Photography Process Diary
Early Pho
otograhpy
FIRST "CAMERA" Pinhole camera "Camera Obscura" by Ibn AlHaytham. (Reflected or "projected" an image from outside a small dark room, upside down onto a wall inside to be copied/etched by the "photographer".)
1500
FIRST CELLULOID FILM FIRST PHOTO PROCESS
The first celloid film camera was invented by George The first practical photo Eastman called the KODAK. process was manufactured This model had a “fixedcalled the Daguerreotype focus lens and one shutter Camera after its creator speed” but was inexpensive Louis Daguerre. Images and easy to transport. taken on silver-plated sheets Photos still had to be were “fixed” with mercury developed by company. and salt solution.
1888
1837 1816 FIRST CAPTURED IMAGE Nicéphore Niépce invented smaller version of Camera Obscura and printed images by exposing silver chloride coated paper to light to create contrasts/shadows. Pictures would fade completely when exposed to too much light.
History of 1878 FIRST ANALOG CAMERA “Instantaneous” shooting and printing invented by using heat-sensitive gelatin (Richard Leach Maddox). This made bulky portable cameras available, leading to the popular increase of candid portraiture.
FIRST DSLR FIRST POLAROID CAMERA First instant print model by Edwin Land called a Land camera. A very popular model that’s structure/ concept is popular today. Highest-selling camera model ever. Also, the first automatic exposure and light meter in the lense were applied.
Save photos digitally, higher processor, and digital sensor.
1975
1948
f Camera 1900 FIRST BROWNIE BOX CAMERA
1975 FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA
Based off NASA satellite model. Sony Mavica. First Snapshot photography, camera to record as a digital videography, multiple file. exposures and higher quality print through George Eastman.
2018 DIGITAL INCREASE iPhone cameras are now being used in portraiture with ability to record 1080P video and 4K photo quality. DSLRs are now able to transfer stored images through wifi.
https://www.photoancestry.com/history-of-cameras-and-photography.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera#Camera_obscura
Tools
Tools As photography technology increases so does the amount of equipment being made available for photographers both amateur and professional alike. The standard camera setup (a body and a lens) is a primary start, however, with addition of such things as lighting, monitors, tripods and ample experimentation, the photographing process is amplified as well as ultimately the outcomes.
L I G H T I N G
LIGHTING IN THE STUDIO: Lighting can either be in a controlled environment or otherwise. In a controlled environment such a studio there is lighting equipment to create moods, shapes, and colours that enhance the purpose and character of a subject.
HARSH LIGHTING: Harsh lighting is created by using a bare flash head/power pack to light a subject. This form of lighting creates harsh shadows and can wash out a subject if used incorrectly.
SOFT LIGHTING: Soft lighting, particularly in portraiture and professional modelling photography, is the most common form of lighting as it highlights the face while not enhancing blemishes, harsh lines or and shadows that might make the person seem tired or textured.
COLOURED/MULTIPLE LIGHTING: Colourful lighting can be used to create moods, add a creative flair to a regular photoshoot or incorporate - thread colour throughout a design. I personally don’t like too much colour filtering in my photographs, but I would love to try out this form of lighting to see how different colours affect skin tone and mood.
Photography Techniques
The Basics: Photography techniques are the basis for successful photography as well as the creation and explanantion of emotions through photographic depictions. Though these techniques do not have to applied in every photograph for it to be deemed a "good one" it is necessary for a person to understand the basic rules so that there is a guide of how your audience will depict what you have captured. The basics of photography composition starts with elements that create the photograph: the ISO, aperture and shutter speed otherwise referred to as the Exposure Triangle. When these three are in harmonious alignment - there is a balanced exposure (the amount of light exposure to a lense senor) - and ultimately, creating a balanced replication of the scene in front of you.
ISO
APERTURE
Light Sensitivity - Lower ISO for lower sensitivity (usually brighter lighting situations [such as day time]) - Higher ISO for higher (usually for darker lighting situations [such as night time]) Higher ISO creates grain
Depth of Field "Pupil" of the camera
HARMONIOUS EXPOSURE Length of time shutter is open - The longer the shutter is open, the more motion is captured and more light let in - The less time the shutter is open, the sharper a picture is when in motion, and the less light is let in 1/4 of a second The slower the shutter creates blur
SHUTTER SPEED
- Expanded aperture for more light to be let in (overexposed in bright light) - Narrower aperture for less light to be let in (under exposed in dark lighting) F-Stop (f/8)
The Basics Explained :
ISO: Aperture (AV): Shutter Speed:
ISO is referred to as being the camera's sensor's sensitivity to light. This means that the higher the ISO the more sensitive the sensor becomes - this is particularly good in darker situations as this allows the camera to pick up the light in that is naturally in the room. With higher ISO however, there is a texture that appears in your photos described as grain or noise. In contrast, the lower the ISO the more crisp the picture becomes. Most portraits will have quite a lot of assisted lighting in order to have a balanced contrast without the use of a higher ISO which would make the pictures less crisp. Purposeful use of higher or low ISOs can give extra meaning to a picture by making it look HQ or a more vintage photo.
Depth of field and the sharpness of a photo is determined by the Aperture. This depth of field is most prominent in portrait as the focal point is in focus and the other things are blurred so that your eye is focus on that. Aperture is also referred to the "pupil" of the camera because as you open it wider, the more light is let into the camera and the more it's closed, the less light is let into the sensor. The wider the aperture - the more exposed a photo becomes and the smaller the aperture - the less exposed a photo becomes.
The loud sound that happens when click the trigger of a camera is the sound of the shutter closing - subsequently "capturing" a photo. The shutter open and shuts much similar to blinking which allows light to hit the sensor. How fast the shutter opens and closes is divided by 1/4 of a second. The lower the shutter speed, the longer the sensor is exposed to light and therefore, the more motion and light is captured. These pictures work best is low light/night time conditions as in day light, the pictures become over exposed due to prolonged sensor exposure. The shorter amount of time the shutter is open for allows for a sharper photo of motion and also a less amount of light.
