COMPONENT 2A2 PHOTOGRAPHY CANDIDATE NAME: REISS SIMMS WILLIAMS CANDIDATE NUMBER: 1320
CONTENTS 1) A video explaining your initial choices and thoughts based on one of the topics. Minimum requirements: 3-5 minute video presentation using Premiere Pro 2)
Two photographers research analysis pages (A4 pages using InDesign) Minimum requirements: Four A4 pages using InDesign.
3) An interpretation of the photographers work (A4 pages using InDesign with contact sheets, photo shoot plans and evaluations) (Minimum of 30 photos) Minimal Requirements: (four A4 pages using InDesign) 4) A photo shoot based on your initial ideas (Minimum of 50 photos) Photo shoot plan and contact sheets A4 pages Before and after editing on each page Evaluation about the edits and outcomes Minimum requirements: Four A4 pages using InDesign of edited photos plus A4 pages showing photo shoot plans, contact sheets and evaluations. 5) A so far video combining your ideas, with the topic and the photographers researched. Minimum requirements: 3-5 minuet video presentation using Premiere Pro. 6) A series of re-shoot images based on your initial ideas and first photo shoot. Minimum of 70 photos Photo shoot plan and contact sheets A4 size Before and after edits and outcomes Minimum requirements: Six A4 pages using InDesign of edited photos plus photo shoot plans, contact sheets and evaluations. 7) Complete two possible ideas sheets (display strategies) and two mock ups showing how you could edit/manipulate the final photo. Minimum requirements: Four A4 pages possible idea pages and two A4 sized mock ups 8) Final outcome produced in a twelve hours during the two days of the exam. 9) Evaluation of the overall project and final pieces. Completed in the exam time
ERWIN BLUMENFELD E
rwin Blumenfeld was a photographer best known for his fashion photography published in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar in the 1940s and 1950s. As well as the fasion photography he also produced a collection of celebrity portraiture, fine-art photography and drawings, he has been called “one of the most innovative and influential photographers of the 20th century. I decided to reasearch this artist because he creates portrait based fantasy photos and i was hoping to explore this in order to get some more ideas for my photoshoots in the furure.
LITERAL
A
portrait photograph displaying the form of half of someone’s face with a shadow of the side of another face covering the other half of the portrait bright red lipstick used, contrasts against the pale skin. Big blue earnings in the background out of focus. Eyes looking into the camera, blue eye-shadow used which compliments the eye colour. The face that is on the other side of the photo is used because it is supposed to represent the normal illusion that some people try to create in some of the other photos, but they have changed this effect as they haven’t digitally edited the phot0o in order to create this effect.
TECHNICAL
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lose up shot used, displays a lot of detail and texture in the lips and eyebrows. A silhouette of the side of someone’s head has been digitally merged into this photo.
SYMBOLIC
CULTURAL
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digitally edited these photos in the style of Erwin Blumenfeld by manipulating portraits and highlighting the main features on the face such as the eyes and the mouth.
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his is my most successful photo from the photoshoot. I created this photo by first digitally editing the background using a pixulate filter. This is to enhance the texture and round edges of the face. I then sectioned out the eyes and enlarged them, I decided to enlarge the eyes and nothing else because in portraits the eyes are naturally the main focal point and I wanted to exaggerate this point.
MAN RAY
M
an Ray was primarily known for his photography, which mostly consisted of the theme Surrealism. Man Ray was most renound for his camera-less photos which he called rayograms. I decided to research this photographer because he photographs the world around him without manipulating the photo which links to my theme of truth.
WANDA WULZ
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anda Wulz was an experimental photographer. One of her most recognised work is her self-portrait merged with a portrait of a cat. Her photography in the late 1930s would frequently incorporate superimposed images and motion. The photo that really caught my eye when i was researching this artist is the photo of the cat merged with the child. This is because she has created this photo using a very subtle merging technique that makes the audiunce have to look twice at the photo.
INTERPRETATION T
he artist that I researched, Wanda Walz, collection of photos of herself merged with her cat and to develop this I have interpreted her work by digitally editing a photo of my family’s first pets with their face.
TOMMY INGBERG
T
ommy Ingberg is a photographer and visual artist. His main focus with photography is digital image editing, creating minimalistic and self-reflecting surreal photo montages dealing with human nature, feelings and thoughts. During the last couple of years he has received he was mentioned for many different competitions including International Photography Awards, Prix De La PhotographieParisandSonyWorldPhotographyAwards.
