statement of intent
I aim to make a portfolio of images that is my personal response to the question Light and Dark, I will take numerous photographs of objects that I feel will show my progression and journey of my interpretation of the questions.
To begin with I will research photographers that use light and dark in their work, the two that have stood out to me the most are Horst P Horst and Alex Bednij. I feel that their work inspired me and gave me a starting point for my first shoot. As the contrast of the colour black and white in Horst P Horst work made the objects stand out and that was my initial idea of the question.
Alexey Bednij manipulates his work as he uses the idea of negative and positive space, this is something I can work later in my project.
When I chose this theme I was inspired by the photographers work and felt that it was the best question to show my strengths in photography. My starting point is objects however I know that there will be many routes I can look at as I continue with my journey of Light and Dark.
For my first shoot I will take photographs of objects, my focus will be on the way I capture the object using different angles of light and show the different ways the light reflects on the object and the shadows that they cast. I will develop them further using Photoshop maybe to add filters or remove any unwanted objects.
I would like to experiment with a wide range of techniques within my work. I will use different f.stop lenses and I will create a work space that will enhance the quality of my photographs. I will use different lighting conditions and different colours of light.
I have 8 weeks to complete this project. in which i will create a gallery of my favorite images that shows my interpretations of light and dark.
To begin with I will research photographers that use light and dark in their work, the two that have stood out to me the most are Horst P Horst and Alex Bednij. I feel that their work inspired me and gave me a starting point for my first shoot. As the contrast of the colour black and white in Horst P Horst work made the objects stand out and that was my initial idea of the question.
Alexey Bednij manipulates his work as he uses the idea of negative and positive space, this is something I can work later in my project.
When I chose this theme I was inspired by the photographers work and felt that it was the best question to show my strengths in photography. My starting point is objects however I know that there will be many routes I can look at as I continue with my journey of Light and Dark.
For my first shoot I will take photographs of objects, my focus will be on the way I capture the object using different angles of light and show the different ways the light reflects on the object and the shadows that they cast. I will develop them further using Photoshop maybe to add filters or remove any unwanted objects.
I would like to experiment with a wide range of techniques within my work. I will use different f.stop lenses and I will create a work space that will enhance the quality of my photographs. I will use different lighting conditions and different colours of light.
I have 8 weeks to complete this project. in which i will create a gallery of my favorite images that shows my interpretations of light and dark.
photographer research
horst p horst
Connections
The photographers images inspire me because I like the way the image is black and the vase and all the flowers and white, the simplicity of the two simple colours create a fantastic contrast. The theme of simple objects against a black background is something I am going to try in my own work. I really like this simple theme and think this is the direction I will take my work in. In my opinion I do not think there is a message behind the image however the simplicity of the shoot is very classic and effective.
I don't like the way that the image has not got that much light around the vase because I think it makes it look a little bit dull.
Content
in this image there is vase that is in the middle of the shot that makes you naturally look there. The photographer has done this because they know this is the power spot, the power spot is where your eyes naturally go and where you would naturally look . Looking at the image I can't quite
Comment
In my opinion I really like this because it is very simplistic and it makes the flowers stand out. I also think that the object used is very effective because it has a good outline shape that stands out against the black of the background. Although it is a strong shape,in my opinion I do not find the actual vase object interesting and when I take my own images I think I will try and find objects that have a more shinny surface.
The photographers images inspire me because I like the way the image is black and the vase and all the flowers and white, the simplicity of the two simple colours create a fantastic contrast. The theme of simple objects against a black background is something I am going to try in my own work. I really like this simple theme and think this is the direction I will take my work in. In my opinion I do not think there is a message behind the image however the simplicity of the shoot is very classic and effective.
I don't like the way that the image has not got that much light around the vase because I think it makes it look a little bit dull.
Content
in this image there is vase that is in the middle of the shot that makes you naturally look there. The photographer has done this because they know this is the power spot, the power spot is where your eyes naturally go and where you would naturally look . Looking at the image I can't quite
Comment
In my opinion I really like this because it is very simplistic and it makes the flowers stand out. I also think that the object used is very effective because it has a good outline shape that stands out against the black of the background. Although it is a strong shape,in my opinion I do not find the actual vase object interesting and when I take my own images I think I will try and find objects that have a more shinny surface.
Context
Horst P Horst was a German photographer and was interested in avant-grade art "Horst P Horst was one of the original pioneers of 20th century fashion photography. His signature style is today instantly recognizable- combining portraiture and fashion with simple but essential embellishments. His photographers were the subject of a solo exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum in 2015.
Horst P Horst was a German photographer and was interested in avant-grade art "Horst P Horst was one of the original pioneers of 20th century fashion photography. His signature style is today instantly recognizable- combining portraiture and fashion with simple but essential embellishments. His photographers were the subject of a solo exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum in 2015.
Composition
The photograph is a shallow depth of field because you can only see the vase however if you could see everything else then it would be a deep depth of field.
