Exam Prep - Idea 1

Photography Exam ‘Covert & Obscure’

By Amie Mitchell

Idea 1 ‘Locks & Keys’

My Intention of Idea 1: For my first idea for my AS photography exam, I would like to portray the ideas of privacy and secrecy, because I believe that they conform well to the theme, ‘Covert and Obscure’. In my opinion, every person at some stage in their life has had a secret that they would like to keep hidden from others. However, instead of photographing people for my first idea, I would like to photograph objects that relate to privacy instead. This is because I have taken a lot of portraits previously in my coursework, and I believe that by photographing objects, I will hopefully be able to portray more interesting and unique meanings. I would like to photograph objects such as locks and keys as they are highly associated with privacy, and the idea of keeping secrets covert. I am planning to photograph different types of locks, for example padlocks, at different angles in order to make my photographs as aesthetically pleasing and intricate as possible.

Written Analysis “Two Locks” By Dan Routh I really like this photograph, “Two Locks” by Dan Routh because I feel that the padlocks being the subject matter create a symbolic meaning of privacy and secrecy. These are meanings that I feel confine well with the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’ and are what I would like to portray in my work.

The obvious name of the image emphasises the simplicity of the photograph, however, it has been edited in a specific way to highlight the rustiness of the locks. This photograph inspires me to edit my photographs in a similar way, because I feel that it creates a sense of mystery. I interpret the fact that the locks are old and rusted as suggesting that they are able to keep things hidden and secret for a very long period of time. I would like to create meanings similar to this in my photographs, which result in people thinking about the deeper meaning of the image.

As well as this, the simplicity of the background means there are no objects to distract from the main attention of the two locks, and I feel this is essential for me to do when I take my set of photographs.

The composition of the photograph is one which I would like to recreate in my images. The image is very clear and crisp, with the main padlocks in focus. This results in them being the subject matter, and attracting people’s attention straight to them, as well as giving the photograph depth.

Written Analysis – Continued I really like the secretive aspect of the photograph that is symbolically portrayed. Because of the composition of the photograph it is not clear to see what the locks are protecting. If it is a building, the scratches on the wood could represent where people have previously tried to get in the building as they did not have a key to unlock the locks and enter. This could be a symbolic meaning of people trying to find out peoples secrets, or the frustration that can be caused when secrets are kept, especially in in relationships for example.

The colouring of the photograph connotes a sense of old age and a vintage feel because of the sepia effect. This is a connotation that I would also like to recreate in my set of photographs because I believe the meaning created, compliments the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’. The theme of old age could also be interpreted in the image. This could be in the form that secrets may have successfully been kept hidden for a very long period of time, due to the fact that the locks cannot be opened without the correct key. I would like to recreate this idea when editing my own images because I really like the idea of being able to keep secrets for a very long time, as this also means people become curious to find out what the secret is, but the restriction of not having the correct key to open the lock is there to prevent them from finding out the secret or entering the building that is being kept private.

It is likely that Routh used natural lighting when taking the photograph, because the fact that the padlocks are locked to wood suggest the fact that the image was taken outside. On the other hand, Routh could have used artificial lighting when taking the photograph, to highlight the locks. When I take my set of photographs I would like to use natural lighting as I believe that the use of artificial lighting could cause a flash back on the locks and therefore result in the images not looking professional at all. However, by using natural lighting I must also ensure that my images are not over exposed when I take them, so to prevent this I will have to take great care in making sure the ISO and shutter speed on the camera is at the correct position in order for me to take a well exposed photograph.

Initial Photos For Idea 1

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Evaluation of Initial Photos For my first set of photographs, I wanted to portray the theme of secrecy and privacy through objects and I thought that locks would be able to represent this in the best way. I wanted to experiment with close up photography, using my set of close up lenses, in order to hide what the lock is protecting. Therefore my aim was to create a sense of mystery as well as curiosity for the viewer. In addition to this, I wanted to experiment with different locations in my photographs in order to discover which environment that the locks portray the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’ the best.

I decided to photograph quite small locks to start with, and examples of this are images 1 &2. I quite like the composition of Image 1 because I feel that the focus on the key hole of the lock enhances the subject matter of the photograph, being the lock. I decided to photograph the key next to the lock to portray the idea that it may not fit, or the fact that it should be inside the lock, but is not.

This therefore obscures the purpose of the lock, which is the effect that I wanted to create. Similarly in image 2, I photographed a small lock, but this time I conveyed the lock protecting a diary. I really liked this idea because it is likely that everyone may have kept some form of diary in their life, containing their secrets. Therefore, more people would be able to relate to the image as it conveys the theme of keeping secrets covert as the lock is closed and the key cannot be seen.

As well as this, I wanted to use a variation of camera angles when taking my photographs in order to make them look more interesting and unique. For example, images 9 and 10 show how I experimented with taking photos of and through keyholes. I found this quite difficult to do as I wanted the background to be in focus for image 9. This meant I had to make sure the aperture of my photograph was balanced with the shutter speed in order to create the correct depth of field, whilst making sure the image was no over exposed or bleached. However, I managed to create the effect that I wanted in the photographs and I believe that the result created when done successfully, is worth the patience of making sure all the camera settings are correct before taking the photo. Furthermore, I edited image 9 so that the focused background behind the keyhole is in colour, to contrast with lowering the saturation of the outside of the keyhole. I wanted this to create the effect that the gate is a barrier, conveying the reality and truth of what is behind it.