1
2
Simplicity "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Leonardo Da Vinci. In photography, it is easy to want a photo to look a certain way and spend ages working and angling when all you need to do is simple shoot. Don't try to force a photograph. As a photographer, our job is to pick a focal point for the eye and lead them to it. simplify the shot, focus on framing and capturing that main component. Personal Reflection: I personally struggle with overthinking a photograph. I spent minutes simply trying to make it similar to other photos I’ve seen. I’ve noticed that by doing this, I restrict my photos and by forcing it to be a certain way there is no way to experiment and find something that might better suit the shot’s overall feel. The more I’ve experimented, I found that by simply finding my focal point and moving constantly, I am better able to focus on the subject rather than the structure of the photo itself - which ultimately reflects the subject. I hope to further enhance this skill in the future.
Framing Framing is extremely important in photography as it directly outlines what the viewer needs to focus on. If there is too much space, there is possibility of the image being overcluttered and not leading the eye and if it is too empty, it can be simply displeasing or meaningless. Personal Reflection: The more I look at successful photographs, I am able to better grasp the concept of framing. Beginning photography, I didn’t know the best way to frame things - what shots to restrict and which to leave wide - which concluded with most of my shots being either too cluttered or empty. In order to help myself to improve, I take at least 3 shots of each thing I photograph at different distances in order to find which best suits the subject. I notice that it’s a slower process, but it enables me to not only find a shot that works, but also note what might have made the failed shots better so that I can improve in the future.
3
Ratio Aspect ratio is at what height/width a picture is framed in a photograph (most photos are generally standardised around a 4:3 ratio). By using different ratios, there gives opportunity to experiement with different framing styles and content capture. These ratios even sometimes help make a picture form recognisable: e.g. panoramas have a wide ratio and portraits have a tall ratio. Personal reflection: I haven’t experimented much with different ratios in photography however, I would like to in the future. This might give another aspect to framing as well as capturing a wider shot such as a landscape (which I haven’t tried to photograph). I only have access to a 18-55 lense, this form of experimentation might suit better if I had a wider lense in order to catch a larger shot. but nonetheless I would like to experiment with this technique and see what effect it has on the photograph.
4
Positioning In photography, it is easy to get caught in the process of trying to "make" a great photograph instead of simply taking one. The position of the objects in your photographs is important and the general rule of thirds can make for an aesthetically structured piece however sometimes breaking these rules can create and even more amazing piece. In Jared's advice: "just keep moving" capture something from as many angles as possible. Personal Reflections: As I mentioned previously, I really struggle with “freezing” or simply not moving around when taking photography. I have noticed the amount of limitations this puts on the outcomes of my pictures as instead of simply moving, I try to change the photography style by altering the ISO/aperture/ shutter and simply zooming in and out on the lense. To counter this, I set my exposure settings prior, and constantly take note of my time in one place - trying to move every 3-5 seconds.
5
Leading Lines As mentioned previously, the photographer's job is to take the viewer's eye to a particular focus. The most effective way to do that is through "leading lines. Lines that are straight and converging give the picture a more geometric and 3D feel whereas lines that are curved lead the eye more smoothly around (this is most commonly seen through the "S-curve" in photography). Personal Reflection: In photography, the only leading lines I noticed were the distinct man-made lines. It was interesting to note that not only did leading lines mean the sharp lines such as wires or poles but leading lines could also be organic things such as body parts, trees, or even outlines of buildings. Since then, it has been interesting trying to find these leading lines in nature and in constructions and also framing them to point towards the focal point.
6
Diagonals lines Similar to leading lines, diagonal lines can create emotion and an unease in photography - not simply leading but telling a story. It also can enhance focal length (the distance between the photographer and the point of reference). Diagonal lines are not as easily found in nature as vertical and horizontal lines, but the technique called "the Dutch Tilt" which is where you simply incline your camera to create a diagonal appearance. Personal Reflection: I have not yet experimented with diagonal lines but I have used the Dutch Tilt especially when I am photographing with my camera on the ground looking up. I find that with this technique, I am able to creating a sense of curiosity (and also sometimes unease) as not many things are seen from that angle naturally in nature.
7
Spacing/movement Spacing in photography can not only provide room for leading lines and background, but this can also show movement. If there is not space in front of the shot there is generally a feeling of unease, as the photo is trapped with no where to "go". This could be used for subliminal purposes, however it can prove to make an audience confused and uneasy and subsequently, should be used with caution. Personal Reflection: I have felt quite comfortable with the amount of space that I allow in photos, however due to my lack of experimentation with motion, I haven’t been able to implement the space in front to create a sense of motion. I would also like to experiment with breaking this rule, especially to create a sense of unease or crowdedness.
8
Background Camera position, framing and aperture all affect your background. Backgrounds have the opportunity to draw attention to your subject (by being blurred) or simply enhance a story or scene (in focus). Personal Reflection: Aperture is the what makes a background clear or out of focus. I have mostly only dabbled with low aperture photography with nature photography but I think that this will be particularly effective in portraiture. I have been unable to try this form of photography, as I haven’t been able to find a model willing to sit still, but I look foward to see the effects of the different apertures in different settings.
9
Colour Colours are scientifically proven to not only hold or draw our attention to something but also psychologically affect our emotions and perception of a scene. Colouring of an image is not simply restricted to the colours of the photograph, but rather these hues can even be emitted through light sources through the Kelvin scale. Personal Reflection: My personal style is mostly deeper contrasting photos with a less saturated tones. This creates a balanced contrast of exposure without the overly saturated bright colours. I notice that in my pictures there aren’t many that explore the use of more brighter tones, it would be an interesting challenge to appropriately correspond tones so that they are not overwhelming or conflicting to the viewer. Since I have not had much experience in this area, it would be interesting to see the difference in style and compostion.