The background is black so it makes you only look at the flowers that are in the vase.
It is also cropped smaller so that the flowers are in the middle so your eyes go to the flowers.
This photographer probably only experiment with the light and maybe with the contrast and brightness in Photoshop.
there are no leading lines because it is in the middle of the cropped image and so naturally your eyes would go to the middle.
I would think that the lens is Tamron 70-200mm because of the detail you can see in the image.
The viewpoint is at eye level meaning it is where naturally you would be looking its not a worms eye view because it does not look bigger than it is meant to look
It has been framed in a 4:3 aspect ratio which means how big the image it is.
For rule of thirds it is in middle it is not in the power spots
it is symmetrical because both of the sides of the image are the same on both side of the image .
The photograph is a shallow depth of field because you can only see the vase however if you could see everything else then it would be a deep depth of field.
The background is black so it makes you only look at the flowers that are in the vase.
It is also cropped smaller so that the flowers are in the middle so your eyes go to the flowers.
This photographer probably only experiment with the light and maybe with the contrast and brightness in Photoshop.
there are no leading lines because it is in the middle of the cropped image and so naturally your eyes would go to the middle.
I would think that the lens is Tamron 70-200mm because of the detail you can see in the image.
The viewpoint is at eye level meaning it is where naturally you would be looking its not a worms eye view because it does not look bigger than it is meant to look
It has been framed in a 4:3 aspect ratio which means how big the image it is.
For rule of thirds it is in middle it is not in the power spots
it is symmetrical because both of the sides of the image are the same on both side of the image .
alexey bednij
Content
This image contains some matches in the fashion that every part that is black is on the whiter tiles and every part that is white is on the black tiles, this really brings out the contrast in the image and make this seem more calming. it also brings yours eyes into the middle this technique that the photograph has used is called the rule of thirds. |
Context
"Is a 28 year old russian photographer who works with manipulative black and white digital photography work. His work is based on capturing the shadows of subjects such as people, cats, dogs, birds, etc. and manipulating the shadow that is cast. At first glance when one views his work, it may seem that he has impeccable timing or is always in the right place at the right time, but in reality you suddenly find that all these shadows would not normally be cast in different directions on subjects in the same area." Composition
This image was taken from a birds eye view which is used to bring out the shape and pattern of the matches. There are strong leading lines created by the matches which are used to form a spherical shape which draws your eyes in to the center of the object. The photographer has used evenly distributed lighting which helps to create a strong contrast between the black and white. The composition does not use rule of thirds but rather positions the object in the center and tight cropping brings this out further. In my opinion the matches look quite big and from this i infer they used a macro lens. The photographer has used a large depth of field because everything is in focus. The background of this images of a images that they might have been and printed of and lay down and they added the matches. Comment
What I like about this photo is the simple idea of using a match to create a simple pattern. I can imagine that it would have taken the photographer quite a long time to burn down each match to the correct length to achieve his idea and I really admire this. I also really like that the shape draws your eyes into the middle, it is a very simple idea but effective. I don't really like that the matches after a certain point have started to curve because this goes against the straightness of the other matches. I don't think there is a strong meaning behind this photo but I do think it is a powerful image. |
INSPIRATION
plans for my first shoot
I will need to get objects that are metal. They will look especially good when you put a light to it will make it look more sharp. Also I will need to zoom in on the shoot to sharpen the shoot ( on the important parts ). The background will be black and I will need some lights to better light up the shoot and get the little details of the objects so that I can get the shoot better framed. I will also need a tripod and set the timer on for 2 seconds on the camera so I can press the shutter bottom on the camera and move back. I would want take pictures like the ones above. I will also try and get a good amount of pictures with shadows to show a contrast.
Location
studio shot to control the light
Equipment
camera DSLR Cannon
tripod
50mm lens
two table lights
black background
metal props
Location
studio shot to control the light
Equipment
camera DSLR Cannon
tripod
50mm lens
two table lights
black background
metal props
setup to show my first shoot
first shoot
lamp and bulb
two bulbs
battery
battery
I took the images in this way using just one light on purpose because I wanted the shadow to go straight down but not go all the way to the edge of the image. I wanted to have the light like a semicircle and the battery logo in focus and everything else blurred to make it effective. I set the camera on a 2 second timer, this was so that I can hit the shutter button and move away for less shadows and less shake on the camera. I also set the camera exposure and set it first to -3 then to -2. I used a portrait lens on the camera.
glass perfume bottle
For this picture I focused on the writing and the bubbles in the bottles straw. I also set the exposure to -2 to see if you could still see the text and make it so that the light is not too bright and I purposefully made the shadow go off the side and put the bottle on the power spot. This is where your eyes naturally goes to. I also used a portrait lens for this as well.
watch
For this image all I did was get a bit of material that I found on the floor and put it behind the watch to make it stand up and then took the photo with the focus on the writing on the watch to make everyone focus on the middle. In Photoshop I will crop the image and make it darker
compass
For these shoots I focused on the text on the compass and made everything else blurred and tried to make a spotlight effect on the compass and tried to make it as central as possible. In Photoshop I would make it more central and make the light a little bit more brighter and the background more darker to bring out the contrast.
shoot two
For my next set of images I wanted to explore a contrast around the theme of light and so I thought I would experiment with white props against a white background which is the opposite to my first set of images. I want to work out how the white will affect the lighting. I am going to choose simple props so that my images look clean pure.
