Nick Pumphrey

Nick Pumphrey artist research-

For this artist research I will be focusing on Nick Pumphrey, I was inspired by his clever use of slow shutter speed. His use of colour and composition are really inspiring to me. He uses a range of complementary colours which is something I would like to incorporate into my images. He contrast warm and cool tones in his photos to enhance the image. Nick Pumphrey is a local photographer who is an inspiration to me living in St Ives. 

For this analysis I will be focusing on the top image. In this beautiful image there is implied texture on the image through the use of grain. This creates an old school, vintage effect which I find makes the image more interesting. The pictorial space is quite shallow as the image is very close of so doesn't show the background which would give the image more depth however due to the closeness the figure gives a sense of scale to the size of the wave. Due to the figure in relationship to the wave we can see the wave is smaller. The focus is on the feet as they are the anchor of focus as the rest of the image is blurred by movement. This image looks as if it has been taken very spontaneously as when using a slow shutter speed you never know what the outcome will be. A wide range of tones have been used as there are a broad range of darks in contrast to the highlighted areas, the darkness of the future make sit stand out against the light background and therefore makes it a main feature in the image however I think the main focus is the feet as the bright orange of them against the board draws the eye straight to it. Complementary colours are incorporated throughout Nick Pumphrey's work through incorporating war lighting or objects (such as surfboards or people) against the cooler sea blue and green tones. The use of complementary colours is especially demon straighted in the top image where the war tones of the feet and board almost glow against the rest of the image because of the intense colour compared to the background blues. The cool tones dominate however because of this the warm tones stand out more against them. My emotional response to this work is very positive, calm and uplifting. This mood is communicated by the bright lighting and colours of objects. The theme of Nick's work links in nicely with my theme exploring surf and skate culture, I can learn from his work that the use of colour is very important in creating a successful image and is something I would like to focus more in on my upcoming shoots. His use of slow shutter speed is a very inspiring technique as you  never know what outcome you will create. His use of this technique is very successful as he freezes a moment in time like the sea spray coming off the board which shows the speed and momentum of the wave. Nick Pumphreys work really inspires me especially through his interesting compositions and angles which he captures surfers from, the centre subjects ranges in the rule of thirds always creating different angles yet the surfer is always the main subject. He shoots from water and land which is something I would like to experiment with in the future. He capturing movement and unique style of the surfers and slows it all down into a single moment using calm, chill energy. From His work I would like to explore using complementary colours in my own work as well as further experimenting with different angles and unique compositions.