Straight Images - Location Contrast 1

Work Diary - Location Contrast 1

Evaluation

I found the location contrast shoot quite difficult. Although I could see many different contrasting colours, I found it difficult to think of things other than colours to photograph. Because of this I ended up with lots of images that were very similar. Most of the photos that I had taken of things that were not colours did not show contrast clearly enough.

Despite this being quite a difficult shoot for me, I did take some quite good photos for contrasting colours which I am happy about. I tried to be creative and composed my own images rather than just taking pictures of objects where they were. For example I found a bright leaf and thought this would be a good example of contrast if I could find a dull surface to put it on.

This image I had taken was supposed to show the contrast between different textures, but because of the dull lighting the difference between the two textures is not that obvious. Also the line separating the two different textures is not clear enough so it is hard to see that they are separate and their is not much contrast between them. I feel that this photo would be a more effective contrast image if the colours of the two different textures were not so similar.

I like this image I had taken during the location contrast shoot, as it shows two types of contrast. We can see the clear contrast between the sizes of the leaves, but there is also contrast between the bright colour of the leaves against the dull colour of the wall. The smaller leaf contains yellow, orange, red and green tones which all contrast against each other as they are all bright colours. Lines are also visible in the form of the leaf veins and the lines between the bricks.

Progression

If I was to go and shoot location contrast again I would make sure to go on a bright day because I found that with this shoot the dull lighting reduced the quality of the photos and made the contrast less clear in the images. Taking pictures in the sun will make the tones clearer and therefore enhancing the contrast. I would use my creativity more and move objects around to make a contrasting image rather than just taking a picture of what is in front of me. I would also try to produce a larger variety of images rather than images that only contrast by colour, and would shoot in a larger variation of locations for more varied images.

This picture below is one I found on the internet. It shows contrast in a very creative way. This is the kind of approach I would like to attempt, and create my own image rather than just taking a picture of what is already there. I like the way this image is so unique and abstract but at the same time the contrast is the part of the image that you notice first. The plain background is effective as there is no distraction from the woman's face. I would defiantly like to try and photograph more creative examples of contrast in the future as this image has inspired me.

Work Diary - Multiple Imagery

Evaluation

This was the first time I had tried multiple imagery and I quite enjoyed taking the images and creating the multiple image. I tried to make all of the images I used in my multiple image quite similar in terms of content and composition so that when they were put together the full result will look very effective and this benefitted my work. I liked how I was able to rearrange the images in the order that I preferred and was able to edit the images all together rather than separately so that they would all look even. I am happy with the result of my multiple Image and think that it is some of my best photography so far.

If I had to point out a negative of this task I would say that sometimes it was hard to make all of the images similar in composition, and sometimes It was difficult to think of a large variation of images to take, but despite this I enjoyed the task.

This was my first attempt of multiple imagery. I took pictures standing in various different locations. This works so well because of the obvious contrast between each different type of floor. I enhanced the colours to make them more vibrant in order to improve the contrast. In some of the images contrast can be seen in a different way, as my dark shoes contrast against lighter backgrounds so the shape of my shoes can be clearly seen. Lines are visible in many of the individual image, in the form of floor tiles, benches of painted lines on the floor. I think this works quite effectively. The only negative of this image in my opinion is that it was hard to get my feet in the exact same position, so they look different in each picture. Although this is only a small detail of the whole picture, I feel that the image would have been improved if my feet were in the exact same position in each image.


Progression

I wanted to try some more multiple imagery as I found it quite enjoyable, and I wanted to try one with only 9 images in. I looked through my pictures from walk 3 and I thought that I could make quite a good multiple image out of them, which would give a sense of adventure and nature. I much prefer this image to the first one I had tried, mainly because these individual images are all taken at different angles and of various different places or objects, whereas the individual images in the first one are all taken at the same angle and have similar content. A lot of lines are visible in this image in the form of benches, and trees, and it also includes a lot of natural colours like greens and browns. This adds to the natural feel of the overall image, and I enhanced these colours for this reason. I am very happy with this image and think it is one of my best images overall.

image Bank - Back of Head

These images are all of back of head portraiture which I think it is an abstract and unique approach to a portrait. Usually it is the facial features and expression that are focused on in a portrait as this can tell us a bit about the person and change the feel of the image altogether, therefore I find that back of head photography sometimes creates a sense of mystery. In a lot of back of head photography I have seen, the head is very in focus while the background is blurred to allow depth to be seen, but also so that the focus of the image is remains on the back of head and not the surroundings. I quite like this take on portraiture as it is unusual and simple but can create a very good image against a range of interesting or contrasting backgrounds. 