10
Breaking the Rules These rules as stated above a given as a guide - an introduction to understanding what your camera is capable of translating to your audience. However, sometimes in order to make a photo more impactful, it is necessary to break these rules and push the boundaries. With distinct cause, breaking the rules can make a picture look sloppy and poorly shot, but with purpose, a shot can translate meaning and emotion in a more distinct manner. Personal Reflection: Subliminal messages in photographs or hidden meanings/stories are the photographs that stand out to me. By using or purposely choosing not to use this, these messages are particularly more clear to the video. I use this in my photos extremely often, but I think I should use more caution and use it where it is more meaningful.
INSPIRATION/ TECHNICAL RESEARCH
Photogr
Imogen Cunningham Imogen Cunningham, one of the first famous female photographers, built her name prodiminantly through botanical photography and form photography. Most of her work is desaturated (black and white) using contrasts and lines to define the emotion of her photos. Throughout her work, I appreciated Cunningham’s use of leading lines in her photos, particularly in her portraiture, which always lead the eye purposely back to the focal point. I found that her use of desaturation made each image’s composition simplistic, allowing the subject to be significantly enhanced. In this way, I find that I would like to implement her use of this photography rule in some of my own work. Despite my love for her minimalistically pure style, I found that some of her photography lacked good framing in that she would cut an image a bit short, therefore making the image less strong and constricted. I find that I also struggle with accurate framing and will try harder to not overcomplicate a scene in order to accurately capture its true, full form.
raphers
Ansel Adams As one of the most famous landscape photographers of all time and a pioneer in his field, Ansel Adams accentuates the beauty, structure, composition and overall ethereality of nature through his black and white photography. I have seen Adam’s work for years and have been both amazed and inspired by his superior manipulation of the photography guides to create stunning yet simplistic photography. Overall, I find Adam’s composition to be always strong, though at times I desire to see colour in some of his work, I find that by keeping his pictures colourless, there is an element of intrigue installed into the audience, encouraging them to seek out the “life” their own way.
Jimmy Nelson Straying away from the desaturation of Cunningham and Adams, portrait photojournalist Jimmy Nelson seeks to bring indigenous tribes into the light through his stunning imagery. Though his collection ‘Before They Pass Away” was met with significant distaste, the images produced capture stunning colours, characters and locations of these lands. I find in Nelson’s style a very noticable use of digital enhancement throughout his work. I am not sure if this was for artistic purpose, however, I do notice that he consistently makes images less contrasted (and rather light/grey) and stabilises this with pops of vibrant colour. I find that this technique of editing might suit Nelson’s style however I find that it doesn’t accurately represent the subjects he is photographing. Just as much as it is a photographer’s job to show their own style, it is their responsibility to accurately portray a piece of the subject in each image. It is a collaboration, not a dictation.
Matthew Smith Ever since I was little, my family would collect National Geographic magazines. Though I would try to read some of it, what really captured my attention were the images that would be so carefully aligned throughout the pages. The uniqueness of the shots and the angles in which they were taken would both excite and scare me. Matthew Smith’s images of the Australian oceans reminded me of such a feeling. His unique change of perception made his images more than simply “snapshots�, they became an inside look into the life of the creatures inside our waters. Though Smith does admit to digitally enhancing his images to make them more vibrant and sometimes collage images together, most of his images were taken in a singular shot. I think this change of perspective brings a different emotion to the art of photography and also makes the audience think twice, drawing them in and making them get involved with an image. In my photography, I have been experimenting with this idea of changing perspective and have found the results peak the curiosity of an audience. Due to location and equipment restrictions, I cannot explore as far as Smith has gone, but I would definitely ike to try in the future.
Sam Able A prime example of rules not meaning the acceptance of a photograph would be through the work of Sam Able. Able’s work in various life study photography has been featured in many National Geographics, earning him a high name in the photography sphere. However, despite his success, I could not seem to find a draw to his photographs. I found his composition in most of his photos to be strong however, there was mostly lack of focal points which left my eye unable to settle and overly disappointed. Though I do not personally find his work particularly impressive, I will note that I appreciate his development of a raw style and his dedication to showing the world simply as it is, without glamour or enhanced beauty. I am to develop his confidence with a camera in order to simply “shoot”.
Joel Meyerowitz My favourite photographer of all time would be Joel Meyerowitz. I find that the beauty of his photographs is in his ability to show you scenes that you have seen through his own eyes. Meyerowitz’s study of the streets greatly inspire me to want to try more candid/street work. I find that through his street direction, he is able to broaden his style through observation of others (who might potentially become subjects.) The images Meyerowitz captures are always a different sensory and compositional experience, with some showing movement through slower shutter speed in a wisp of wind (pictured above) and other times simply enhancing the structure of buildings through angles and lines. I really appreciate how Meyerowitz doesn’t maintain a strong presence of himself in these photos, but rather he uses his camera to enhance the characteristics of his subject.
PERSONAL EXPERIMENTATION/ STUDY
At the begininng of this course, I set myself a challenge to take at least 300 photos each week. This would encourage me to go out, and seek a photographing opportunity. Unfortunately, I am unable to leave campus often due to lack of transport but in this way, it encourages me to constantly find subjects to frame in my own environment. Attached in this section are my experiments, class tasks and personal photography.
First Weeks Due to the lack of tutorials in class, I took Week 2 & 3 to photograph elements that would represent the rules of photography that we had been taught in our morning lectures. Though these rules do not restrict us in our photography, I find it useful to thoroughly understand the principles of these fundamental rules in order to manipulate them later to enhance my photographs.