MARTIN STRANKA
M
artin Stranka is a self-taught professional fantasy photographer. Stranka’s main theme throughout all his photos is distinctive vision of balance and serenity. He has won over 50 major international photography awards from different competitions, including Professional Photographer of the Year, Nikon International Photo Contest, Prix de la Photographie Paris, Sony World Photography Awards, EISA Photo Maestro and International Photography Awards three years in a row. The reason I decided to research this artist is because I was immediately drawn to his eye catching fantasy photos and I want to incorporate something similar onto my photos .
PAPER
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he concept of this photoshoot was to try and take as many interesting photos of paper that I can experimenting with angles, lighting, positioning, framing and shape of object. This photoshoot has been used to show that the object isn’t the object alone isn’t what makes the photo effective its the way the photo is shot and the techniques used. I altered the paper by doing such things like bending, folding and rolling it.
T his photo is effective because of the elements and techniques combined. The black background is effective because it contrasts against the white and enhances the focal point which is the paper, it also sections off the photo creating lines that draw the viewers eye to the curves of the paper. The lines in this photo add depth and create a three dimensional atmosphere.
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n order to create this photo I layed a reflective sheet below the paper and bent the paper into an arched shape, I bent the paper in this way because I wanted to display the reflection in the best way possible. The reflection adds interest in this photo because it creates an illusion which makes it hard for the viewer to know where the piece of paper starts and ends
T
his was my most successful technique in this whole part of the photoshoot. In order to create it I folded each page inwards and taped it to the centre. This then created a flowering effect. This turned the paper into a 3 Dimentional sculpture where I was able to take photos from many different heights and angles.
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utting the paged into strips was successful because the words were used as a device to create interest within the photo. Even though the words are there they are not meant to be read they were used to create texture.
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o further develop the previous paper photoshoot I created this re-shoot where I kept the concept of paper but I decided to use contrasting colours to create patterns a which suggest a sense of unity
PERSPEC PERSPEC PERSPEC PERSPE PERSP PERSP PERSP PERSPE PERSPE PERSPEC
CCTIVE CTIVE ECTIVE PECTIVE PECTIVE PECTIVE ECTIVE ECTIVE CTIVE
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his photoshoot was used to manipulate the truth and show that things may not be as they appear based on your perspective. I represented this theme using pierces of card and cutting them into certain shaped than placing them in a way that makes them look whole.
The whole idea of this photoshoot was to use the
balloons as a way of portraying the models true emotions and not the mask they put on. The reason I decided to use balloons was because I wanted something simplistic that came in a varied number of colours and sizes so I could personify it by drawing a face onto it. The colours of the balloons weren’t random either, I chose the colour based on the emotion that I wanted to get across as each emotion can be represented using a colour.
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experimented with different angles s that I could change the perspective of the shot. Having the model not look into the camera is sometimes more effective than the model looking straight into the lens because it creates a mysterious, dark atmosphere to t which adds depth. This photo is effective because it has a lot of depth to it which
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s this particular photo I wanted to display the models personality a bit more and show what they desire and use the balloon as a device to display this. I created this composition using digital editing on Photoshop. The way I clearly distinguished the thought in the balloon is firstly by only using colours that aren’t highly present in the original photo and also changing the opacity of the object to give it a dreamy glaze. This photo effective based on the positioning, colour and the overall appearance. The portrait is positioned in the centre of the photo which makes it the focal point and the audience is immediately drawn to it. The colours in this photo are effective because they are all the same tone which gives the photo a sense of unity and order, I chose this particular colour balloon based ion the models eyes as I wanted the focus of the photo it be the whole composition and not just one aspect.
T
his photo has a similar concept to the previous one but I have experimented with the framing. This photo is effective because I haven’t used any negative space.. This gives the photo an effective atmosphere to it because the viewer wouldn’t just be thinking about what I have included in the photo they will also be thinking about what I haven’t included and why. The balloon follows the shape of the face which doesn’t create a bold divide in the face, the simplicity of the balloon is effective because it contrasts against the face.
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then experimented with the number of balloons used and focused more on the colours. The photo above is an example of my experimentation with hue and exposure. In order to create this photo I used hue to completely change the colour of the background from a cool turquoise to a vibrant lilac. The reason I did this is because I wanted to change the entire atmosphere of the photo and I didn’t want the colours of the balloons to draw all of the attention away. Increasing the exposure was also effective because it meant the models skin became bland in colour, which is the intended effect as I wanted the model to contrast against everything else that was happening in the photo.
