Wednesday 10 February 2016
London Documentary - Work Diary
On the 28th January 2016, my photography class went on a trip into London. We were visiting the Science Museum in order to view two photography exhibitions there - Alec Soth and Julia Margaret Cameron. After visiting the museums we went into Trafalgar Square in order to take pictures for our 4th plinth project. Before meeting my class at the museum, I decided to go to Camden as this is where I wanted to photograph for documetary.
This is one of my favourite images from the day. I really like how there are mostly brown and black tones in the images from the bricked walls and cobbled paths, but the vibrance of the van makes the picture really pop and brings attention to the woman in the centre of the picture. In Photoshop, I turned up the vibrance and contrast slightly to brighten the colours more and therefore make the picture more eye-catching.
When I first took this picture, I really liked it and planned to use it in my straight images. But, when I uploaded it to the computer and looked at it on Photoshop, I realised that the background was in focus and the statute was slightly blurred which I didn't like. This is something that could not have been fixed in Photoshop as trying the sharped the statue did not work and so I could not use it.
Progression
If I were to do this again, I would ensure that I took multiple pictures of the same thing to ensure that, if the first went wrong, the others came out well. I would also try to take more pictures of people as I mainly focussed on the landscapes and surroundings and would like to capture the people in a place. I would also like to do a documentary shoot at night as I feel I could capture a completely different way of life.
Monday 8 February 2016
4th Plinth Project - Work Diary
For our 4th Plinth project, we were tasked with creating composite images by first shooting images of our chosen objects in the studio and the taking images of landscapes in London. Once back in lesson, we were tasked with editing these images by placing the objects into the landscapes in different ways. I really liked this task as it enabled me to experiment with new Photoshop techniques and I was able to go in any direction I wished. The objects I chose were a cup and saucer, a book on British monarchy and a Harry Potter luggage photo frame. I chose these as I felt they would work really well and, as I would be shooting the landscapes in London, felt these objects would tie in well as they are stereotypically British things. Below is an image that I liked and one I did not like.
This is my favourite image from the project. I feel that the cup fits well in the photo as it looks like it is being filled up by the water from the fountain. I used a layer mask on this photograph and painted over the bottom on the saucer in order to make it look as though the cup is floating in the fountain so that it looks more natural. This is the reason I liked this image, as I feel that the overall image works well.
This was an image that I did not like. Whilst I liked the original image on its own, I feel that the cup and saucer, when edited into the photo, seems very out of place and doesn't seem to fit. Whilst it is the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland having a 'tea party' and so the idea of a cup and saucer should work, I feel that the placement of the object is why it does not fit.
Progression
If I were to work on this project again, I would shoot pictures of more objects so that I had more options of what top place into my images. Also, I would think more about my objects when taking images of the landscapes as I did not do this during the project and feel this is why I struggled when it came to making my objects fit in images.
Connecting Essay 5
This image has captured the movement of the train in a capturing way. The photographer would have used a slow shutter speed in order to create this image as we can almost see through the train, meaning that the image had been taken before the train started passing through the frame. I like how the slow shutter speed has made the train almost look like streaks of light going through the image.
To create this image, I set the shutter speed to 1/1.25 so that I could capture the movement of the train but keep it so that you could see the colours and the design of the train as these colours are widely known to being connected with the London underground. To enhance the colours, I edited the vibrance in Photoshop and then, using the quick select tool, I turned anything that wasn't the train into black and white to make the colours pop.
The main similarity between these images is the fact that they have both captured the movement of the London underground trains. As a result of the same trains being used, the colours are very similar which makes the images look even more alike.
There are quite a few differences between the two images. For example, the first is in full colour whilst I have chosen to use colour manipulation in order to bring more focus towards the colours of the train. Furthermore, I have focussed my camera towards the train and stood quite close to ensure that my picture was of only the train and not of the platform. The first picture, on the other hand, is taken from quite far back and includes the platform in the image, which shows the people on the platform walking as well as the train moving. A final difference is the speed of shutter speed - the first has used a slower shutter speed in order to capture more movement.
Connecting Essay 4
I really like how vibrant the flower is in this image as it really makes it pop against the out-of-focus, slightly saturated, green background and draws you in. This image is not only an example of colour photography as it also captures movement with how it has photographed the wasp flying next to the flower.