LOCATION
studio shoot
EQUIPMENT
CANNON 600
TRIPOD
2 DESK LIGHTS AND A LAMP
PROPS
LOCATION
studio shoot
EQUIPMENT
CANNON 600
TRIPOD
2 DESK LIGHTS AND A LAMP
PROPS
shoot 2
set up
when I was taking this set of images one of the elements that I focused on was to make sure I achieved a diagonal shadow when I was photographing the tall vessels. My focus on the SD card reader was to focus on the little led light and for the earphones I focused on the writings on the top part. the reason I did this was because it would help me achieve a sharp focused image.
earphones 1
earphones 2
best and worst
My next plan is to capture different light outside of a studio, the reason I wanted to do this was because I wanted to explore further different lighting effects in different locations. I plan to go on location into Manchester and the area I am going to visit is Castle Field. The reason I am going to go there is because there is a good contrast of light and shade created by the old girders and the light of the canal.
Location
Manchester/Castlefield
Equipment
Gorilla tripod
cannon eos 600d
18mm - 35mm lens
Location
Manchester/Castlefield
Equipment
Gorilla tripod
cannon eos 600d
18mm - 35mm lens
shoot three
photoshops
best and worst images
shoot four
best and worst images
shoot 5
set up
glass
For this shoot I took two desk lamps and set the grey paper and made a infinity loop ( infinity loop is when you get paper and put it in a L shape and this makes the image look like there is nothing in the background ) and put the two lights next to each side and tried to make it in the same distances so it would look symmetrical and put in on a 2 seconds timer.
mother board
For my exam I choose the theme light and dark because I felt I can explore more in depth in this project. In my opinion I feel I did better in my studio shoots as I feel I had more control and more ability to manipulate my photos in any way through out my journey. In this theme I have learnt a lot of different techniques with Photoshop and I have really enjoyed taking full control of my images in Photoshop and making them more personalized.
WHAT I AM GOING TO DO IN THE EXAM
During the course of this exam work I have explored the theme of light and dark both outside and within a studio location. Although I really like my images from Manchester I prefer my studio and I think I will continue to develop these for my final piece. what I like about doing studio shots is that it gives me greater control over the lighting and the shadows and I really enjoy learning how to take good photos. During the course of developing my studio shots I have learnt how important it is to have my camera on a tripod and have a 2 second timer as I can move away and remove my body shadow. I am also learning how to manipulate the lighting to get a darker shadow to blow up the image.
To get ready for my final exam shoot I am going to take a final set of images in the studio, it is crucial that I get my lighting right and choose the correct object to photograph. I will collect a set of props that have a shinny surface that reflects the light.
To get ready for my final exam shoot I am going to take a final set of images in the studio, it is crucial that I get my lighting right and choose the correct object to photograph. I will collect a set of props that have a shinny surface that reflects the light.
from here on everything here is from exam (from 27th of april 2018)
final portfolio of images
evaluation
For my exam I choose the theme/project light and dark I originally thought it was only about outside shoots later on finding out that there is other shoots like studio shoots. I prefer studio shoots as I get the most control over the prop/object/model. My favorite part of the exam was learning how key it is to get the lighting perfect because if you mess up the lighting you will be in Photoshop for along time. You can mess up the framing but if you mess up the lighting it is awful. if you messed up the framing but the thing that you wanted in the shoot is still there then you can just crop it out or to you're desired liking. In the future I would like to further develop my general Photoshoping skills as I feel I am better when it comes down to taking the photo rather that editing it.
Throughout my development towards the exam I also researched on different artists such as Alexey Bednij who I liked and wanted to copy the photo taking style like and further improve my way on it I also analysed her photos ( I also researched on others like HORST P HORST ) . The technique that I enjoyed the most was blacking out my photos in Photoshop. I also encountered a problem in my exam which was weak English language to avoid this I would write out with my teacher what I need to say then type it up.
Next time if I were to do this again I would take more time on taking picture in a shoot as I feel I will discover new techniques if I do so.
Throughout my development towards the exam I also researched on different artists such as Alexey Bednij who I liked and wanted to copy the photo taking style like and further improve my way on it I also analysed her photos ( I also researched on others like HORST P HORST ) . The technique that I enjoyed the most was blacking out my photos in Photoshop. I also encountered a problem in my exam which was weak English language to avoid this I would write out with my teacher what I need to say then type it up.
Next time if I were to do this again I would take more time on taking picture in a shoot as I feel I will discover new techniques if I do so.