In addition to this, I varied the type of camera angles that I used when taking my photographs, and an example of this can be seen in image 4. I wanted to have the lock as well as the chain in the image, and whilst doing this I was also experimenting with abstract lighting. I took the photograph outside so the lighting was completely natural, which enabled me to have a fast shutter speed.

Evaluation of Initial Photos Continued However, to create the illusion of the lock looking like a silhouette, I angled my camera in a position in front of the sun before taking the photograph quite liked the effect this gave because the viewer is unable to see details of the lock as it is covered and hidden by the blackness, resulting in the theme of Covert & Obscure being conveyed. I also felt this created quite an eerie atmosphere in the image, and I wanted to represent this in image 3 as well. Therefore, I composed the image in a way that natural lighting enabled details of the lock to be seen, but the gate surrounding it to be less visible. Furthermore, I adjusted the clarity & brightness and contrast of image 3 to convey a mysterious atmosphere which I feel also conveys the theme of Covert & Obscure, because it is not completely clear to see what the lock is protecting.

For images 5, 6, & 7, I wanted to emphasise the rustiness of the locks in order to portray the idea that they have been serving their purpose for a long time. As well as this I wanted to make the details of the lock to be as prominent as possible, in order to emphasise that the lock is the subject matter of the photograph. In order to do this, I made sure I adjusted the aperture on my camera to enable as much detail of the lock as possible to be visible. In addition to this, when editing the three images I increased the amount of clarity in order to emphasise details of the locks even more. I also cropped the images because when I took my set of photographs there was a lot of background visible in some of the images. By cropping them down it enabled the subject matter of the locks to be more prominent, which I feel made the photos look as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

When editing my set of photographs I also experimented with adding a sepia effect to some of the images. I did this in order to create a vintage feel, to convey the idea that the lock could be quite old. I wanted to create this idea to show that locks as an object have the capability to physically restrain people from getting to places, or to find things out that someone may not want them to know, i.e. secrets. In order to emphasise the vintage feel I adjusted the brightness and contrast of image 8, as well as the blacks and whites, to darken the image. Additionally, I also cropped the the image to maintain the focus of the image to be the keyhole in the lock, and for that to be the subject matter that my viewer would be immediately drawn to.

Overall, I am quite happy with my first set of initial photos for the ‘Covert and Obscure’ exam, because I feel that they connote the themes well. I also feel that by ensuring my photographs were correctly exposed and the aperture and shutter speed was adjusted correctly, this immediately made my photographs be of a high quality. With the basic editing I feel it improved them, but by developing my images, I can make them as interesting and unique as possible, to reinforce the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’.

Developmental Photos For Idea 2

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Evaluation of Developmental Photographs for Idea 1 When brainstorming ideas of how I wanted to develop my photographs, I had various ideas of how to develop them in order to portray the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’ in an interesting and unique way. However, in the end I decided to only develop the photos in two different ways.

Firstly, I decided to print out images of; 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 10, bury them in keys and then re-photograph them.

The idea that I wanted to convey by doing this was that you can have thousands of keys to try and open a lock, but it is possible that none of them may not work. Without the correct key to open a lock, it is impossible to get to what the lock is protecting, and this can be a positive as well as negative thing. The positive is that the person who has locked the lock can feel confident that it won’t be opened without the correct key, and that whatever they are trying to keep covert, remains that way. However, the negative is that it can be very frustrating for people that are trying to open the lock but can’t, as they don’t have the correct key. I feel that by burying my images, the keys could represent lies or secrets. This is because sometimes if a person lies and keeps important secrets, it can be hard to trust what they say is the truth. My aim was to represent this by ‘drowning’ the lock in keys, preventing it from being reached. This relates to the idea of not always being able to uncover the truth from someone who lies a lot.

Evaluation of Developmental Photographs for Idea 1 - Continued For the second developmental idea, I decided to print out images 3, 4 and 9, and burnt the edges of them with a small flame on a candle. I decided to do this because I wanted to convey the hidden meaning of destruction, and fire is one of the main causes of fatal destruction. I wanted to do this because I feel that if secrets are kept for a long time, they can end up causing destruction between two people if kept within a relationship, or between a family.

I then placed the burnt images on water, where they floated and I was able to re photograph them on the water. I really loved the effect that this gave the images, as the burnt edges of the photographs were highlighted by the ripples of water surrounding the images. This created a mysterious atmosphere within the photograph which I really liked, as I also believe it conveys the ‘obscure’ part of the main theme. However, placing the photographs on water is a technique that I don’t think will be possible for me to do in the duration of my photography exam when creating my final outcomes, but this is my favourite technique that I have experimented with, so far.

Finally, I am quite pleased with the outcome of my initial photographs and developments for idea 1 of my exam preparation. I really like how photographing locks conveys the theme of ‘Covert & Obscure’, through the smaller theme of secrecy. As well as this, I feel it is quite a unique idea, and by photographing objects rather than people, it has enabled me to think about deeper meanings of my photographs in detail.