T
he concept of this Photoshoot was to personify the balloons in order to display the models real emotions. It is to get the message across that a lot of people put up a front and what they chose to show on the outside isn’t always what they feel on the inside. They way I created this is by drawing faces with specific emotion on them but I also chose them according to the colour as each colour represents a different emotion
T
his particular photo is quite effective based on the choice of framing, colours and positioning. I decided to frame it in a very wide angle because I wanted to include all of the essential parts such as the edge of the face and the balloon. Including all of this within the shot enabled the focal point to be more obvious. The colours in this photo compliment each other well because the deep blue of the background contrasts against the red balloon which draws the viewer eye towards the balloon. The models face contains elements of red which link the two together. The background also offers a different texture that is appears rough and complex compared to the smooth simple texture of the balloon and the models face.
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n this photo I experimented with multiple characters and the two models that I used are in a relationship so I decided to represent the emotion of love using a pink balloon. I think this photo is effective because of all the elements in the photo create the focal point. The models position will lead the viewers eye into the middle of the photo where the balloon is.
I
created these photos by digitally editing them on Photoshop. I experimented with the different blending modes to merge two photo together such as the blending modes. I used on these particular photos which was lighten and difference. This gave it an obscure abstract feel.
The
concept of this photoshoot was to represent the way that some people keep their personality’s locked away and in these photos I used the brick wall as a metaphor for what keeping their personality away. I also represented their personality gradually coming through using colourful natural elements such as a meadow or a forest. The way I emphasised this point is by adding a black and white filter into the photo and only show showing the greenery in colour.
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or this photoshoot I wanted to explore the subject of truth. To do this I created the photoshoot idea of items turning into their natural state. I thought that the best way of representing this idea was using liquids that have a natural origin, orange juice for example. I had to think carefully about the items that I decided to use because some liquids that have a natural source wouldn’t haver the desired effect. I decided to use the liquids wine, orange juice, apple juice, ice tea, aloe Vera drink and coke. I firstly experimented by taking a still life photoshoot with the glass that the liquid is going into and the bottle by using different angles, lighting and positions.
I
experimented using different angles and framing in the photos below. This photo is effective because the lines in the photo lead the viewers eye down the photo towards the focal point which is the bottle. The colours in this photo are quite interesting as the vibrant greens contrasts against the white background and the curve of the bottle gives the photo more of a three dimensional feel to it. I decided to take this shot really close up because I thought that the pattern and writing on the bottle had the most interest and I wanted to highlight his. The glass in the background adds interest to the photo because it isn’t immediately visible and as it is in the background, the glass also aids with the 3d effect.
I
wanted to capture a sense of movement and action in these photos and the way that I did this is by taking time lapse shots that document each part of the liquid being poured into the glass. I used a white background because I wanted to put emphasis on the red liquid and make sure that this was the focal point for the viewer. In order to create this effect I had to mount the camera on a small tripod and set it on self timer.. I think this worked successfully because it meant that every shot was at the exact same position with only the change in liquid which created the time lapse effect that I wanted.
T
his is the final result of the Photoshop edit.This image is striking because of the clear message it gets across and the way that the photo has been composed. I created this photo by digitally editing it on Photoshop. I did this by first using a photo from the time-lapse sequence, a photo I had taken of the grapes and a photo of a glass without any liquid within it. I then played around with the blending modes and positioning making sure everything fitted in the right place and looked realistic.
T
he second liquid that I decided to use was Coca Cola. I decided to use this particular drink was because of it’s iconic and vibrant brand, but also because I wanted to explore photographing carbonated liquids and compare them to the still liquid. The bright red label on the bottle also provided more opportunities for a range of still life shots.
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n this photo I wanted to display the different textures between the coke in the glass and the liquid on the surface. There are many points of interest in this photo and the way I put more emphasis on my chosen focal point is by using macro to focus on the bottom of the glass with the escaping bubbles and blurring out the background.
N
ot including the whole object in the photo is always an interesting way of displaying it because it the photo becomes more than just a simple still life shot of a glass and a coke bottle. The focus then becomes the shapes, lines and colours in the photo. This photo in particular displays the curves in the glass and the bottle correlate with each other and lead the viewers eye from left to right.
