Work Record 1
Plans for shoot: I plan to shoot with a model outside, in my local area, framing my model with natural elements and buildings that are permanent to their surroundings and cannot be changed. A tripod would be ideal for this type of shoot so I would preferably be using such equipment, however I do not own one and therefore will be unable to do so. However I will pay close attention to the composition of my images and ensuring that they are straight, avoiding wonky and uneven compositions so that my final images will contain as much symmetry as possible. I will be shooting around midday so that I capture the peak of daylight as I don't want any of my images to be dark or dull. I'd also like to play with Shadows and sunlight to frame the model if possible.
Research Influence: Courtney Slazinik is a photographer that I have looked at and used as the primary influence for my first shoot. In her work she includes a range of tools and environments to frame her images. She also shoots outside a lot as well as inside. I will use her ideas about nature like trees and bushes to shape the way I think about shooting my images and choosing how to position my shots. Additionally I will use elements such as shadows or sunlight to frame my subject similar to a lot of Courtney Slaziniks work.
Contact Sheet:
In this shoot, I achieved most of the things I set out to achieve. Next time I plan to shoot in a different setting and search for more opportunities to shoot images of a higher quality. I will probably shoot in a busier setting with a lot more people rather than just one model, shooting members of the public. I will apply the decisive moment to this shoot as well, so that my images don't look staged.
Best Images:
A03: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress
f stop 1/400 aperture 14
I really like the composition of this first image and where the model is placed evenly between two parts of the building, and located centrally in the image. Also I like the consistency and symmetry in each part of the image. This is a 60s styled building and completely concrete aside from the metal fencing. Considering I shot this image without a tripod it looks completely straight and steady. The model, specifically the top half of her body is perfectly framed by the square within the building, making her the complete focus of the image. I also like the lighting in the image and how the bottom right is in darkness, covered by a big shadow. This reinforces the model being the main focus of the image as the sunlight shines over her.
f stop 1/100 aperture 5.6
I plan to crop this image during the editing process to rid of any negative space on the left and right sides of the image, so that the final image will portray a stronger frame around the model. I purposely placed my model in the centre of the image and where each part of the wall sticks out slightly. This image is also completely steady considering I was shooting without a tripod. The top right corner is slightly darker but this doesn't really matter as I plan to crop it anyway. I think placing the model on a wall gives the image some height as the model is higher than the camera and makes her appear as an important figure.
f stop 1/100 aperture 7.1
I used Courtney Slaziniks idea's about using branches / trees placed in front of the subject to frame their face. However the sunlight also frames certain aspects of the models face like her eye, nose, mouth and chin. There is also a slight depth of field in the image with the trees in the background slightly out of focus, drawing the viewers eye to the forefront of the image particularly at the models face. I applied the rule of thirds to this shot, ensuring that the model was placed in the third right section of the image. Although this didn't leave any negative space due to the noise in the background with the trees.
f stop 1/125 aperture 10
I applied similar ideas to this image in regards to framing with a depth of field so that the branches appear in the forefront however are not in focus, naturally drawing the viewers eye to the models face. Additionally, the way the branches sit allows them to perfectly frame the models face clearly making her the main subject of my image. I will probably make the image brighter during the editing process as this is one of the final images I shot and it was beginning to get dark outside so this image is slightly darker than the rest.
f stop 1/200 aperture 11
I shot this image with the camera in a portrait position rather than landscape as the bus shelter is central in the image and has an even amount of space surrounding it. However I might crop the image during the editing process to remove any irrelevant elements of the image such as the car to the left of the bus shelter. The bus shelter frames the model in this image, but the sunlight also slightly frames her as it shines on the top half of her body.
f stop 1/200 aperture 10
For this shot, initially I planned to position her right next to the actual tree, but thought using shadows would be a more creative approach. So the shadow is what frames the model in this image as it curves around her and shelters her head. I shot this from a slightly different angle to some of my other shots but still kept my model central in the image whilst the tree is slightly to the right from the centre and the branches fill all of the space in the top half of the image. There is a small amount of negative space to the left of my model that I could have used to include more people in the shot, although this could have potentially made the image too busy.
Images that require improvement:
f stop 1/60 aperture 5.6
I was unable to get the composition that I desired for this image due to the setting. I like how the model is framed between the bricked pillar and the extended area of brick wall that appears behind her, however I shot this from above as I had to stand on some stairs to capture this image and I would have preferred to shoot this face on from the same level as her. Also, like quite a few of my images it appears set up and does not follow the decisive moment which I would also prefer for my shoots.
1/100 aperture 8.0
This image does not follow the rule of thirds and is also not completely straight as I was not using a tripod. Additionally the image looks set up, as I was using a model and not shooting the general public and applying the decisive moment it results in my images looked too planned.
f stop 1/320 aperture 13
I shot this image because I thought the window on the back of the van would frame my models head quite nicely, although it appears more like she's just standing in front of a window rather than actually being framed by it. If I were to re shoot an image like this i'd ensure the individual was behind the window. However I do like how the sunlight frames the left side of her face
A02: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
I shot all of my Images with a Canon 350D, free hand without a tripod. I have noted the F stop and aperture below each image. I shot in aperture priority mode to ensure that my images had the correct lighting, with a shutter speed appropriate for the aperture that I desired for my images. To improve my Images I proceeded to edit them on Photoshop.
To begin with I selected the 'curves' tool to adjust the lighting of my image and strengthen the colours so that they appeared more saturated.
To start with, I cropped my image as i'd planned to using the crop tool. However I cropped it manually with the mouse rather than selecting a ratio for the image.
I proceeded to convert them to black and white using the 'black and white' tool and adjusted each colour by changing the numbers either making them larger or smaller until I was happy with the result.
This is when my ideas shifted again and I decided to duplicate the layers and adjust the opacity to create a shadow effect.
I followed the same process for this image.
I used the magic eraser tool on this image to remove a spec that appeared in the sky due to a mark on my lens.
Then I used the eyedropper tool to select the blue colour of the sky so that I would be able to use the paint bucket tool to fill in the erased space.
I converted my image to black and white, sticking to the consistent theme.
Then I duplicated the layers like before, but this time did not spread them too far apart to create a different kind of effect, as if the image is shaking or almost three dimensional.
A01: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
The artist research that I did was very helpful as it strengthened my understanding of light photography and the elements a photographer looks for when taking photos. Researching things about his personal life such as when he was born and the country he grew and lived in (America) supported me to gather a strong understanding of the context surrounding his photography. Looking at his images inspired me to search for colourful subjects and take my photos as a high standard. It also helped me to look for realistic images and signs and capture them. Finally, because of the research I developed a better understanding of the visual element 'colour' and how different colours can convey different feelings and emotions.
Philips pictures were of neon signs which were highly saturated which inspired me to tie the same approach and actively search for this. The purpose of the signs are to stand out so the saturation of these colours give the signs some punch.
A04: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.
I believe that I have produced a strong series of images inspired by my research of colour and saturation and Philip-Lorca DiCorcia's images. The final images produced were refined by developing the contrast and saturation. Similar to Philip-Lorca DiCorcia's images I have photographed shop signs that caught my attention and aimed to emphasise the saturation of the colours to make them bolder and more exciting than they originally looked.
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