Aperture \ Simplicity
Pattern \ Repetition
Simple
Movement
Proportion
Balance
The Golden Ratio
The Rule of Thirds
Focal Point
Leading lines + Framing
WEEK 1-2: no classes
What did i do? TAKE PICTURES OUTDOORS GET ACCUSTOMED TO CAMERA EXPERIMENT TRY DIFFERENT LIGHTING AND FRAMING
EXPLORATIONS
As I began to think about my final portfolio of work, I first wanted to understand and experiment with the different forms of photography to see which avenue appealed to me most. To see the potentials of each style, I took pictures over each week.. In my first week, most of the photos I took were over-exposed, which made editing them rather difficult as it would not properly register the intensely lit areas. This made the photos more pixelated as I worked. Though this mistake appeared in quite a few of my photos, I managed to recognise the problem - a high ISO with a wide F-stop - and adjusted the settings to better suit the exposed lighting in each situation.
Macro This week, I chose to focus on macro photography which prodominantly focuses on filling the frame and maintaining crisp detail (which is obtained by lowering the ISO). In some of these images I found that they lacked crispness and also were overexposed. I do however like the concept of filling the frame, in the way of looking at things a way they are not usually viewed. I am not sure whether I will use plants in my final project as I find they do not give the effective emotion I desire to show, but it was interesting to see the different whays angles and framing could enhance the images’ overall feeling and composition.
ThegreenPage Here is an example of maintaining the correct settings. In order to get the bright natural colours of the green palm, I used a lower ISO with a medium shutter speed. The long I left the shutter open for, the more light was let in, therefore washing out my image and making it blurry as seen above. The leading lines in the brighter coloured images are also stronger, which produce a more pleasing and contemplative image.
1 2 3
Nature
As I mentioned previously, I wanted to experiment my hand in all forms of photography style to grasp not only a greater understanding of the possibilities of composition and structure but also to find what form I like best. Taking myself out of my headspace of work and school, I went into nature to experiment with nature, animal and macro photography. The more I try nature photography the more I
Images 1, 2 & 3 were taken purposely to show the process of measuring light to take a good photo. The middle photo (2) is perfectly exposed with a low ISO and a lower aperture and a high shutter speed to minimise the amount of light hitting the sensor - in this case the intense sunlight directly in the lense. The top photo I purposefully lowered my ISO to 100, with
Shoots find that I can’t find satisfaction in my photos. I found that with animal photography I gained a little more happiness with my photos as I had a subject with emotion. They had a silent story to tell and I was able to capture it. I would like to use this same mentality in my final project somehow: using a subject and exposing their soul and story.
the lowest aperture to let the smallest amount of light in and kept my shutter speed at aroun 100. This under exposed the photo, making it dark and more yellow - enhancing the natural temperatures of the photos which in this case is warm. The last image is over exposed meaning that I opened the lens wide open, letting too much light hit the sensor.
2 The Full Eclipse of the Cow As I was trying a different angle and different aperture to make the foreground crisp and back ground blurred, my subject in the background created their own light pattern.
Manual Focus & Framing Taking “full manual� mode, I turn auto focus off and tried finding the subject with just my eye. I found that during most of them were out of focus due my middle point not focusing enough on my subject. I also found that some of these images were awkwardly cropped cutting out the subject for example, for example; the nose in image 1, the second eye in image 3, and the hoof in image 2. These are examples of bad framing as it cuts off a tiny bit of the image which irritates the viewer as the is no distinct end to a photo. I found that it is better to take a full image and crop it later rather crop it incorretly in unsurity and not getting the image you want.
1
2
3
APERTURE Experimenting with apertures and filling the frame. The first one is a lot better becuase of it's higher clarity, lower sensore exposure and fuller frame.
Framing Here are a few examples of how framing and angle drastically changes the dynamic of a photo. The first set are the same location but different heights and positions. The second image is more dynamic due to the leading lines, repetitive drills, and distinct focal point whereas the first image has lines but the do not lead to a distinct, non-distracted point. The strongest images in this set have the distinct lines and undistracted focal points. I found that changing my stance and view enhanced my images as seeing locations through different perspectives made the images more unique and visually appealing.
- In Week 3, I began to take my first shots of human subjects. Instead of taking full portraits, I chose to focus on particular elements of the face such as the mouth and eyes, rather than simply the whole face. I found that this showed that emotions don't have to be shown as a complete face in order to show emotion or character, but rather focus on the right elements for each can represent the subject's character or situation. I have included both my final photographs and my under/over exposed images to show the adjustments made in order to find true skin tone. The images on the right are in the prime exposure range which show sharp accurate colour and shadow, giving my model a sultry and slightly melancholic appearance. The images on the left are all under and over exposed. This does not make the images bad, but rather it gives them different meaning such as a happier connotation with the over exposed and a more saddened, ominous appearance for the under exposed.
An adjustment I would have made was framing as I find that these mouth shots focus more on the nose and cuts the chin short, making it a disproportionate and displeasing frame. A wider lens setting would fix this. Otherwise, I love the raw emotion these images portray. The colouring and exposure are also true to colour and show a vibrant red lip and tainted skin.
<
These shots are well exposed and well lit, but once again I am too close to the subject which crowds the frame when there is no subliminal meaning of power being represented in the images.
Overexposed Well exposed
More plant experimentation but in different lighting. All these images were taken with manual focus and unfortunately none of them were clear. So though, despite the use of manual focus, until I am further practiced, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be using Manual focus often due to the unreliable focus and clarity of images.
FIR Long Expo
My first time pla shooting mode, out slower shutt fire as well as with framing ang
RE: osure/AP
ayin in manual I wanted to try ter speeds with experimenting at different gles.
WEEK 4: in-class workshop
What did we do? TAKE PICTURES OUTDOORS USE APERTURE LEADING LINES PUT THEORY INTO PRACTICE
light
dark
Jared took us outside to teach the class how to read the exposure scale on our cameras. For taking clear outdoor shots in manual it is important to know how to intstruct your subject, find the best lighting for the situation and then set your camera aperture to suit the emotion/lighting you chose.
