Work Records- Studio

Studio 1
In this lesson it was the first time I had been in the studio and the purpose of the use of the studio was to shoot form. I enjoyed doing this because I learnt about the studio at the same time, for example, I lightly grasped how to do the light testing, I learnt how to adjust the lighting on the studio lights and I learnt how to use the camera. With this I changed the studio lighting to create a shadow on my models face, which showed her as 3 dimensional which made her have the formal element of form. After shooting a various amount of photos I came back into the classroom and uploaded my pictures onto the mac and put them into contact sheets on photoshop. From this, I chose my 4 favourites and then Paul chose his, which became my straight prints which I edited via photoshop.

Both Paul and I chose this photo because the shadow is soft making the form soft, although it is evident, it isn't overly striking, which I like. It is actually a thing about form that I like, it is quite subtle and unnoticeable, however it produces the person to be 3 dimensional. The shadow also produces an image of light and dark, which I like.

I chose this picture however Paul did not, and after looking back at it I can see why. The picture is practically the same as the first picture and as the picture involves her chest it doesn't highlight her face and therefore doesn't highlight the formal element of form. Im glad this picture didn't get chosen as now that I look back at it, I don't really like the way it has been photographed either.





To improve my knowledge on form in the studio I would play around with the lights a little bit more to produce different formations of form.

Studio 2
In this lesson we picked up leaves and incorporated them into studio work. I also used Demi and Amelia with the leaves and other studio props such as a mirror frame for this shoot. I liked doing thins shot and as it was the first time I really used the props, i got good use out of them. After shooting, I went back into the classroom and put the pictures into contact sheets, I then chose the 4 pictures which I liked most and selected those as my 4 straight prints. However, they didn't make it to my actual straight prints as Paul then chose his and these were the ones that had to be my straight prints, I edited these pictures in various ways, printed them off as the straight prints and then put them into my folder.

 Initially, I did not choose this photo (Paul did), but because of the way I edited it, it has became one of my favorite photos. With this picture I turned it black and white and then used selective color so the flower was the only bright color, it was only small but I like the way she is looking down at it as if it is it has its own light. This took a long time to do because I had to keep zooming in and out and then changing the size of the eraser tool to get it accurate. I feel the time I spent on it was worth it, though.

 Paul chose this picture but I didn't, but now looking back on it, I like the context of the photo, its almost like a photo inside a photo because of the use of the frame prop, but also the leaves are coming out of the frame, which to me resembles how things within a picture, a memory, was once real life and perhaps still is. I like the context of this picture however I think I could of edited it better and made it brighter so it seemed more of a positive picture.




I don't know how I would improve my knowledge, I would perhaps use the leaves a bit more because I mainly used the girls in this shoot.

Work Records- Walks

Walk 1
The walk was my first ever lesson in photography as I joined late therefore I learnt various things such as, to use the view finder and not the screen and how to hold the camera etc. Overall this was a very beneficial lesson for me. We were instructed to take pictures of autumn colors (due to the autumnal season beginning) which was very interesting as some things were still in summer season colors. We were also instructed to take pictures which inspired quiet reflection which was a bit harder because what quiet reflection was wasn't really specified and left up to our own minds to think, which I personally found difficult. I took lots of photos and after about an hour and a half we went back to the classroom and put the photo's into contact sheets. After that I chose more than 4 of which I wanted to be straight prints because I took so many, I then gave my contact sheets to Paul and he selected the pictures he thought should be straight prints. After this I altered the image size, levels, curves and used the unsharp mask. With a couple of selective photos I also edited them further.

Both Paul and I chose this picture because we both saw the quiet reflection of the stones. I zoomed in that I got less rather than more because I thought it would look better and I think it did because I actually took a picture of a lot of the stones without the zoom and its didn't look as highlighter. I really like this picture and I edited it in black and white because I think this made it look more reflective for a person to look at.