In Photoshop, I edited the vibrance and contrast in this image to make the pink in the flowers seem much brighter and therefore pop. I like the effect this gave as the brightness brought out the details in the image and allows the viewer of the image see all of the small flowers that make up the plant.
Both images are very similar. For example, they both use very bright pink flowers as the main subjects of the image and both have a background of green leaves and stalks. The flowers used are both very similar as they are both made up of groups of smaller flowers. Also, both images use a narrow depth of field to make the background out of focus and therefore bring the attention more to the flowers.
Although the images are so similar, there are still some differences. The clearest difference is that, in the first image, we see a wasp flying next to the flower. This is not seen in the second image. Also, in the my image, there is a larger bunch of flowers shown, whereas in the first is focuses on just the one flower.
Connecting Essay 3
This image is by photographer Francesca Woodman. Whilst it does not make it clear that the girl in the mirror is also the girl holding it, that we can safely assume that it is due to the girls skin tone and her outfit. I like how the girl is facing the other way and appears to be covering her face as we cannot see her arms/hands, as it implies that she is hiding and connotes mystery in the image. I think that the fact that the girl is clearly standing quite a distance away from the mirror is very capturing as it therefore meant that she did not line up perfectly in the mirror.
Using Photoshop and two separate images, I edited in the top portion of my model into the mirror as I though this created quite a surreal effect. I decided to do this as I though it would look quite eye-catching and was a good example of image manipulation as she is holding the mirror but, at the same time, looks as though she is looking into it.
Both images use image manipulation to edit the model into the mirror that they are holding. I really like this technique as it is quite surreal and really draws the viewer in due to how different it is. Also, both images have the model hold the mirror from the waist up, showing the top half of their body in the mirror. Whilst they both use the same technique, they are quite different images.
The first difference between these images is the way that the model is standing in the image. In the first, she is facing way from the mirror and appears to be slightly leant forward and covering her face. In my image, the model is standing up straight and looking right into the camera. Another difference is that the first image is black and white, adding an air of mystery, whilst my image has a pop of colour with the girls top, making it stand out more. A further difference is that the first image was shot in a field setting whilst mine was in a studio.
Connecting Essay 2
The use of narrow depth of field in this image really draws your eye to the centre of the image, bringing your focus to the droplets of water sitting on the leaf. As there are only a few droplets, it makes them stand out that much more as your focus is mostly lead to the one in the centre. I like how there is only one colour in the picture as it doesn't draw the attention away from the main focus of the image but adds to it subtly.
I like how I used narrow depth of field in this image to draw the viewer to look at the part of the plant coming towards the camera. The depth of field is very narrow as the only part of the image in focus is the centre of the mentioned stalk, but I like this as it created one specific focal point in the image in a small and subtle way.
Both images uses narrow depth of field to show droplets of water sitting on plants and both mainly use the colour green due to the plants that they are capturing in the images. The both also have the part of the image that is in focus in the centre, rather than at the front or the back of the image. Another similarity is that both images show a large portion of the image, allowing us to see all of the different stalks and branches.
There are some differences between the two images. For example, my image seems to have lots more water on the plant than the first image, implying that most of the water had perhaps dried up by the time that the photographer took the picture. Also, the first picture seems darker than mine, so it may have been taken in a darker environment or at a later time as mine was taken in a bright environment at midday.
Connecting Essay 1
Above is an image of a red double decker bus in front of Big Ben. The location which the image was taken in is clear as Big Ben and red buses are iconic symbols of London. The photographer has used selective colour manipulation to only have the bus in colour. This makes it pop and brings your focus immediately towards it.
I like how the background is quite ordinary and so does not bring attention away from the buses, unlike the first image. I kept the background light in this image as I felt it would make the colour seem brighter and it would also make it pop more as I thought that a darker background would not create as much contrast.
There are a couple of similarities between the two pictures. The first and most obvious similarity is the use of selective colour manipulation as both the first image and my image use colour manipulation to keep the main object - in this case, the bus - in colour but the background in black and white. The second similarity is that both images use red double decker buses as the main object, therefore both image have connotations of London stereotypes as red double decker buses are a symbol of London.
There are also differences in the images. For example, the first image features a landmark - the Big Ben - in the background. In my image, the buses are sat and in an urban setting. It can be assumed that it is a bus stop as there are multiple buses. Also, whilst in the first image you see that there is one bus moving down the road towards the camera, in the second you see the back of two stationary buses.
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