Connecting Essay 5

This is an image I had found online. The first thing I noticed about it is the significant contrast between the dark bold staircase and the pale blue sky, so that a clear outline of the staircase and railings can be seen. Lines are also very clear in the railings of the stairs. Another aspect of contrast in this photo is between the sky and the cloud, which I think adds to the minimalistic image. Shadows and highlights in the image bring out different tones in the staircase and show form in the woman. The staircase and woman are central in the frame which I think works effectively as it allows us to see the plain sky under the staircase, which helps establish its height. The woman doesn't take up much frame space herself, and this emphasises the size of the area and creates a sense of loneliness. The image is an action shot as it looks as if the woman is unaware of the camera. The image overall creates a sense of journey, as we can see she is travelling somewhere. The simplicity of the image works effectively and allows us to focus on the main content without over-complicating the image. 

This is an image I had taken. It is very contrasting, as the staircase is dark and bold while she sky is very pale and plain. This contrasts allows us to see a very clear outline of the staircase and railings, which show lines. The image is taken from a low angle, which emphasises the hight of the staircase and also makes the image more unique. I like how the stairs do not take up the whole frame as it allows us to focus on the significant contrast. Highlights and shadows allow form to be seen in the metal. Something I noticed about this image is that it is split into light and dark, which i think is quite effective and appealing. The image crates a sort of sense of journey, but also a sense of mystery as we do not know where the stars lead to. We also cannot see anything else in the frame which adds to the mysterious feel. 

The content of both these images is quite similar, as they both show staircases. They also both show significant contrast between the staircase and the sky. Because of this contrast, the shape of both staircases is clearly established, and the shape of the lines in the railings. They both create a sense of journey. The image I had found does this by showing a woman on her journey up the stairs, and my image does this by using a low angle shot as if you are looking at the stairs and about to climb up them. Both images also successfully create a sense of mystery, as in both cases we cannot see where the staircase leads to, and there is nothing else in the frame that gives us clues about the location. 

These images also have a lot of differences, for example both images were taken from different angles. the image I had found was taken from the side, with the camera angles straight forward, while I had chosen to angle the camera upwards to show the staircase. I chose to do this in order to emphasise the hight of it, however as the other image shows empty space underneath the staircase, we can already establish from this the height of the stairs already, so this does not need to be shown through camera angles. Another difference between these two images is that one involves a person while the other doesn't. The involvement of a person strengthens the sense of journey in the image, and also adds something to the image without overcomplicating it. Colour is another difference. In the image I had found, the blue is quite bright which makes the image appealing, while in my image the colour of the sky is significantly faded, which increases the contrast between it and the staircase. I decided to take my image of the staircase quite close up to show it in more detail, and also create a sense of mystery as we cannot see anything else in the frame.

Connecting Essay 4

This is an image I had found online. The first the I notice about it is that the colour is bright and vivid. The bright white flower is very contrasting against the green grass, so that the outline of it is very clear and the shape can we easily seen. The stem of the flower also contrasts against the grass, so that we can see exactly where the flower is coming from. The flower itself only takes up a very small amount of the frame, but because of the significant contrast we still focus on it. Another aspect of the image which ensures we focus on the flower is the blurring. The top two thirds, and the very bottom of the frame is blurred, leaving only the flower and a thin line of grass below it is in focus. The significance of the blur means we cannot identify any of the surroundings, so that we entirely focus on the flower. The background of the photo is green grass at the bottom of the frame but dark at the top half of the frame, and because of the blurring these colours slightly blend which creates a nice, simple background. 

This, on the other hand, is an image I had taken. I quite like the variation of different colours visible in this image, and the way they establish autumn. I decided to enhance these colours by increasing the saturation in order to bring out the autumnal tones in it, such as reds, greens and yellows. The single flower stands out as it is bright white, and contrasts against the autumnal colours of the leaves, so that the outline is visible. Depth is shown clearly as the leaves get smaller the further away from the camera they are. They also become very out of focus, implying they are further away. I like how the flower is off centre, as it allows us to focus on the autumnal colours of the surrounding leaves. The highlights create a smooth texture of the leaves, which contrasts against the textured grass, which creates individual lines. I also like how only the ground is visible, as there is nothing else in the frame distracting us from the autumn scene. The flower itself only takes up a small amount of the frame, but it is still very visible due to the contrast. I had used a high angle shot, as this allows depth to be shown more clearly because the leaves that were really far from the camera were visible. 