Paul chose this picture for quiet reflection but I did not. However, I see why he did, it is because in the midst of the grass there is a daisy which could reflect the idea of standing out and celebrating difference. I don't really like this picture but I see that it sends a message for quiet reflection, which is probably why Paul chose it. With this picture I edited it so it was brighter to try and make the daisy stand out more.







To improve my walk pictures I would perhaps go on another walk and take more pictures and perhaps familiarize myself with a camera more so I have more knowledge on how to take a better photo.

Walk 2
In this lesson we went on a second walk and I feel this went much better than my first one. I feel this because I was much more familiar with the camera and therefore I felt more confident when taking pictures and I think all of them generally came out better. We was gone for about 45 minutes and then we came back to the classroom and put our pictures into contact sheets, I selected my favorite photos and then handed my contact sheets to Paul and he chose the pictures he thought suited the same theme of autumn colors and quiet reflection. I then edited the pictures that Paul chose by altering the image size, levels, curves and using the unsharp mask found under filter. I then edited some of the photos in even further depth.

 This is one of my favorite photos that I have taken, both Paul and I chose it because I both think we saw the autumn colors within and the quiet reflection. I shot this because I thought in terms of quiet reflection it showed that everything becomes brighter in the end and that there is always something to look up to, religious people may see the brightness upon the leaves as a higher being who is looking down on them with happiness. This was also a good picture for autumn leaves because the picture shows the transition of the green healthy leaves to the light yellow leaves which are in the beginning of their cycle ending .

Paul chose this picture however I did not but I am glad he did because I liked this picture very much once it had been edited as I used selective color against a black and white background, so this made some of the leaves stand out against the other which was an effect I really liked and I think it supported the themes of autumn colors and quiet reflection because in the terms of quiet reflection the leaves seem to show standing out and in the terms of autumn colors various leaves containing autumn colors are highlighted in these pictures.



To improve my walk pictures I would try and view other peoples work of nature on the internet and perhaps look at their editing and then maybe incorporate that in my work.

Discussion

Formal elements are several main aspects of photography which are incorporated into peoples photographs, sometimes purposely and sometimes without even noticing. The formal elements are Line, Color, Pattern, Depth, Texture, Reflection, Form, Shape, Tone and Movement. The use of formal elements has a tendency to better photographs.

Formal elements can be found within most things. Starting with line, line is found in basically everything as it can be straight, wavy or curved, which can be found in anything ranging from the outline of a window to the outline of waves. Color can also be found in everything as it can be bright or dull which can range from the actual natural color of something or an effect, such as black as white which is still a color. The only color I wouldn't recognize is transparency. Color can be seen from the color of the ground to brightness of a blossoming flower. Shapes can be seen in many things however not everything, In my opinion obvious normal things which shape is shown are ball balls, doors, cushions, etc. Pattern is also shown in a lot of things and can also be described as a design, for example, the swirls on a tree trunk, the construction of slabs on a pavement and whether they are in alignment or not. Texture is also shown in most things, whether something looks soft or not, or whether is looks hard and perhaps sharp. Examples of texture could be the smoothness of a furnished side, the rough of a tree trunk.

Depth is different however and is mostly shown in length and height. This may sound simple but good depth is shown when it is pictured right and the right thing is pictured, for example, the depth of train track is illustrated well when the train track is empty, also when the lines are parallel and the scenery is deserted. Form is also different and perhaps a little harder to obtain as it takes the correct lighting to cast the shadowing to make something seem 3 dimensional. A perfect example is form the shadowing on your face with the sunlight hitting it lightly. Reflection is also more difficult as it takes a reflective substance, a good example of photographed reflection is the reflection of a tree in a puddle.

Tone is quite easy with editing as it is the dark and light shading of a photo therefore it is easy because you can show this simply by adding the black and white effect. Tone in pictures is often used with flowers and portraits.

Movement is the hardest to do, it is blurring and is done my altering the shutter speed on a camera. Movement is usually found in car pictures to show their speed.