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n this photo I wanted to represent the origin of Coca Cola to be high sugar content. This edit wasn’t as successful as the other ones ties I came across when trying to edit it. The sugar is made up of was very hard to photograph it in the shape that I wanted and it
sugar as it is known for its just because of the difficullots of small granules so it ended up looking quite flat
F
or these set of still images I decided to use the drink Lipton Ice-Tea, the reason I decided to use this particular drink is because the final Photoshop edit would be very interesting as I would use tea bags with links to the theme of fantasy. The vibrant colours on the bottle and the liquid would provide a vast contrast to the white background.
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n this photo I wanted to experiment with the lines and angles and try to create a photo that wasn’t focussing on the whole form of the object like a lot of still photos do. I edited this photo in camera raw and changed the temperature of the photo to give it a cool blue tint to it. This was effective because the atmosphere of the photo changed to cold sharp feel.
T
he time lapse photo on the right was my most successful out of the rest of them. This is because it displays each stage of the liquid being poured into the glass in more detail and also the texture of the drink provided the photo with a more 3D effect to it .
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decided to used apple juice for this part of the photo because I wanted to introduce some fruits into my idea and use and iconic fruit such as the apple. This shoot was a lot more difficult than the others based on the shape of the carton. The carton is a cuboid which means that the face of it is flat and that provided me with some issues because I didn’t want the photo to look too 2 dimensional.
W
hat stood out to me about this carton was the detailed prints of the plants and apples which I why I tried to make them the focal point. Each section was made up of a vibrant printed design that aided in creating interest in the photo.
T
his photoshoot edit was quite difficult to make because I realised that if I just inserted whole apples into the cup then it wouldn’t have enough of a colour and texture variety. This is why I decided to use slices if apple but this meant that I had to take the slice of apple from more of a range of angles as I didn’t want it to look flat and unrealistic.
T
hese set of photos for the photoshoot are based on orange juice. His is because I wanted to carry on the theme of using fruits as the and oranges are another iconic vibrant fruit. I also decided to use cartons over bottle s despite its disadvantages because I think the design of the bottle would be too simplistic and would be overpowered by the bright orange liquid.
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n this photo I tried to explore the use of shape structure and form. I arranges the two objects next to each other with the same amount of room either side and then tried to place them the same distance away from the board behind but this was hard because the depth of the objects were different. I used such a low angled shot because I wanted them to appear taller than they actually are. The contrasting shapes of the two objects also create interest within the photo.
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decided to think outside of the box with my last one and use more exotic products which I why I used Aloe Vera drink. This was the most complex and difficult Photoshop edit that I had to do because I couldn’t take the plant apart and photograph each section I just had to take photos of it from different angles and them merge them together.
T
his time-lapse collection was difficult to complete successfully as there wasn’t enough of a defined difference between each of the stage. This is because the liquid is colourless which made it very hard to see
T
his next photoshoot is the re-shoot to the previous photoshoot. I left a few aspects of the Photoshop the same such as the white background and the type of photography which is still life, in this photoshoot I used aftershave and perfume bottles and choose them based on their size colour and smell. The base concept of this re-shoot is to represent the smells of the each fragrance using something that symbolises it such as flowers. The reason I decided to use this idea is because I wanted to give the Photoshoot a sense of breaking the fourth dimension giving the audience a sense of what the objects in the photo smell like..
T
his Vesachi bottle was very nice to shoot because it has a lot of points of interest such as the texture, colour and the bold print. The photo above is effective because the use of negative space enhances the focal point and adds structure and order to the photo
T
his Photoshop edit was the most successful out of the collection, this is because it creates an interesting illusion of what is coming out of the bottle. The reason I decided to use blue denim jeans to represent the smell was based on the name and theme of the aftershave bottle but mainly the smell as it smells of denim.
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chose this particular aftershave based on its interesting shape and material. The tinted carved glass lid offers many lighting opportunities as it refracts within it. The fact that there isn’t a lot of colour in this photo is effective because it would have drawn the attention away from the shape and form of the bottle
T
his Photoshop edit was quite difficult to create. This was because the closest representation I could get for the smell of this fragrance was freshly cut grass and pinewood. The reason it was difficult was because I took a photo of blades of grass then I had to separate each individual blade. The way that I enhances the illusion of the objects spaying out of the aftershave is by increasing the objects in size the further away they get from the fragrance, this is supposed to represent diffusion
I
chose this aftershave based on the bold contrasting print that immediately draws the viewers eye. The shape of the aftershave made it difficult to create effective shots from different angles because the sides were flat which meant they would look very 2 dimensional. The white background really helps enhance the colours and highlights it clearly as the focal point.
