Topography Photography

Having been introduced to the idea of Topographic Photography today our assignment was to take images that will be arranged in a collage. This particular kind of photography is strongly influenced by the 'Neue Sachlichkeit' a movement from the Duesseldorfer Schule and their main protagonists Hilla & Bernd Becher. 

This kind of photography is highly polarising. Many view it as being banal, clinical, bland, dull or sterile. Others - as myself - consider it as highly observant and analytical stating a social issue. Make up your mind yourself. My favorite photographer of this genre is Frank Gohlke. His images of American landscapes reflect the soul of contemporary American society. Beautiful and disturbing to me. 

Frank Gohlke

Coming to todays assignmend. I have decided to photograph the empty plates, cups, packages on the trays in the college canteen. Reflecting the eating habits, waste, messiness, transformation of food and our way of dealing with it. I plan on keeping up with this topic and following it as a long term project. What do you think of it?

Trays, Andrea Anneser, 2012