- cropping creates a less distracted image -
CLASS TASK We were told to adjust settings manually in Aperture Priority mode and find natural leading lines/ frames in nature. I partnered with Linda for this project and got her to stand between two pillars. At the time I mostly shot wide or zoomed in slightly to crop tightly around both pillar. I found that her plaid shirt was in alignment with the cross hatching lines of the bricks either side of her as well as the rio mesh in the back ground creating a stable yet fun image with the addition of her crazy circular socks.
^ NOTE: I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thought of double framing before working with Linda. Her glasses acted like a frame to her eyes and the mesh a frame to her glasses. Though the aperture was slightly off focusing on the wire instead of Linda - I found this image powerful and strongly focused due to the framing.
All these images are well-lit and exposed equally. This photo particularly, was interesting to me as it showed leading lines as well as a medium depth of field by showing the forefront, the middle of the frame (railing) while blurring out the sky.
This particular class is where I began to develop a love for capturing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characters through photography. Each photo had meaning within the subject and the composition enhanced that. - in this case, emotions of uncertaint were greatly enhanced through the leading lines It is this emotion and story telling that I want to incorporate into my final project in some way.
Framing in Nature At the end of Week 4, my friends and I took a trip to Wattagan Park for a nature walk. I took this opportunity to branch out (pun intended) and find inspiration in nature. This particular shoot was inside a small cave on the side of a trail. I wanted to experiment with different framing around my subjects by using nature such as the rocks as well as the trees. Though I found the concept interesting, I found that the images inside the cave (above and to the right) were not as visually appealing due to the harsh lighting streaming in creating harsh lines and washing out skin. The images below are a lot more peaceful as the lighting is less harsh and the frames are filled well.
Nature | macro Similar to my earlier experiments with plants, I wanted to see things from a different perspective. I felt that by trying to see normal objects (or scenery) in a unique way, I was inspired to try different angles, move to find different lighting and fill the frame different ways. The moss textures create textures in the photos as well as showing gradation of colour, tone and shadow.
D I F F E R E N T F R A M I N G
> > After taking these images, I used Photoshop to alter this one. I altered the warmth to enable her skin to look more youthful as well as removing some blemishes from her skin that she didn't like. There was a small leaf that covered her skin which I found, altered the integrity and overall neat structure of this photo so I chose to also patch-tool remove it. I didn't smooth Francheska's skin whatsoever, trying to keep an element of reality amongst the editing and revealing her natural beauty. Overall, I found that the editing of this enhanced the visual appeal through the warmth, light, and clarity making the image more inviting and happy with her pose being more contemplative and curious. One dislike I do have with this image is the cropping. I took the photo in the framing seem in the image with no additional cropping, which I found to limit the image. I feel the eye is searching for completeness in the form of a neck or maybe some shoulders. If I were to fix this, it would be to take the picture in full frame and crop later to save any mistakes like this from restricting a perfect image.
Over exposed Due to the exposure being too high, Francheska's skin looked washed out and grey-toned. This makes her look dead and washed out compared to the natural warm olive that is in her skin. To fix this, I altered the white balance and aperture to let in less light with a higher ISO.
Portraits While we were out, I wanted to further explore portraits and how different environments affected compositions. In these photos, I kept the depth of field low (low aperture) to keep Shenelle (model) as the primary focus while minimising the detailed background. Despite having the background blurred and exposure and an even standard, I found that the background was still too distracting in the top two images on the left. Closer, more filled framing lessened this background noise a little allowing Shenelle to stand out more with the darker patches of scrub appearing more as shadows and less like detail to contrast strongly against her skin.
Close-up for a different, more focused perspective. I would like to experiment with this further in the future with more features.
Full Body I noticed that the images I had been taking had mostly focused on things close-up, so I decided to try stepping back and taking in things from far away. Since my inspiration is mostly street photography and portraiture, I wanted to study the human body in full to see how poses reflect emotion and character. In these photos, Francheska's carefree character and her more serious side both shine thanks to full view of her body. Additionally, her body creates leading lines that make her body its own unique composition and shape. These lines also pull the eye away from the distracting background back to her face.
a study of
LEADING LINES in nature
In these shots, I purposefully made the images darker by using a lower ISO with a higher Aperture. I wanted to see how the bright colour contrast would come out with such settings, and I quite liked how the originally really happy flowers now became slightly melancholic and sad with the addition of rain drops and darker contrast. It was interesting to see how this small change impacted the entire emotional story of the image. I hope to use this technique in my final project somehow.
Lighting and Macro
WEEK 5&6 STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY What did we do? MANIPULATING AND HANDLING LIGHTING EQUIPMENT LIGHTING TECHNIQUES COLOUR FILTERS LIGHTING IMPACTS
Studio WHEN WE FIRST STARTED IN THE STUDIO, JARED TAUGHT US ABOUT THE ROLE OF LIGHTING, ADJUSTING THE LIGHTING ON THE BULBS AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION IN THE MODELLING PROCESS. I FOUND THAT I WASN’T OVERLY ASSERTIVE IN THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS OF TELLING THE MODEL WHAT TO DO, AND THEREFORE, THE IMAGES WEREN’T EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED, HOWEVER, FORCING MYSELF OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE ENABLED ME TO BE MORE CREATIVELY CONNECTED WITH MY SUBJECT AND THEREFORE, MORE ABLE TO CREATE PHOTOS I LIKED.