Both these images have similar content as they both include an off centre flower, which only takes up a very small amount of the frame. In both cases, the flowers are still very visible due to the contrast between them and the backgrounds. Both images also shown depth very clearly, and both use blurring to do this. The colours in both photos are enhanced and made more vivid to emphasise that time of year. 

Despite these similarities, the two images also have a few differences. As well as blurring, my image shows depth because the leaves furthest away from the camera are very small, which implies they are further away. The image I had found online does not show this, but uses burring more significantly to show depth. Another difference between these two images is that colour is more significant in the image I had taken as vivid reds, yellows, oranges and greens are shown. On the other hand, the lack of colour in the other pictures background makes it even more contrasting as the white flower can really stand out against it. The photos have also both been taken in different formats. I didn't want to take my image as a landscape as I thought this would make the flower appear smaller in the frame, and therefore the eye would be distracted away from it. Despite this, the landscape format works well for the photograph I has found, as it emphasises the size of the area. 

Connecting Essay 3

This is an image I had found online. It is taken very low so that both the leaves and the trees in the distance are visible. Because of this low angle, the texture of the leaves can be seen clearly and so can the depth which I quite like about it. I also like how half of the frame is filled with leaves and the other half is filled with trees, and the contrast this creates between the orange leaves and green trees within the frame. Some of the leaves nearer the camera are blurred while the rest are focused, which creates a sense of depth, emphasising the size of the area. The tones in the image such as reds and yellows are enhanced so that we can tell this is an autumn scene. There are visible lines in the image in the form of tree trunks, which get smaller and thinner the further away they are, again creating depth. The image also creates a sense of both adventure because and mystery as we cannot see anything other than nature in the surroundings, and it seems a quiet secluded area.

This is an image I had taken during walk one. I had taken it from a low angle, as I wanted to emphasise the colours of the leaves, to establish this as an autumnal image. I increased the saturation of the leaves in order to bring out the orange tones in them. Depth is clearly shown as the leaves nearer the lens are a lot bigger then the ones further away, which are also blurred. The shape of the leaves nearest the camera can be seen clearly as the brown/orange tones in the leave significantly contrast against the dark concrete. The rough texture of the concrete is clearly shown, contrasting with the s,loth texture of the leaves. Another way the image shows depth is through the pillars, which get smaller the further into the distance they go. Also, the bushes in the background and quite out of focus, suggesting they are further away. The tree in the background creates a dark silhouette as it significantly contrasts against the plain white sky. 

Both images are quite similar in content as they both show an autumn nature scene. Both of the images are taken at a low angle in order to draw attention to the leaves on the ground, to reinforce the idea that this is an autumn image. This angle also allows the trees in the background of each image to be seen which implies the leaves are falling from them, re-establishing autumn. The images have both had their colours enhanced in order to bring out autumn tones for example orange, reds, greens and yellows. The images also both clearly show depth and texture. 

Although the images both show depth, they show it in different ways. The image I had found online shows depth as the trees in the background get smaller and thinner the further away from the camera they are. In the image I had taken on the other hand, depth is shown mostly through blurring. As well as being smaller the further away from the camera they get, the leaves in the background are also out of focus, reinforcing the sense of depth. The bushes in background are also very blurred. Another difference between these two images is that my image clearly shows the texture of the ground, due to from. The ground in the other image cannot be seen. Both images had also been taken in different formats, the image I had found as a landscape and mine as a portrait. The landscape option works effectively as more of the surroundings are visible, which held to emphasise the size of the area. The portrait option worked nicely in my image as the line of leaves fit nicely into the frame. 

Mapplethorpe Notes

- American photographer
- known for his sometimes controversial large-scale, highly stylised black and white photography
- work included celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits and still-life images of flowers
- Very controversial work 
- Born November 4, 1946
- Died March 9, 1989

Pre-complition Evaluation

I think my photography skills have improved quite a lot over the past few months. I have learnt a lot about the different formal elements and print techniques as well as learning about different photographers and adapting my style to imitate theirs. I have also experienced new shoots such as the Mapplethorpe shoots and the photography walks which I have enjoyed as they are different to what I have previously done in photography and allow me to take a different kinds of photos. I really enjoy doing physical experiments as it allows me to be even more creative and artistic. Recently I have learnt a lot about composition, so the photography I have done in the last few weeks is some of my best photography.

