Choose your own title - Snippet of Summer

Had to upload to Vimeo as the content was too large to upload here. All footage taken in Devon and Portugal.

In my opinion

For this shoot I found it very hard to think of something which went with the title 'in my opinion', when I was on holiday in Portugal I saw many of this round, emphasising the danger of the sea and strong tides, along with the equipment and people needed to watch and keep people safe when at the beach and in the sea. This meant that the main idea for this shoot was 'safety', focusing on the signs warning of this danger, what to do, along with the equipment the lifeguards use if they need to save someone or how they show they are in charge and have authority. My favourite part of this shoot is the colours, as I love the deep red colour in every shoot emphasise danger.

What is it?

I took this shoot again at the beach, trying to find things which may be obvious to recognise but whom some may have to think twice about what it is. I especially like the colours portrayed in this shoot, the richness of them and the deep contrast, really emphasised by the natural lighting and the sharpness I tried to get in these images. I also tried to vary the colour with no images having a similar colour pattern, apart from the surrounding sand in three of the four images. I especially like the deep blue sky in the images with the yellow and white stripes as I think it provides a really nice contrast with that of the other colours with are a lot more light and dull, with the blue being rich and strong. Natural lighting and the idea of having a main subject and focus allowed these images to have a good sharpness to them and to be very clear, there was only one images where I struggled with keeping the focus on the part that I wanted it on within the image.

Same subject, four angles

This was quite a random shoot for me, being on holiday in Portugal I was trying to rack my brain for ideas, it wasn't until one day when I was at the beach did I realise that I was looking around in so many different directions of the beach around me and viewing it from many different angles... This gave me the idea for this shoot. I varied the images, some having almost an obstacle in the slight way, such as my legs and then the vast surroundings around them or the shoes with he large depth of sand and the small people in the background, looking tiny compared to the shoes. There was only one image where I used the largest depth of field and did not have a main focus, allowing the whole of my surroundings to be incorporated into one and show the depth of the beach and the mass of people and landscape that was present. Natural light really helped with the colours in this shoot, allowing them to be very easy to edit.

My favourite.. Companion

This title presented me with quite a lot of difficulty as I was not sure what I should take images on, however at this point I was in Devon and travelling to many different places with family and friends including my dog, thus causing me to automatically take many images of the dog.. Giving me the idea that he would be most suitable for this shoot. I especially love the angles that some of these images are taken at, the one where he is looking ahead of where I am and where I am at a lower angle to him. I think the images almost portray certain moods, with a lot of them being taken at the beach where he feels energetic and happy, portrayed in the photos with the playful manner being expressed throughout. I used a shallow depth of field in the majority of these images, sticking to a key main focus being my dog and not allowing anything else to be in the image with him. Natural lighting was a huge part of this shoot, with the sun being out in only a minuet few of the images but really enhancing the colours when the sun was. I think if I was to do this shoot again I could maybe try to not centre my dog in the images as much as maybe include more within each image.

Morning light

I really enjoyed this shoot, taking the photos very early morning, with the natural lighting looking great in these images. I think the angles and the subjects of my images are very unique and almost random. Taking photos of my car on the road, especially liking how the door is open as I had just got out of it, with the lights still on.. Emphasising how it is still very early. I vary between animal, person and man made which I think works well and looks cool. I did not centre all my images, wanting more of a wide depth of field (apart from the horse image), this was because I wanted to have more of the background visible, allowing more light to be entered in, along with the different angles allowing the composition to be more interesting and dynamic. If I was to take this shoot again I would maybe try to vary he colour as the overall colour in the shoot is very similar and maybe have more of a defined focus instead of lots of random things.

Self portrait

I like many others found the idea of self portrait a bit daunting, as many find it difficult to take a picture of themselves and like it. Because of this I did not want the idea of having my face to be in the images, as not only did I think this would take longer I would take too much time thinking about different facial expressions etc which I didn't not think was needed. This meant that I took photos of myself, from different angles avoiding the face. Throughout all the images I placed my arm in the photo, where I was wearing a watch and some bracelets, this was my main focus and subject in this images as these images are very basic, and I think by adding this in it added a slight dimension to the images. I especially liked the angles I took these in, with some taking place when I was sitting and standing and either the focus being on my legs or my shoulders etc. I think this shoot is technically fine and does what it says but I do think if I was to do this shoot again I would try to make it more interesting as it is almost too simple.