1
Lighting IMAGES 1 AND 2 WERE BOTH OVEREXPOSED. THIS IS EASILY FIXED IN STUDIO BY EITHER MOVING THE LIGHTING OR ADJUSTING APERTURE. DUE TO THE CONTROLLED CONDITIONS IN THE STUDIO, AS A PHOTOGRAPHER YOU ARE BETTER ABLE TO OBTAIN HIGH QUALITY PHOTOS WORKING IN LOWER ISOS THANKS TO THE ADJUSTABLE LIGHTING SITUATIONS. IF I WERE TO FIX THIS, I WOULD ADJUST MY APERTURE LOWER FOR A MORE NATURAL LOOK OR MOVE THE BRIGHT LIGHT BOX BACK AWAY FROM JARED.
2
Backlighting Here is a few shots from our backlighting experiments. I wasn’t given primary lighting as Grace was using the main camera, but for me, it forced me to find different lighting that worked in my creative favour. My personal favourite is the image in the middle as it lights from behind, giving a hopeful, determined attitude while also having the subject’s face completely lit without washing out. I personally don’t think I’ll use this method again as I find it harsh and not my style, but I would like to see how I could use it to make someone stand out against a background similar to their colour.
CAN BE FIXED IN PHTOSHOP
Under exposed and aw k wa r d ly f r a m e d
Good Exposure But aw k wa r d ly f r a m e d
Emotions Some of my fellow students volunteered to model for the class against a painting done by Kylie, the woman pictured. When I was photographing these people, I felt a sense of understanding of their characters through expressions captured in just milliseconds. I think this is what draws me most to portraiture; the raw, inability to hide our true selves from the camera and the unique ability to capture it.
Bad angle
| Over exposed |
Colour Lighting After class, I wanted to experiment further with colour filters. I originally wanted to do it on humans but unfortunately, I had no one willing to model for me except my beautiful VOSS water bottle. What began as a limited option turned into a fascinating opportunity. Colours and shadows refract in the water making stunning contrasting tones.
Under exposed
WEEK 7: BREAK What did I do? PERSONAL PHOTOS
STUDIO EXPERIMENTATION My first idea for my final project was called “Camera RAW” and in it I wanted to show the “rawness” of human character displayed through passion, appearance and presentations. When I first started taking photos, I wasn’t completely completely comfortable using studio lighting, so I wanted to practice and play with lighting and settings while also seeing the feasibility of my final idea.
FAILURES - Over exposure, under exposure, lighting temperature (too cool) -
Long Exposure
I was unable to attend the studio session where Jared explained long exposure and low shutter speed, so I wanted to experiment on my own. Using warm lighting and red filters, I was able to achieve a secondary "light shadow" of my model's body. I really loved how these turned out as they almost show Lindsey as having an interaction with her inner self.
Long Exposure with Fairy lights and Low Aperture Experimenting with different light sources to create patterns. My personal favourites are the two on the left as well as the middle right as I find the streams of light create shapes such an wings and the low aperture makes it as if she is controlling the light in mid air.
Nature
Introductory Project Process Additionally, in WEEK 8, I started and completed the Introductory Project for this course. I chose to do the magazine cover option with the main idea being to imitate/recreate VOGUE style magazines with a more serious content appeal.
FINAL #1
In this design, I got my prodiminent inspiration from the colourful designs/ photography in Vogue Paris. Since I wanted to do a more realistic version of said covers, I chose to tone the colours down to a darker appearance. The subtitles are also a more serious take on the original attentiongrabbing â&#x20AC;&#x153;clickbaitâ&#x20AC;? articles. Overall, this design, by using a cooler tone scheme paired with the mock articles, has a more serious tone to represent the opposite side of the fashion industry.
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/ news-features/TMG8928245/KateMoss-covers-Vogue-Paris-as-DavidBowie.html
https://thestylewatcher.wordpress. com/2014/02/13/vogue-parismarch-2014/
https://www.vogue.com/article/ french-vogue-valentina-sampaio
Process Originally, I was going to keep the original photo composition of being Hollyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural colour skin with the filter highlight and simply changing the background, however I found that there was no unity between the skin and background when removing it and replacing it with an image. Additionally, a plain white background gave no depth and was contradictory to the emotions wanting to be portrayed. To create a more seamless connection of colour in the foreground and background, I overlayed a colour layer of blue/ violet and dropped the opacity to create a light filter. I also added a gradient on the right hand side as I found that it created more depth and further enhanced the keylighting on the opposite side.
These are are my few modifications of my magazine covers. Originally, I kept Holly zoomed out to keep the integrity of the photo however on reflection of my Vogue inspiration, I found that the subjects always took up 3/4s of the magazine so I made an adjustment to make it appear more like the original magazine.
FINAL #2
In this magazine, I wanted to display Vogue with a voice so that it is not just a fashion magazine, but rather one that stands for women, not on them. I got my inspiration from articles of women speaking up on equality movements as well as models who have gone through great trial to be in the position they are in. I used a greyer tone to set a more sober tone while using minimal text as Vogue has done for “Special” issues in the past. The leading lines in the photo are enhancing Francheska in the front while also prodviding contrast against the darker tones of her hair and body. Remaining in traditional Vogue style, I ensured my depth of field was low so that the subject was not distracted by the business of a background making it seem like a studio “set”.
https://fashionista.com/2016/09/lupita-nyongo-vogue-october-2016
https://www.journalpost.com/entertainment/celeb/ariana-grande-voguecover-look/
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ teen-vogue-august-2015-cover-models
Process In this version of the magazine, I had the same problem as in the previous magazine that my sizing of Francheska made her seem small and not in line with the brief of Vogue magazine. In order to meet this brief better, I enlarged Francheska and placed the text around her to frame her body.
When I was editing this photo, I wanted to keep the integrity and raw emotion without the distraction of too many lines. Too achieve this, I removed Francheskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blowing hair so that she looked more put together and structured.