Line:

Colour:

Depth: 

Pattern: 

Texture: 

 

Form: 

Tone: 

Movement: 

Reflection: 

Shape: 

Jacques Henri Lartigue (Photographer no5)

Jacques Henri Lartigue was a French photographer who captured every day life in France, he started as just a young boy. I have chosen this photographer because I think his photos seem very natural and unstaged, which I really like when it is not fashion photography.

Examples of their work

In this picture the woman are just laying clambered all over each other and it seems as if they are completely unaware of the picture being taken. As a formal element, the reflection of the water is hitting the water, which lets us know that it is sunny without even having to seen the color of the picture. The shapes of the bodies in this picture are very similar which almost hits the point of repetition, however it is not the exact same. I don't particularly like this picture as I find it quite boring as I don't really think there is anything special about it.

This picture has influenced me to bare in mind the various possibilities for reflection, they exist in water and I shouldn't forget that as it has the potential to make a really good picture. The reflection in this picture is pretty bad, but it spurred a thought for me.

In this image the formal element of movement is used and I quite like it as I like the way the polka dots of her dress blur in speed. I think this picture is quite interesting because you don't see her legs blur or hips blur so it makes you wonder how she is moving. It is also interesting because no one else in the picture shows any movement so we already know this person stands out even if they wasn't in main focus. I think the black and white is pointless in this picture after having researched other photographers because I don't think it highlights anything significant or anything remotely emotional.

This picture influences me to use movement (blurring) in one particular aspect of a picture as it makes the picture stand out, however if I was to do this, I would of put the picture in color and made the colors vibrant to ensure that it would definitely would stand out.

In this image there is a slight reflection in the water however it is hard to detect because of the black and white. As Lartigue is photographing every day life I think he should have put his photos in color to capture every minute detail, as every day life photo's reflect memories to me. I like the context of this pictures as it shows two lovers enjoying a day out. All of Lartigues pictures seem to be set in the hot summer, which is a little bit repetitive and limited.

This photographer has influenced me to not over use black and white in my photos as it becomes very tedious to look and in the end your audience will tire of your work as it seems repetitive and the exact same with nothing making it stand out.

In this image Lartigue has incorporated the formal element of reflection and has done so successfully because he has actually shot someone in a mirror. I don't particularly like the framing of this image but after looking at his work i depth now I realize that within the formal elements sector this is probably his best representation of it. However in terms of a good, interesting photo, this doesn't fit the criteria for me.

This photo has influenced me to consider my framing to a point where I think a model is in a good position.




Overall
Overall Lartigue is a very boring photographer to me now and I do not like his work at all, I think this is evident through my work as my analysis became slim as I couldn't think of things I liked within the photo, his work didn't influence me strongly therefore I don't really have anything to say about him.

Bert Stern (Photographer no4)

Bert Stern is an American photographer who is most known for his pictures of Marilyn Monroe where she is looking reckless, with ruffled hair and wild abandon. I chose this photographer because I like the sentiment behind it, he took someone who was supposed to be perfect and act in a set away and actually captured her in her most normal setting within herself and showed this to World. To e this is a photographer who shows there is more than meets the eyes.

Examples of their work

In this picture stern has used a light tone, in fact, the tone even blurs Marilyn Monroe's skin, however the light tone illuminated her curving shape, something quite sexy. This highlighted her beauty to the public, even when she is drinking, naked (which was very raunchy) and she is drinking. This leads to the idea that Stern wanted us to think she had just had sex, even though she was a sex symbol, this showed her as something more than just an actress and somebody good looking, it showed her as someone who lived for a life of fun as we can see her drinking.

This photo has influenced me to perhaps use light tone as it also creates a light atmosphere to the picture for the audience, I really like this picture and the message Stern got across to me. I would also use the curves of a body laying down for shape, perhaps not in the same way, but to illustrate the formal element of shape.