Looking up, looking down

For this shoot I simply used what was around me as the subject for this shoot, whether that was my dog, the sky, scenery etc. I varied the depth of field in this shoot, with some of the images having either a specific subject or more emphasis on detail, with some having a large depth of field (such as the sky image). The use of natural lighting was a large aspect in this shoot, with the sun starting to set, creating not only a nice light but making the sky looking very picturesque, this enabled me when editing them to brighten or darken the images very easily through the light that I had captured in the shoot. The majority of my subjects in this shoot are positioned in the middle of the image, purely because it was not only easier but I was also not looking to vary the position of any model or prop etc, I also wanted to use my hands etc to create another thing to focus on in some of the shoots. My favourite part of this shoot is the colours, and the variety of the images.

Frame your subject

For this shoot my focus was on the water droplets.. With this being the 'subject' for my frame. I increased the shutter speed so that it was very quick, allowing me to capture movement as quick as possible, thus being able to capture the water droplets on this shoot. I kept to a shallow depth of field as this allowed the sharpness of the water droplets to be emphasised and exaggerated as I think if I took the photos from further away it would become very difficult to focus on the subject. I placed the flash on for this shoot, causing the water to have quite a blue tint to it, caused by the flash and the clear bowl that the water was in. I think the flash was almost a bit too bright and the use of a flash gun may of made this shoot a lot easier. The water is the obvious subject of the image, trying to centre the water droplets in the middle of the image as best as possible but it was hard for the person who was dropping the water into the bowl to aim directly in the middle. I also used manual focus as without this the camera struggled to focus onto the water, with my tripod making the shoot a lot easier. To improve my shoot I think I could of varied by trying to add different colours to the water but when I did this it either was not the right colour or looked odd, I would like to experiment more with this if I was going to re do this shoot at another stage.

Their artist study reflects ‘dynamic black and white’ really well, gaining ideas from the photographer Daniel Hackman. They were influenced by Hackman’s use of composition and the angles and edges of his images. They clearly understood the work of their artist well, gaining ideas from his work and taking their images in a style similar to his but placing their own idea into it, with their images being taken in less of an urban setting then that of Hackman’s. Her shoot reflects the artist really well, especially through the black and white and the angles she has taken her images at, being similar to that of Hackman’s work. Even though they gained ideas from Hackman they have made the work their own, and simply taken his ideas under their wing instead of actually full on copying them, allowing them to delve deeper and to almost develop Hackman’s photography to create something which suits her style of photography.

They have not yet included if they think they succeeded in meeting their intentions but it is clear that they looked at their artist in detail and thought about the work and type of photographs they should take, before taking them. I especially like the composition and angles and the editing they have placed on them, being simple and not to dramatic. They have not repeated themselves in their attention, but it lacks detail which I am sure will be fulfilled in time.

I cannot yet give a mark for the annotation as she is still in the process of completing it.

Dynamic Black and White - week two (inspired by Daniel Hackmann)

I took inspiration from Daniel Hackmann’s images and how he explores composition. I like his use of angles and edges in his images which is what I tried to portray in my own work.

The influence for my shoot was Edward Weston, who focused on still life photography and capturing the intricate detail of such things as fruits and shells. I have replicated this in my work through taking and using the idea of ‘shells’ and tried to capture the intense detail when zoomed in onto the shells about what they consist of. I think I achieved this quite well, being especially proud of the two images of the fossil/shell with the intense detail, taking two images of this from different angles then editing them later on to add in the black and white and try to make the details stand out as much as possible. I looked at the artist in quite a lot of detail so although I think I copied his ideas well, I could have probably taken more images which consisted of a whole shell like many of Weston’s images, unlike mine which tended to be a particular part of a shell.