I have found photography quite a lot of work but still manageable. Sometimes I find myself falling behind due to the amount, but not massively. For now I have managed to catch up with the work quite well by doing some shoots outside of school, so I am not too worried about meeting the deadline in 2 weeks.

Work Diary - Walk 1

Evaluation

I enjoyed walk 1 as I was not limited to one specific area like some of the other shoots. I liked how there were 3 things to photograph; back of heads, sense of journey and autumn colours, as this gave me a larger variation of things for me to look for. My favourite part of the walk was taking the sense of journey images as this was something I had not done before.  I found that it allowed me to be more creative than some of the other shoots had allowed me to, as I was creating a scene rather than taking images close up to identify the formal elements. I experimented with depth quite a lot on this walk as I found it made the sense of journey images more effective. I tried to experiment with different angles, so on many cases I took a lot of photos of the same object or scene, but from different angles. I feel this benefitted my work as I was able to look at a range of photos and choose which angle I preferred. 

I found it quite difficult to get very varied images speciffically for autumn colours as this was limited to mostly leaves, so I ended up with a lot of similar images. Despite this I managed to take a lot of varied images for sense of journey and back of heads. Although I enjoyed photographing it, I found it a bit difficult to take images for sense of journey, as this required taking images of a scene, rather than close ups which I took for autumn colours. Even though this was slightly tricky, I still managed to produce a few sense of journey images that I am very happy with.

This picture I had taken during walk 1 shows depth quite well, as the trees get smaller the further away from the camera they are. The dark silhouette of the tree contrasts significantly against the plain white sky, which makes the outline of the tree trunk and the branches very obvious. I like how the texture can be seen on the tree nearest the camera as it is shown very close up. A lot of lines are visible in the form of the branches on the trees. Something I think could be improved in this photo is the lighting, and if i were to take this sam photo again I would make sure to take it earlier, as it was beginning to get dark, but also take it on a sunny day so that the texture and tones in the image could be more obvious.

I really like this picture as it shows depth very clearly to emphasise the length of the bench. I like how there is one leaf very close to the camera while all the others are gathered at the other end, and also how the yellow leaves stand out and contrast against the black bench. Lines are visible in this image in the form of the bench, which also help to show depth. The quality of this image is not as i took this image when it was beginning to get dark. I feel that if I took this image in the sun or daylight the result would be a lot better, and the leaf nearest the camera would be more focused in order to see the texture and tones clearer. 

Progression

If I was to go on walk 1 again I would go on a bright and sunny day in order to improve the quality of the images. The textures, tones and overall detail of different parts of the image would be a lot clearer, therefore making a better quality image. I would also try to take a larger variation of images for autumn colours, as I struggled to think of a lot of things to shoot for this, and ended up with a lot of similar pictures.

 

I found an example of autumn photography which I quite like, and I would like to take similar photos to this in the future. My favourite aspect of this photo is the lighting. The highlights and shadows really add to this image and the autumnal feel of it. It also allows the form of the pumpkin to be clearly seen. This is the kind of lighting I would have like during my walk as it would have enhanced the tones, colours and form. I like the idea of the pumpkin as it symbolises Halloween which is in autumn. This picture made me think about taking pictures of objects that symbolise autumn, rather than just the physical look of autumn. This picture has inspired me to think more creatively when given a topic to photograph, and also think about the kind of lighting I need to create the feel I want in the image.

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Irene Cruz

Irene Cruz is from Madrid and takes part in many exhibitions. I have chosen to look at her work in more detail because I admire the way it is unique, abstract and mystical, and I like the dull lighting she uses throughout all of her photography.

I like the dull lighting and colours in this image as it completely changes the whole feel of the image, creating a more mysterious, slightly eerie feel. I like the shadows and highlights which are visible in the reflection of the ripples which create unstructured lines, and i especially the shadows in the bottom corners. We cannot see the girls face which creates a sense of mystery and also allows us to focus more on the surroundings that the features of the girl. The way the image is taken as a landscape rather than a portrait also does this. The whole image creates a sense of journey which I like the most about it.

The same dull lighting is apparent in this image, The colours are mostly grey. This image shows a long shot of the back of a girl on a swing.  Lines can be seen in the form of tree trunks in the background. The shape of the trees are very clear as they create a dark silhouette which contrasts against the pale sky. The wooden poles of the swing frame also create lines. The girl only takes up a very small fraction of the frame so that we are able to see a lot of the surroundings. Looking at where the swing is located creates a mysterious feel as it is an unusual place for a swing to be on its own. The way we cannot see the girls face also creates mystery, as the features of the face are usually focused on in photography. One final aspect of the image which creates a mysterious feel is the mist, as we are not able to see into the distance. 