FINAL #3
Vogue has a prodiminently woman-based audience wherein all their content is targeted towards that audience using female models and feminine topics. In my Anti-Vogue brief, I wanted to reach the audience Vogue wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reaching - the males. The same concept of article style and content but simply directed towards the opposite sex. I had the pleasure of working with my friend Francheskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boyfriend for his Instagram page portraits, wherein I managed to snap some incredible shots against the water. The contrasts of a well-lit subject against a blurry background is reminiscent of the Vogue style and carry their theme throughout the articles and image placement/sizing.
https://thecustomfamily.com/ mens-vogue-testino/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Men%27s_Vogue
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ teen-vogue-august-2015-cover-models
Process I didn’t do much in terms of editing for this photo besides individually brightening the contrast of Joel’s skin, warming the colour temperature to meet the standard of Vogue photography. (PLEASE NOTE: in photoshop the white “halo” did not show, only when exporting did this error arise. I tried to troubleshoot to no avail.)
WEEK 8: PHOTOSHOP What did we do? LEARN BASIC PHOTOSHOPPING SKILLS Due to the fact I previously completed a unit in which we were taught extensive Photoshop skills, I used time in class editing my final project photos and my intro project photos instead of editing my process diary photos. I found that since at this point, I had not yet solidified an idea, I wanted utilise this time to find a final project, organise shoots and take final photos.
HANDS OF HUMANITY In portrait photography, the prodominent focus is upon the face as that is where your "seat of emotions" lie. But who you are, what you are defined by and who you become is created, not be your face but by your works - by your hands. I feel that we express so much of ourselves through our hands, in discussion, in passion, in work and in discovery. I would like to photograph hands on thier own to depict a story, like a portrait would, and to show the true heart and story to whom they belong.
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
This is the final idea I decided to chose as I found I was able to follow my passion in photography - showing raw, emotional character while telling a story - as well as I was able to find more willing models due to the nonconfrontational nature of the shoots with the photos only being of hands and not faces.
Final Pro
After looking at inspiration both from online photographers such as Jessica Kobeissi, Jamie Windsor, and Mango Street to professional street photographers like Joel Meyeroritz, as well as my experiments, I felt a huge to push myself out of my comfort zone and view people in thier natural state wherever that might be. Based on the concept of the word “sonder” which means “each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” My excitement in photography is being able to capture emotion, or a unique aspect of a person through my lens, and I want to be able to share that with not just others, but perhaps even the subjects themselves. http://www.organizingcreativity.com/2014/03/realizing-that-each-random-passerby-is-living-a-life-as-vivid-and-complexas-your-own/comment-page-1/
CAMERA “RAW” Camera “RAW” was originally a concept based from the image state of being “raw” meaning it has all of its data and it is in an easily editable state. I wanted to do a series on people I admire in their “raw” states, doing what they love and finding their passion. Passion represents our talents, what we love and I believe that’s what makes us vulnerable, what we put out for others to see. I did really want to pursue this, but due to time constraints and the inability to organise different locations and align schedules, I had to drop it.
ject Ideas
GREY-SCALE A cheeky clever take on my own name, I wanted to be able to use greyscale in photoshop to take away all the noise in a photo and have 1 colourful subject/ element that was special or significant to me in each frame. It was symbolic of how because of who I am, I chose what brings colour to my life in both good and bad ways. Despite being a really interesting concept, I found myself not being drawn to it as I wanted to incorporate more of an emotional response from a subject and so I chose not to pursue it further.
The Making of the Hands Exhibition
INSPIRATION
All inspiration can be found on my Photography Pinboard: https://www.pinterest. com.au/rosereyart/photography/
Please
UNFORTUNATELY, MY SD C EXHIBITION WAS LOST/STOLEN AM UNABLE TO PRESENT MY EX THE IMAGES ABOVE, BUT I WILL IMAGES TO SHOW
Note:
CONTAINING 50% OF MY N. I AM DEEPLY UPSET THAT I XACT IMAGES THAT LEAD TO L EXPLAIN AND USE SIMILAR W MY PROCESS.
Fi nal
Ph oto s
“Triumph” In this piece, I wanted to show the struggle of success in today’s society. In our history, those who are different, those who are unique and those who are different are brought down. People bring down people, but some with strength, rise above.
Original Image before Editing
Unfortunately, this is one of the images I lost my whole process for. To briefly describe what I did to achieve this look, I got together a large group of people and asked the to hold onto Aguer’s arm. I tried multiple different grips to achieve a diagonal mix of leading lines in order to make the audience uneasy or concerned. I tried different background, but I came to the conclusion that sticking with a simple white background had the most impact as it made everyone’s skin stand out and represented “light” at the end of the road rather than all darkness. I also cropped the original image to remove clothes and shoulders that distracted away from the primary elements: the hands.
“Faith” Faith is probably the most imperative action shown by the hands. As said in James 2:14: “Faith without works is dead...” this applies to every walk and journey. In this piece I wanted the simplistic composition to show the “straight path” that Jesus has set us. Though surrounded by darkness and the blackness of our sin, his light pushes away the shadows of our iniquity.
Original Image before Editing
When I was taking these images, I wanted to capture the idealic pose of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christianâ&#x20AC;? so I asked Linda to simply hold the cross as she felt it should be held. The most impactful I found was the most symettrical where the lines of the chain aligned with her knuckles and the shadow. I felt the clean symmetry represented the simplisty and straight forward nature of the message of the cross. After choosing an image, I cropped it down horizontally and extended the canvas lower vertically to draw the eye downward and imitate the proportions of a cross. Additionally, I made her skin more cool toned as I found my lighting was too warm for the effect I wanted and I also created a straight chain using the patch tool as previously, tags from the jewelry brand obstructed the composition.
“Life” When most people think of life, they think happy! New life, new opportunities, but what I wanted to display was the reality of life. With life comes choices, and based on the choices made in Eden, life brings pain, life brings hurt and life brings suffering that we ourselves have allowed to impact our futures. Yet, despite the pain, we keep pushing on, we still ‘have a pulse’, we have a hope and a life blood that keeps us from slipping into the blackness.