This picture shows the woman's face on the TV and then actually sitting on the TV. For me this represents that perhaps they are two different people in personality, which represents all celebrities, they are one person for the public eye and a different person for within themselves. In this picture the woman in the TV looks quite sad, which reels to her being dependent as we assume she has been let down or heart broken. However the woman sitting on the TV looks independent as she holds herself up, she looks strong which is very contrasting to the woman in the TV. It seems in this picture that the computer technique of repetition has been used however not very accurately. Obviously black and white has been used, but also if you look close enough you can see form in this showing her as 3 dimensional in comparison to the TV, this backs up that she is a real person in the model but something made up and unreal on the TV.

This picture has influenced me to try and make my own version of a similar type of context, I like the use of the same person in different situations within the picture. To achieve this I think I would overlay a picture of a person over a first image of the person.

In this picture form has been used again, giving me the ideology again that Stern is trying to press that these people are living real people, not just the people you see within the media everyday. They are just like you, they laugh too. After looking at Stern's work I think he puts a lot of emphasis on this and it is vital thing within his work. Black and White is used again in this picture, which I now think illustrates the honesty and simplicity of the picture which is a woman laughing, not her as Marilyn Monroe.

This photo has influenced me to picture a close up of perhaps a person laughing to show an emotion highlighted as I believe this is a nice context, if I did this I would use the black and white effect  as well to show the simplicity and honesty of the picture, I also believe that even though it is a computer technique, it makes pictures seem more natural in the context.

In this picture you can actually see Bert Stern taking a picture and messing around with Marilyn, this is a very honest picture, the tone is light also which reflects how lighthearted the picture is. Reflection is also used in this picture as this picture is shot in a mirror, I really like this image as I like how easy this picture looks. Sterns pictures look effortless and that's something I really admire in this photographer. The light tone makes a white background which resembles goodness, it is also quite glowing which i think reflects that moment in time as I think the both of them seem to be enjoying themselves.

This picture has influenced me to consider a reflection in a mirror including myself, although this may not look very professional, I think it can be pulled off in the right context just like this one. I think in this the playfulness shot shows the friendship, which I think is very nice to look at, I would love to shoot something like this.


Overall
Overall I really like Sterns work and what he stands for , the realness in people. The two things he demonstrates this in and that I will incorporate in my own work, is his use of form which shows that people are 3 dimensional and living. I will also take on board his use of slight repetition and I will try and do the overlaying which I already have explained. All in all, I think Stern is one of my favorite photographers.

Boogie (Photographer no3)

Boogie is a Serbian photographer who captures people who live in harsh conditions, this can range from drug addicts, to skin heads, to gang members. I have chosen this photographer because I think that it puts the differences of lives in perspectives, also form the pictures that I have seen I find them shocking however interesting because unlike other photographers he doesn't focus on the beauty of the World, but the struggles of the world and those that are worst off.

Examples of their work

In this image black and white is used and I think it has been used to show the nakedness of the situation, this is what it is honestly like sometimes. The context of this image is very hard hitting for an audience as a child who is clearly quite young is holding a gun and holding it correctly, like it is aware of how to use it. This makes you think of the amount of times this child has seen a gun being used. In addition to this I think the black and white effect is used to extract the color from the photo as there could of been bright or vibrant colors which would send the wrong message to the audience, I think the photographer wanted the spectators to look at thins image and have negative feelings towards it and perhaps feel empathy/sympathy.

This photo has influenced me to again think about what I what to photograph heavily and the way that I want the audience feel, however this photo has influenced me to do this by adjusting the context of the photograph I take, this can also be achieved easier by changing the color effect to black and white.

In this photograph the effect of black and white has been used and I think it is effective within this picture because the context is a woman injecting herself which we make the connotation to be a woman taking drugs, this is backed up when we see the bruise all over her legs. The black and white tone has created this image to be more grey scale, this for represents that Boogie wants the audience to feel a positive and negative emotion for this image. Positive because it is the woman's release, yet negative because she is addicted to drugs. This then incorporates two views of the image which makes the image understandable for everyone who is viewing this image.