I tried to encourage natural lighting in this shoot to bring out the shells as much as possible and to emphasise them, struggling to know where to place them as I was doing this shoot at home, I placed them by a window allowing the sun and brightness to help show and exaggerate the features of the shell which I think benefited me when it came to the final editing of the images. I took every image with a shallow depth of field to again focus in on the detail, wanting the detail and delicacy of the shells to be the focus in this shoot. I placed my camera onto manual focus in this shoot as with auto focus I found it too hard to focus in and to get a completely crisp, clear picture, with this being one of the main struggles in this shoot.

As emphasised earlier, the subject of my images was the detail and individuality of each shell, focusing on different aspects that each shell had that the other one didn’t, with some having more smaller details, and some having more larger details. I think by picking shells/fossils which had the majority had a lot of little details allowed the title ‘dynamic black and white’ to be shown, by firstly taking something which you would not automatically take, along with the twists and turns of each shell, allowing the images to delve into different colours of black, grey and almost white. I am most pleased with the depth of field in my shoot.

I think to improve this shoot I would of used only the fossil/shell and place two of them together and zoom out slightly to allow more of the surroundings and the two of the fossils/shells to work together and to link to more images similar to that of Edward Weston.

Edward Weston was born March 24, 1886, in Highland Park, Illinois, he was born in an older time period meaning all his images are produced into black and white because of the limitations of the photography development at this time. He spent the majority of his childhood in Chicago and began taking photos when he was sixteen. In 1906 he moved to California after the first photographs had been publicised in camera and darkroom to enable him to continue on with his work. He became successful working in soft-focus, using a pictorial style, winning many salons and professional awards. Weston also gained an international reputation for his high key portraits. Weston made a series of monumental close-ups of seashells, peppers, and halved cabbages, bringing out the rich textures of their sculpture-like forms, being this which earned him the most recognition worldwide. He was said to be one of the most innovative and influential American photographers of all time.

The images I have chosen to look at by Weston are from a series of close-ups, basing the images I gained my ideas from being from the ‘seashells’ part of the series. The main aim of this series to Weston was to bring out the textures of each object he takes and to make them look almost unique and sculpture like, almost taking away the real life factor from them. I think these type of images appeal to anyone interested in photography as they are unique and interesting and capture the eye, however I think it will especially appeal to not only photographers interested in black and white but also those interested into taking something simple and focusing in on the intense detail and capturing it in a different light.

The subject of each image is the object placed in the image (prop), with Weston capturing this in different ways, through different forms of composition, placement and lighting. The meaning behind the images to me is I think to express the idea of delicacy, and the intricate design of such objects which may at first glance not be noticed, and how one thing can be depicted in many different ways, from taking an image to making it look like something completely different. The majority of equipment being used is simple as Weston took these photos where cameras and lenses were not as advanced, which I think not only shows the intense difficulty of his images but his pure talent in producing images which many now may struggle to do, even with the extensive kit on offer today for photography. The image is quite a light texture, with nothing being visible in the image apart from the object itself, with the background being darkened out and the object being the lightest part of the image.

I think their work reflects their artist really well, with at first glance struggling to find whose work was the artist and whose work was hers.

Her annotation explains to an extent what she was influenced by from the photographer, stating how she copied the black and white effect within her shoot, basing this on being the most successful part of her shoot and helping to bring out her images with the extensive textures etc which she claimed was visible after placing this effect upon them. She also picked up upon the mood the photographer shoots and the theme present throughout which she copied well within her shoot.

They clearly understood their artist well with the images being very similar but adding her own touch to them, shown through the models slightly different poses to that of the artists models that she gained ideas from. It is clear that they looked intensively at the artist before taking this shoot.

The artist study is reflected very well throughout the shoot, clear throughout that this is the artist she gained ideas from, meaning no questions are raised.

Although the images are very similar to the artist themselves, I do not believe it is pure copy, simply because she varied the poses in which her model did, different from that of her artist but clearly tried to gain ideas from this, copying the editing style as well after taking the original images.

