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Seeing The Light

Natural Light (Lisa Holloway)

In this image, there is harsh sunlight hitting the back of the model which creates an edge around the model and differentiates her from the blurred background, a shallow depth of field technique has been used to bring focus to the model and blur the background, to take most of the attention away from smaller details such as the foliage and rocks, as having these in focus would make the image too cluttered. The mixture of warm and cool pastel colours have also been thought out, as, on the top half of the image, warm pinks and reds have been used, while at the bottom blues and whites have been used, creating a subtle contrast throughout the image and creating visual interest. The model is wearing a white dress which creates a neutral tone, and adds a dissimilarity from the pastel tones behind her and further adds to the focus. The harsh lighting on her body has been diffused as she is facing away from the sun, giving us a soft light on her features and not adding too much exposure. This photograph would have been pre-planned as the weather would need to be calm in order for the model's hair not to move about too much although this could also have been a happy accident.  Image source: https://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/author/lisa_holloway/page/5/

Window Light (Damien Lovegrove)

This portrait has a rather simple yet elegant feel as the image is softly lit, the only harsh lighting within the image is around the left edge of her face which creates a bold outline around her face, and forms a variation in tone from the darker background. The darkest points of this image are the black shirt and the make-up around the eyes. The shirt produces a sudden block contrast from the rest of the piece, using solid black while most other tones are a lot lighter, this helps to draw the viewers eye to the face of the model and compliments the dark eye-liner the model is wearing, giving the focus of the image, due to the dark framing around the sharp blue eyes. The image overall has a very natural style as this can be shot indoors against a clean wall or backdrop with one specific light source.

Image Source: https://www.prophotonut.com/2008/10/06/bristol-urban-portraits-pictures/

Soft Natural Light (Michael Kanashkevich) Image source:http://estes-photography.blogspot.com/2012/09/unit-3-activity-1.html

Shadows and natural light (Alessio Albi) Image Source: https://fstoppers.com/natural-light/gorgeous-natural-light-portraits-italian-photographer-alessio-albi-28744

Diffused Light (Kristin Ingalls) Image source: https://www.kristiningalls.com/

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Research History Task (1900′s Timeline)

1900

In February of 1900, Kodak released the first ever “Brownie” camera. The first ever Brownie camera was invented by Frank Brownell. It was a leatherette covered card box with a wooden film conveyor. The original camera didn’t have a view finder, however it did have ‘V’ sight lines on top instead. It came with a detachable film winding key and introduced the 2 1/4-inch square format. Source: https://www.brownie-camera.com/5.shtml

1912

The Titanic was the largest ship in the world at the time. The builders and owners stated that the vessel was ‘practically unsinkable', however on the boats journey from Southampton to New York it struck an iceberg and within only a few hours, it sank. Approximately 1,503 lives were lost at sea. The Titanic was able to transport over 3,500 people, although there were only 1,178 lifeboats which contributed to a large amount of deaths when it sank on the 15th of April 1912.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/worldwars_timeline_noflash.shtml Image Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/history/790650/Titanic-when-sink-how-many-people-died-survivors-sinking

1914

On June 28th 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip who was a Bosnian Serb terrorist. The Austro-Hungarian government lashed out at Serbia and used the assassination as a pretext for war. This caused an outbreak among citizens and leaders, which conclusively lead to the first world war approximately 2 months later. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/worldwars_timeline_noflash.shtml Image source: https://www.private-prague-guide.com/article/archduke-franz-ferdinand-of-austria-and-his-assassination-june-28-1914/

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Portfolio Evaluation

How effective was your choice of images & retouching techniques used in your images? Why? I feel my images show a differentiation of style throughout my portfolio as I experimented with a variety of skilful techniques I had learned during my time on the course. My images show my progression and how far I’ve personally grown as a photographer. I enjoy editing a handful of my images as I feel this enhances their qualities.  How effective was your choice of presentation & layout options to create a visual impact & why? I found presenting my images rather easy as I pre-edited them in Photoshop to fit an A3 sized canvas template and formed a white border around the edges of my photograph before sending off to Deadly Digital to be printed. My images have quite a variety of colours, tones and patterns, with some of my images being monochrome and having dark and dismal tones, and others with bright colours integrated with pattern. Overall, I feel my portfolio is quite visually pleasing with a sharp contrast within my images from sombre to vibrant. How effective was your print process & why? I choose Hahnemuhle Photo Rag as my paper type as I admired the texture and quality of the print paper. I feel this paper works well with my prints as it has a clean matte finish. I am incredibly pleased with my paper type and would recommend it to other photographers. 

How you would improve on any steps made in retouching, layout & painting of images? I would like to produce more productive images in the near future as I am rather interested in creative shots such as double exposures and filtered images. I would also like to focus on retouching techniques such as skin retouching and eye enhancements that I have learned throughout the college. I added the extra images to my portfolio to show a wider range of my skills that I had developed and I think my paper type gives my prints a rather elegant finish although if I could change the layout of my images, I would make my prints slightly larger in scale to have a less distinctive border.