This image has influenced me to use grey scale when I want to allow two views for a picture and just not my set chosen one, I think this is a good technique and also creates a wider more understanding audience as it permits other ideas for the photo rather than the photographers set one that this image represents something bad or something good, it creates a middle ground.

The tone in this image is very dark, showing that the set view or this is that what the man is doing is bad, which is drugs. I like this image as it shows the simplicity, and as this image is in focus you mainly see that the man is taking drugs. Apart from that I dont feel this picture is that interesting, therefore I have nothing else to really say about it.

This image has influenced to me sometimes keep images simple and perhaps a certain thing in focus to highlight something specifically that you want the audience to see.

In this photo the formal element of line is used as you can see the outline a gun line detail, this formal element is really irrelevant to me as I see lines in everything, like there are even lines on the bricks behind him. One thing I do like about this picture is how the guns are in focus and his face is blurred out, this is seeing the guns as the problem and highlighting them the problem, rather than the person behind the gun.

This picture has influenced me to use the technique of focus to show what I want the spectators of my photography to mainly focus on.


Overall 
Overall I no longer like this photographer as I find him too repetitive now and too allocated to one field, therefore limiting his work, I now find this photographer really boring. This photographer hasn't really influenced me now that I have based an overall opinion on him.

Duane Michals (Photographer no2)

Duane Michals is an American photographer who has used text and collage within his work which creates context and a deeper, yet obvious meaning to his photos. Michals was known as both a photographer and a communicator due to the stories he told within his pictures.  I have chosen this photographer as form when I looked at his images for my research log I like his use of text from first glance and I want to see if that opinion stays when I look at him in much further detail. If I decide I like this as I continue, I will try and incorporate this in my work.

Examples of their work 

This is the first image i found with his use of text that intrigued me. For me, this photo created a strong narrative with a number of questions as a following aftermath. Were these pills prescribed? Were they his? Was he taking his daily medication or was he killing himself? Michals has used black and white in this photo which i believe shows emotion, just like Meisel did with his photo of Madonna kissing the woman. This backs up the idea of to use black and white specifically.

This photo has influenced me to actually incorporate a narrative into my photo with text, in this photo nothing was given away but it was or you to make up your own ending which I enjoyed. I think this is interesting for an audience.

This photo has also used text and black and white. The actual photo is very simple and is just of two lovers sitting on a bed hugging, however the text creates a complete new meaning, that actually shows that they are not a loving couple but in fact ex lovers. The use of test in this image creates a closed narrative which tells us that he still thinks about her and she is most likely the one that left, however it does raise questions like, why did she leave? From 2 photos I can already determine I like the use of text because it make a photo into a story, which is why I now understand why Michals was named a photographer and a communicator.

This photo has influenced me to perhaps tell a short made up memory with text which is also hard hitting as it makes a picture more effective upon an audience and allows them to keep looking at the picture to try and understand or perhaps reflect.

 This picture uses no text, however is very interesting. It is evident that Michals has took 2 different photos to create this effect, however what this symbolizes is the effective thing in this picture, The body which is faded out acts as if it is a soul stepping out of its, therefore showing death. He has used black and white which I think is used correctly as it shows something emotional, a person who is dead who has become a ghost, or his soul is leaving his body, I think this picture is very deep and very interesting to look at.

This image has influenced me to consider what I am taking a picture of and what it means, also what I want the audience to feel when they see my work, I now know that this is important for successful work. Also this image has again influenced me to think outside of the box.

This picture uses text and of the formal elements it uses tone. The text of this image makes you think that with love the two exchanged souls, I think this photo is very effective. The light tone for me is a visual way of showing how the picture represents light an it is talking about good things. I really like this image. I think you could also say that this picture shows the formal element of movement as the girl is blurred, for me this shows her going to kiss him and then getting up after, but it also could show her soul going into is.

