right) and the way aspects of the landscape are curved/stretched via the lens adds intrigue to the image and sets it apart from other pictures; looking at them often gives the viewer a warped sense of distance. There is something very simple about his images yet the composition and detail serves to make the action the focal point for the viewer. Textures within the images are often shown to create an atmospheric feel such as a rock wall contrasting the trees in the background; all these elements create astounding images! Framing is vital in his photographs, so often the performers are framed by the world around them- whether that be trees or mountains. It shows a relation between man and the natural world that few other photographers focus on. The composition and viewpoint, as aforementioned, are considerably well thought out in his work. The position of the cyclist in these photos is particularly important as he manages to be the point of interest even with the exotic scenery surrounding him. In the pictures above the rule of threes is adhered to which creates a stunning shot.
Duncan Philpott considers himself to be an action/adventure photographer and has travelled to 3 continents and 15 countries during his career. There are different kinds of work for photographers, for instance: editorial, commercial and personal. Editorial means working on assignments for e.g. a magazine, commercial is when you photograph for the sake of promotion/advertisement and personal is when you have the freedom to work on your own projects. Philpott has participated in all of these during his career, recently he’s been commissioned to take images of Sheffield that promote sport within the area (this is a commercial piece). He’s also done advertisement for Nike, which was shown on their Instagram, and photographed for the ‘won’t back down’ promo in which he took images of Steve Peat the mountain biker in preparation for the release of his DVD.
I really love his work, it dramatises even the smallest moments within sport. The beautiful landscapes he photographs within make the images a feast for the eye what with all the colour and tones offered to highlight the images details, without these backdrops I don't think the image would have quite the same fantastical effect. The low viewpoint of this image (pictured right) and the way aspects of the landscape are curved/stretched via the lens adds intrigue to the image and sets it apart from other pictures; looking at them often gives the viewer a warped sense of distance. There is something very simple about his images yet the composition and detail serves to make the action the focal point for the viewer. Textures within the images are often shown to create an atmospheric feel such as a rock wall contrasting the trees in the background; all these elements create astounding images! Framing is vital in his photographs, so often the performers are framed by the world around them- whether that be trees or mountains. It shows a relation between man and the natural world that few other photographers focus on. The composition and viewpoint, as aforementioned, are considerably well thought out in his work. The position of the cyclist in these photos is particularly important as he manages to be the point of interest even with the exotic scenery surrounding him. In the pictures above the rule of threes is adhered to which creates a stunning shot.
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