Work Diary - Back of head (Studio)

Evaluation

I enjoyed the back of head studio shoot as the quality of the image was a lot better than the location shoot. This was because of the studio lighting which really brought out the different tones in each persons hair. I also preferred the studio shoot to the location shoot because I could shoot against plain coloured background which makes the image focus on the persons head, whereas with the location shoot the background sometimes distracted attention from the main point of the photo. I quite liked using the prop of a feather scarf as this made the images more unique, as it stood out against the plain background.

Something which I found was difficult about this shoot, is that it was hard to get very varied images and there was not many different compositions that could be created in the studio. Because of this many of my images looked very similar, but just with different coloured backgrounds. To overcome this I could have used more than one persons head in an image so that a larger variation of compositions could have been created.

I really like this picture I had taken during the back of head studio session. I like how the jacket and the background are the same colour, so that the bright pink scarf is really contrasting and vibrant. The highlights and shadows in the jacket create visual form and texture. I edited the colours in order to make the feather scarf stand out even more, so that this image shows contrast as well as back of head. The prop causers the image to be quite unusual and abstract which I really like about it. 

Because Vandana has very dark hair, it is hard to see the back of her head against the black background. The pink scarf is the only thing that can really be seen in the picture which defeats the purpose of the shoot. If I was to shoot this image again I would shoot against a different colour background so that the back of head could be seen a lot more clearly.

Progression

If I was to shoot back of head portraiture in the studio again i would experiment with different angles, as in this shoot I shot every picture from the same angle. I would also experiment with different compositions by using more than one head in each picture, which would also make the images more interesting, and take up some of the space in the frame. I would use appropriate backgrounds depending on the colour of the persons hair, as in this shoot it is hard to see the persons head against the background. I feel that the use of props really benefitted my work so I would experiment with more of these if I was to do this shoot again.

This picture below has given me quite a lot of inspiration for back of head photography. With mine, I have only been focussing on the actual head, and been close ups of it, however this image showed me that you can still have a goo back of head image but with more in the frame, like various props. This is a lot more interesting than a simple image of a head, and has a lot more meaning. In this picture the head only takes up a small amount of the frame, but this allows us to see more details in the frame like the guitar which I think really makes the image. After looking at this picture I really want to try and take similar back of head images like this, that include props and more content in the frame rather than just the head.

Straight Images - Back Of Head (Studio)

Work Diary - Back of head (location)

Evaluation

I really enjoyed the back of head location shoot. I found it was different to photographing the formal elements like I had previously done, as it enabled me to be more creative. It was enjoyable looking for interesting backgrounds to shoot the back of head in front of, and after shooting in front of obvious background like walls, I tried looking for more interesting backgrounds. I also began taking pictures with two heads in the frame and took them from different angles instead of shooting just one head from straight on. This enabled me to create a larger variation of compositions, as I have more in the frame. I was also able to experiment with a different setting on the camera as an aim of the task was to make the background of the photo blurred, but the head focussed. At first this did not work well however the more I tried, the more effective the images looked. This blurring allowed the images to show depth, as well as back of heads. 

Something tricky about this task was that It was hard to get very varied pictures. It was hard to think of many compositions that you could create using just the back of the head, so a lot of my images ended up similar. Despite this I tried to overcome this by including more than one head and using a variety of different camera angles. I tried to find more interesting and unusual backgrounds to shoot against to also overcome this. 

I like this picture i had taken during the back of head location session. I like how there are two heads in the frame rather than one, and this shows depth as the head nearest the camera is clearer than the one further away. I also like the background of the photo, and how it is not just plain and shows some of the surroundings. I realised that this camera showed contrast quite well, as both people are wearing dark clothes and have dark/dull hair which really contrasts against the vivid colours of the nature in front of them.

This was the first image i had taken during the session. The background has blurred very well so that depth is clearly shown in the image. The back of the head is very focused so that the different tones in the hair are visible, and the texture of it. the dark hair contrasts against the vivid colours of the nature in the background which I think improves the image. Despite these positive aspects, I feel that this image would have been a lot better if it was not as zoomed, so that the whole lengths of hair could have been visible. I also think there is a bit too much space in the frame, as the focus is supposed to be on the back of head rather than the background.

Progression

If I was to go out and shoot back of head location pictures again i would try even more different angles in order to get a larger variety of images, and use more heads in order to create lots of different compositions. I would also use a larger variation of backgrounds to avoid images being very similar. If I found a good background, I could take lots of images of the heads in front of it but from a range of different angles, so that I had a larger chance of taking a good image.

The image below is an example of the kind of back of head photography I would like to achieve in the future. It is quite different from the shots I had taken. Mine had been very focused on the back of the head, rather than the surroundings or other content in the frame. In this photo the head only takes up a small part of the frame, so that the position of the person and the surroundings are visible. This has inspired me to focus a bit more on the other content in the frame rather than just the head, because although the back of head is the main focus, the surroundings or position of the person can completely change the feel of the image and add a lot of interest to it.

 

Straight images - back of head portraiture

Defining Portraiture

Dictionary definition: 

Portraiture: the art of painting or taking portraits.
Portrait: a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders.

In this photo, a black and white effect is used so that the tones in the face are more visible. Because of these different tones being showed, the for of the face is more obvious which makes that facial features clearer. The background is also blurred and plain so that the focus is on the face. 

This photo is in colour however the tones in the face can still be seen due to the highlights and shadows which emphasises the form. the background is plain black to that the focus is on the face. 

Portraits can be taken from different angles and this one is a side view of the face. It is in colour so however the facial features are sill visible due to lighting. The background is plain and blurred while the face is very focussed to that the man is the focus of the image. 

Instead of a black and white effect, other colours can be used because we can still clearly see the different tones in this colour. This is not black and white but navy which makes it more unique. The picture is also taken very close up so that the features can be clearly seen. 

My own definition of portraiture: The art of painting, drawing, or taking a picture of the face of a person. 

Image Bank - Potraiture

These six images are all portraits. After looking at portrait photography I realised that most of it is in black and white. This is so that the tones in the face are visible in order to show form. Portrait photography is also often taken very close up so that the features of the face are clear and detailed. Complex backgrounds tend to distract attention away from the main aspect of the photo, the face, so most portrait background are very subtle or blurred out. In some portraits like the photo at the bottom, one specific feature is focused on. The mans face is black and white however his eyes are still coloured, so this is what we focussed on.