This image influences me to vary the tone I use to reflect what mood I want the audience to have, I think this would also reflect of the text I use if used as well. I also again like Meisel, like the slight use of blurring and I would again use that.


Overall 
Overall, after having studied Michals work and explaining it thoroughly in detail, I have decided that I am less interested in his work to when I started off with, however saying that, I do still like his work. I think the 2 most important things that influenced me with Michal was his use of tone which reflects the mood of the photo for the audience and the use of text because I believe this can build an interesting narrative and can become quite effecrive and hard hitting for the audience.

Steven Meisel (Photographer no1)

Steven Meisel is an American fashion photographer who's images reference history of photography and style. I have decided to study this photographer because I think that his work is very different to other fashion photographers in his terms of setting and then the representation of his female models with the use of setting and situation.

Examples of work

This photo shows a woman in an extreme situation, which and therefore which presents woman as bad and therefore interesting. Within this image shape has been used due to all the outlines of everything surrounding them. There is also a visible difference of light and dark, purposely the woman is placed on the side that is dark. I like this photo, especially for fashion as it is more interesting to look at rather than a woman just standing there modelling, this is also interesting because the use of an extraordinary situation makes you wonder what has happened for her to be getting arrested.

This photo has influenced me to use extreme situations and therefore think out of the box to achieve pictures which are more interesting to look at. Also by using extreme situations is involves the audience more and therefore them being lead into thinking about my photography at a deeper level.

This image uses the formal element of movement as you can see the water blurring as she flicks it off her hair. I like this images as it is very simplistic and not an obvious use of the formal element of blurring which to me, makes it a better picture as I personally am not a fan of when the blurring in a picture is too excessive. It is evident that Meisel has took care when taking this picture as he has caught her hair at a perfect moment. This image makes me want to know where she is, and see what she is wearing as you can only see a part of it.

This photo influences me to use slight blurring in future photos and has taught me that when using blurring it doesn't actually have to be excessive and it can be just used to a certain extent. Within a project I will use this. It has also influence me to not always make the models face a main focus and perhaps make another body part a main focus.

In this photo Meisel has used the formal element of form as the models face shadow reflected on her arm,showing she is 3 dimensional. You can also see shape as the models body curve is reflected in the shadow against the light background. The model is in what seems to be quite provocative wear and she seems to be in a forest area, which leads us to the idea she is on a get away, which leads to questions of the narrative of the photograph like who she is with, is it approved of? I really like this photograph.

This photo has influenced me to allow shadows to take place in normal places, such as plain walls and not just on the street or for the use of form, I like how the shadow actual constructs the formal element of shape. I intend to use this in my future photography work.

 This photo is of Madonna, Meisel often photographed Madonna and she was is one of the many reasons for his success. This picture has used the print technique of black and white, which for me is a technique used specifically for reflection or potential nakedness to a picture which shows things for how they truly they are. If you look close enough in the picture you can see Madonna kissing another woman and there are drinks on the table, leading to the connotation of a drunken moment. I like this as it allows you to make up your own mind if they were drunk or not. In this image the formal element of reflection is used as within the image you can see the mirror and within the mirror you can see the lights in a line. This doesn't really demonstrate anything for me.

This photo has influenced me to narrow down the use of black and white and use it on specific photo's for reflection or for when there is absolute honesty or nakedness of a persons emotions to a picture.




Overall 
Overall, after having studied Meisels work and explaining them in thorough detail, I have decided that I am actually very fond of his work and I find him a very good photographer and actually he has influenced me quite a bit. The two main points influences I will take a board is to not over use black and white so much on my pictures anymore as he has shown in the final picture that it actually creates a certain feeling for a photo of recognition and secondly, use extreme situations and think outside the box as your work wills come out better and more interesting to look at and hold a higher meaning to it and create a narrative. After looking at his work I am more interested in him now than I was at the beginning.