I really like the composition of this image, and how it is focused on only half of the woman. Unlike the above images, this images has been edited black and white so that the tones are clearer. The contrast between the woman's pale skin and the dark background allows the shape to be clearly shown. The form of the woman's skin can also be seen, as there are visible highlights and shadows. The trees in the background of the image create lines which also contrast against the pale sky. I like how the Woman's dark hair contrasts against her own skin, as it seems to make her stand out. Because of the way the woman only takes up one side of the frame, we are able to see a lot of the background surroundings, however we are still drawn to the woman first because of the way she contrasts against the dull lake and trees. I really like the reflection in the image as the it carries the lines of the tree trunks down to the bottom of the image. Although some features are slightly visible the woman's face is quite unclear, which creates a sense of mystery.

like the other images, the lighting is dull in this image. Most of the frame consists of shadows, but there is a highlighted area in the middle of the road. in my opinion this adds something to the image and makes it a better and more interesting photo. Lines can be seen in the form of sign poles, lampposts and trees. They all seem to be aligned, and they show depth as they get smaller the further away they are from the lens. Unlike the images above, there is no person or main object in the photo, so there is nothing we immediately focus on. This allows us to take in each part of the image rather than only looking at one person in the frame. A sense of journey is created as we can see two paths lead of into the distance, and mystery is created as we are unaware as to where the paths will lead.

I feel inspired to take more interesting images that create a sense of mystery like Irene does. I also want to try out different lighting as I quite like the dull lighting in Irene's work. I had realised that the compositions irene had used in her photography mostly allow us to see a lot of the surroundings by making the person or object in the image only take up a small part of the frame, and I would like to try this out in my future photography.

After looking at more of Irene's work I realised that many images are similar, for example the lighting or setting is similar in many of her images. This means there is a limit of variation with her work, however despite this I still like her photography and especially like the mystery and sense of adventure that her images create. 

Work Diary - Mapplethorpe Studio

Evaluation

I quite enjoyed the Mapplethorpe studio shoot as this was the first time I had tried to take photos in the style of a famous photographer.  During the shoot I tried to focus a lot on the composition of the images than I normally would, as a lot Mapplethorpe's photography clearly focuses on composition. I thought about the kind of compositions Mapplethorpe had used in his portrait photography and tried to replicate some of these which resulted in some good images. As well as this I though of some of my own compositions which left me with some very interesting and creative images. When it came to editing I made one or too black and white in order to stick to the typical Mapplethorpe style, but with the others I adjusted the lighting in order to clearly show form and tone, which Mapplethorpe clearly shows in his portraits.

When It came to thinking of my own, unique compositions, I found this slightly difficult as it was hard to think of ones that looked obviously inspired by Mapplethorpe without replicating his own. To overcome this I though of the different compositions and positions of his portrait and edited them slightly to make them my own.

The composition of this image is not very strong. Mapplethorpe's portraits focus on the detail and tones in the face rather than the background, however there is too much empty space in this frame. If i was to shoot this same photo again I would take it as a portrait instead of a landscape, so the face would fit into the frame better and the empty space will be filled. This would also allow us to see the faced closer up, showing the details and tones clearer.

I really like this image, as the tones, highlights and shadows are very clear in the face, which resembles Mapplethorpe's work. The contrast between the person and the background, and that image is taken from the side allows shape to be shown very clearly, which is what I like most about this picture. I think that editing this picture black and white would be very effective as the tones in the face will be emphasised.

Progression

If I was to shoot Mapplethorpe images in the studio again I would try to experiment with more compositions as I found in this shoot they were very limited. I would also try to replicate more of Mapplethorpe's compositions and look as his work in more detail in order to produce images which look more obviously inspired by Mapplethorpe. I would also try to make sure each image focused on the face as much as possible, and try to fit the faces in the frame without empty space in the frame.

 

The picture below is an example of Mapplethorpe's portrait photography. I really like the composition of this photo, and how it draws us to the face. During my Mapplethorpe shoot I didn't think about positioning the arms in different way like this, but I think it is very effective. Although there is a lot of space in the frame, we are still drawn to the face as it contrasts significantly against the dark background. After looking at this picture I feel inspired to try photographing people in  different like Mapplethorpe does to add interest to my photography but also to draw attention to the face like this one.

 

Straight images - Mapplethorpe Studio

Straight Images - Walk 1