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went for a different approach when creating this Photoshop edit as I decided to create the spay part as more of a pattern. I think it is effective because it has created defined lines in the photo which lead the viewers eye down to the fragrance , this also creates more structure in the photo .
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n this part of the photoshoot I slightly changed the objects I used a and decided to focus on perfume. I did this so that could show a comparison between the colours and smell of aftershave and perfumes. One thing that I noticed was that the perfume bottles were a lot more vibrant and colourful and the smell was a lot sweeter and stronger than the aftershaves.
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n this photo I wanted to create a sense of displacement and fantasy, I did this by using the refraction of the glass and liquid to create the illusion of the word lust being on the back and front of the bottle. I think this is effective because it adds interest to the photo and creates a mystery for the viewer to work out.
T
he writing in this photo becomes the main focal point based on the shape, colour and positioning. The title of the perfume it a vibrant gold which contrasts against the deep purple bottle, this then immediately draws the viewers eye to the title, the fact that it is central also helps because the natural place to look first in a photo is the middle. The shape of the bottle offers a structural finish as I have centred it and left the same amount of space on each side.
T
his was my least effective Photoshop edit mainly because the smell was different to the other and didn’t match with the flower theme. Also I don’t think the objects coming out of the perfume look realistic enough, this is because the chocolate pieces have such sharp straight edges which enhanced the lines too much.
T
his perfume bottle was very interesting to photograph as it had a abstract symmetrical pattern with a faded pink colour. Because of the faded colour and the abstract transparent form of it, I could then create various different detailed and coloured shadows depending on the angle I shoot it at.
T
he representation of this smell was really easy to create just because the odour is so strong and smell exactly like daffodils and tulips. The colours of the representational spray match perfectly with the colours on the bottle and this is based on the deep pink flowers within it that are a similar colour to the bottle but the daffodils calm the colours down effectively.
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n this photoshoot the whole theme was about the element fire and all the different ways that it can be produced. In this particular part of the photoshoot I have focused on fire from a stove. As an extension to this photoshoot I also created Photoshop edits of the fire with a face, I did this to personify the flame and represent it as if the flame was alive. There are many different textures on a stove that add to these photos for example the photo above is effective because the rough texture of the stove disc compliments the smooth roaring flame. Also the small crumbs at the bottom of the stove is an added element that creates interest.
T
his was one of the more successful parts of the photoshoot, this is because I didn’t have much control over the outcome of the photo as the state of the match is constantly changing which is good because it means that no photo will be exactly the same. I used a white background because I wanted the amber colours of the flame to be the main focal point and stand out. I also did it because the match is very small which means if there was anything else in the photo then that would be to overpowering and would draw the attention away
I
n this photoshoot I carried on the theme of representing fire and used an incense stick. What makes then incense stick quite interesting is that it has two elements in one, fire and smoke. The smoke that comes out of an incent stick it very thick and white which means it is easily captures. The photo above is effective based on the detail and position. I used Marco to capture this photo and it captured the stick slowly deteriorating perfectly. I centred the object in the photo because I wanted to create the focal point and also section the photo into thirds. The bottom third is the black part of the incent, the middle is the burning wick and the top third is the negative space.
T
he concept of this photoshoot is transparency in a metaphorical sense. I wanted to represent that even if you hide yourself the true you will always be seen. The way I represented this I by using Photoshop to create photos that physically show the transparency of a person like the photo above. This photo is effective because the effects that I used to create this effect is very subtle and it takes a while to actually figure out what is happening in the photo. I applied filter effects onto the photos such as black and white and low contrast, I did this because I wanted to give the photo a cold, dark atmosphere that would represent loneliness or depression. Also the colours in the photo could have distracted the viewer away from the actual edit.
T
he concept of this photoshoot was similar to the previous one as in trying to portray the persons personality. The way that I decided to represent it in this photoshoot using object that they associate themselves with. I wanted show the difference between everyone’s personality depends on there age and I did this by editing the photos of my whole family in this same way using different objects that represent them.
POSSIBLE IDEAS
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his is one of my possible ideas, I wanted to combine the two photoshoots based on still life and add manual and digital effects to them. The first two photos will be stitched using the appropriate colour, I have digitally edited the photos on the right using the Harrison shutter effect and I will be presenting this final piece with a video representing the theme.