Original Image before Editing
Linda was my hand model for this shoot and had brought with her fake blood. I once again, gave her creative freedom, simply asking her to pour the blood on her wrist. I found that the image that was most impactful was the one when she was taking her pulse amongst the blood. To me is showed innocent hope and blind belief, and I loved it. When editing, I lowered the warmth to make her hands seem cold and lifeless. I used the selection tool and specifically bumped up the clarity and saturation of the blood so that it was more noticable and looked less fake.
“Protector” This image wasn’t planned to be the center of my exhibition, but after editing it, I found that it became an integral part of my work. To me it represents God’s hands, protecting, guarding, guiding and caressing his flock.
Original Image before Editing
These are the only images I took outside of the studio. We had an open day to support local farmers during the drought. Some farmers on college drive brought their youngest lambs from their most recent birthing and I asked if I could take photos of their hands. They were a little hesitant at first but allowed me to do so. Their interactions with their flock were so gentle compared to the rough, calloused hands that carried it out. To make it seem like I took the image in the studio, I desaturated the manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shirt, and blacked out the background - cropping it doen so the hands were the main focus. To enhance the pinks of youth in the lamb as well as his hands, I bumped up the clarity, as I have done in almost all of my images.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Commitmentâ&#x20AC;? This image displays raw disconnection. A simple ornament such as a ring infers such strong commitment and loyalty to a cause of love. When that tether is weathered, pulled and torn, the scar remains, a white band where the commitment once held so tightly.
Original Image before Editing
When I think of commitment, I immediately think marriage. I was blessed to have Scott Hill - a happily married and very tan man - come in for some shoots. I tried having two hands in the shot, but I felt the meaning was more powerful when driven by one hand. Once again, I dropped the warmth in the image for a more solemn feel and I upped the clarity to enhance lines, veins and of course, the stunning tan line.
“Love and War” The two words are rarely seen in the same sentence: “Love” and “War” yet what all wars begin defending what one “loves”.
Original Image before Editing
This was the image I edited the most. In order to achieve the focus on the hands, I used radial gradient and I also added a grey overlay to the background. I further enhanced the hands by upping the clarity without touching the faces. The crop itself however, was not enhanced by me. I used my raw lense to capture the heart-like shape.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Passionâ&#x20AC;?
Sometimes we create our passion and then sometimes our passion recreates us. The lines in this image is what makes it unique and visually stunning. I wanted to show how the lines of the veins immitated the lines of the bow and the string which gave the two a connection embedded in their composition.
Original Image before Editing
In this image, I had taken the picture with an awkward crop which trimmed off the head of the violin and the bow. To adjust this to make the frame seem complete, I extended the canvas and used some other photos of the violin to merge together a complete violin. I then enhanced clarity and contrast to make the veins on his arms and the grain in the wood pop. I did try to crop this image down to suit the rest of the hand-focused images, but I found that it lost its effect and therefore, I chose to remain with the original image.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Passion 2.0â&#x20AC;?
Sometimes we create our passion and then sometimes our passion recreates us. The lines in this image is what makes it unique and visually stunning. I wanted to show how the lines of the veins and fingers immitated the lines of the basketball and tee shirt which gave the two a connection embedded in their composition.
Original Image before Editing
Keeping this simple to make the contrasts pop, I upped the contrast to make the veins pop, enhanced contrast, highlights and warmth and saturation to achieve a more alive and passionate feel.
“Creating”
Our hands give us the most satisfying opportunity to create as well as sharing that creation. We don’t just create objects, we create people, we create our future and most importantly, we mould and create ourselves.
Original Image before Editing
I wanted to keep this image as raw as possible to accurately represent the messiness of the clay and how to create you have to â&#x20AC;&#x153;get your hands dirtyâ&#x20AC;?. So, I simply adjusted brightness, contrast and clarity to make his hands and thumbrints more distinct.
“The Offering”
At the end of all things there is always an offering. An offering of goodbye or an offering of an invitation. At the conclusion of one chapter, another page begins. When life reaches that final conclusion, God has one offer for us, a lifetime spent in unity with Him, bound together by ceaseless love and COMMITMENT. Choose to deny this and you will receive your second offering, which is solemn closing of your life’s final page.
Original Image before Editing
To not distract away from the center frame, I removed the black outline of the white sheet in the background. I also, to keep consitent with my other edits, increased clarity and lowered the warmth.
- Rationale -
Conclusion As I come to the conclusion of this unit, I feel that through constant practice, through mistakes and failures (I made a lot!) and through resilience, I was able to understand concepts of photography and what makes a photo look pleasing to the eye and meaningful to the mind. Though I wish there was, there is no set rules, the art lies in the eye of the photographer. I had two primary goals when coming into this course: 1. to become a good photographer and 2. to create work that was meaningful. Through the reactions I have received and the impact these images have had on me personally, I feel that I have met both of these goals. I'm not a great photographer, nor do I expect to be! But I now have the skills to be able to share stories, meaning and experience of those around me that sometimes can not be spoken, and that is a voice I am proud to carry.
References:
https://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings/ https://photographylife.com/what-is-shutter-speed-in-photography https://photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography https://www.techradar.com/au/how-to/photography-video-capture/ cameras/the-exposure-triangle-aperture-shutter-speed-and-isoexplained-1320830 https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/6-elements-of-design-forstriking-photographs--photo-2574 http://www.sacpdm9.com/uploads/1/6/8/1/16819406/analysing_a_ photograph.pdf https://photovideocreative.com/en/warm-light-cold-light-emotions-howwhite-balance-changes-photos/ https://photographylife.com/what-is-exposure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtQoLZN6K6Q