They have explained briefly how they met their intentions, stating they thought they copied and gained ideas from the artist well, however the annotation is slightly too short and she would benefit from going into a tad more detail on certain aspects to allow her knowledge to be expressed further and be shown.

The shoot itself is a very clever depiction of ‘faceless portraits’, going down more of the route of editing and digital manipulation, incorporating natural and unnatural together. The shoot is technically very impressive and well executed.

However they repeated the aspect of ‘black and white’ slightly too much and would of benefited from broadening out and talking about other aspects as well.

Annotation mark out of 16 – 10/16  ----- if more detail was included it would have been a lot more of a higher mark as the shoot itself is very good.

WK 2 FACELESS PORTRAITURE - For this shoot I was inspired by Noell Oszvald, a Spanish photographer that creates moods of dismay and negativity as well as creating beautiful images. I have twisted the photographers work into my own version of it and I think I did this successfully. All my images are in black and white as the photographers images are in black and white; I also think that the black and white picture adds a really beautiful effect on my model and image atmosphere as it brings out textures and tones which are not visible to the eye when the image is in colour.

The influence for my shoot was definitely the artist Kyle Sipple, purely because I love the way in which he takes his images and the style shown throughout his work, with his images all emphasising the idea of exploring, with him allowing the location and model to work together within each individual image.

I have replicated this in my work by focusing on the models stance within many of his photos and trying to copy this in my shoot, as the locations he uses tend to be a lot more detailed and breath-taking then anywhere that I could find nearby or in England for that matter.

I think what was most successful which depicted my artist was the use of the model and the poses at which were similar to the models within the photographs he had taken. However I think I could improve my images to suit my artist study more by varying what I did with the model or by adding more people and picking different locations as I think the majority of the images are slightly too similar.

I focused on composition, lighting and depth of field within my shoot, allowing natural lighting around me to bring out the sharpness and detail at which the model can be seen. The composition I tried to vary, but trying to have a focus throughout, being either the bag or the t-shirt, with only zooming out slightly on one image to try to gather more of the surrounding.  

The subject of my images is the model and the stance he portrays, along with using the background in focus enough to compliment the model and to help acclimatise him to the surroundings in a way which is similar to the artist’s work. I am most pleased with the colours and the way the models clothing stands out within the surroundings.

However I think I could of paid more attention to the shoot and tried to work on it more to get better results, as although I think the images work they could have been better and supported the artist study slightly better.

The photographer I chose for this shoot was Kyle Sipple, as his work stood out to me and interested me, and I wanted this theme and type of work to be the way I gained ideas for this shoot. Sipple is based in Salt Lake City in Utah and has gained much of his recognition through Instagram, having a wide base of followers who like, comment and give him support daily. He produces work mainly for his own personal enjoyment and fulfilment, but with a specific theme present throughout, possibly suggesting his love for travel and discovering new places, with each photograph he takes having an element of landscape photography and portrait and people photography combined, which I personally feel is challenge to make the two work together successfully. He is self-taught and expresses his love of photography through social media.

The images I picked to base my shoot upon are similar in the theme and colouration of each image but have either been taken in different locations and with different models, portraying different feelings and emotions in each image, with each image having an individual message and individual theme, but it is clear that he has a certain style of photography shown within all the images he takes. The images spring out to a wide audience, not having anyone they specifically appeal to, allowing Sipple to develop a wide fan base and appeal to a large amount of people from his initial idea of take a picture of what he believes looks good and posting, allowing for anyone of any age or preference of photography to view.

The focus in the images I took from his work tends to be the model incorporated with the background, with Sipple choosing diverse backgrounds and locations to enable the image to stand out more, the images I chose the models are facing away from the camera, which I chose because of the initial subject of this shoot, being ‘faceless portraits’. I believe the meaning  behind his images are heavily linked to travel and adventure, he does not overly edit his images, only allowing for the intense colours he captures to stand out more.

Sipple himself does the type of photography I have always wanted to replicate in one form or another.