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21st Century Evaluation

For my 21st century ‘emulate & create’ task I chose to produce a skin retouched image as part of block 3. To create this image I used a healing tool in Photoshop to blend my model's imperfections. I used a Youtube tutorial to achieve a high-end result which I found easy enough to understand.I took my time when getting up close and personal with the image making sure to remove small amounts of discoloured skin and the odd hairs. The tutorial was much more manageable to achieve with a male model rather than a female wearing makeup as the skin became blurry and harsh. I am remarkably pleased with the final outcome as the image has come out sharp and has a natural look.

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20th Century Evaluation

For my ‘emulate & create’ class, I was given a film type called Kodalith 35mm to research and produce a photograph similar to this specific film type. I produced this image using Affinity photo. I found editing this image rather simple to recreate as I only had to adjust my colour scheme to black and white then change my contrast levels to achieve a Kodalith film print finish.I found searching images online rather difficult as this film type had been removed from stock by Kodak years ago, so I had to research further into the product type to find authentic results.I am satisfied with the final outcome of my image as it has achieved a high amount of dramatic contrast that I desired while starting the process. The image is separated into three vertical sections, with both outer sections being very tonally dark and the middle section being the brightest. There is a white curtain reflecting light on the window in the middle of the image giving the brightest part of the image which further reflects the light onto the model, this gives the front of my model a brighter tone, while the back is darker blending into the far left section. The clear focal point of the image is the models face as the contrast of the white curtain outlines the edge of the face and brings out the features of the model.

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19th Century Evaluation

For my ‘emulate and create’ class, I was given a task to reproduce a 19th century Platinum print in photoshop as part of my research block.  I used one of my spare actor headshot photographs for this technique. I then choose a platinum print example from Google and combined the two in photoshop. Originally I found this process to be difficult to complete as I wasn’t sure how to compare images in Photoshop as I use a different software at home. Although, by the end, I was able to create an image I was satisfied with.

Witnessing the image come together was the most enjoyable aspect of this process, I found it interesting watching my image slowly develop from the original actor headshot image I had previously taken to the black and white platinum print end result with a few editorial steps.

Overall, I achieved the desired result for my platinum print process, but if I could change anything about my image it would be, to have the edges of the image blend together with the border with less grain as this would give a more professional outcome.

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Double Exposure Evaluation

For my creative imaging class, we were given a brief which involved shooting various camera and editing techniques. One of these techniques was a double exposure. I was excited to be trying something completely different from my previous classes as this particular technique has helped improve my editing skills much faster. I find editing my images rather amusing as I can alter them however I please.  For my first ever double exposure, I had no issues producing this Photoshopped image as the editing process was simple and straightforward to follow as I had used a step by step YouTube tutorial to guide me along the way. I found that the tutorial and searching images for double exposures on Google have inspired me greatly as I enjoy creating this specific technique and I would like to experiment further in future. I am pleased with the final results of my image as the birds passing through my model gives a sense of freedom and portrays a blue calming atmosphere. Although if I were to change anything about my image it would be to possibly add more birds of various sizes flying throughout the model in different areas rather than all in the same line as each other. I would also perhaps like to add a more interesting background rather than a grey one as it gives the image a rather dull look.

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Double Exposure Research/Inspiration

Images found on Google & Pinterest

Image 1:

http://illusion.scene360.com/design/91580/levente-szabo/

Image 2: 

https://www.shopmoment.com/momentist/double-the-fun-double-exposure-tips-for-mobile

I find these double exposure examples really interesting and I wanted to recreate something similar for my own personal work so I used a YouTube tutorial to help me achieve this technique. The bear double exposure is much more gripping than the second image as it has a more artistic style rather than the second which includes two separate photographs that have been combined. These images are created using a photo editor such as Photoshop.

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Creative Imaging Techniques Filters Contact Sheet + Final Print

To create this image I set up a white paper background at home and placed my phone torch underneath the Jack Daniels bottle to illuminate the inside as the previous images I had captured without the lighting were too dark. I then placed a cyan coloured nappy bag over half of my camera to give a blurred look to the image. I also used a second phone with a blue coloured filtered light to add contrasting colours.

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My 2nd macro set

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I found researching this particular film type rather difficult as Kodak discontinued this product years ago. There wasn’t much that came up about the actual film as it isn’t popular with photographers today but I enjoyed researching into film types to expand my darkroom knowledge.

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Kodalith 35mm High Contrast

I researched Kodalith as part of my emulate and create class. I found tutorials on youtube and researched into high contrasted photographs to achieve my final image. When editing this image I used Affinity photo. First, I changed my colour settings in my adjustments sidebar to black and white and moved the sliders to where I felt was the best contrast result. I then added a slight extra contrast adjustment to my image to give a full high contrast effect. I am very pleased with the final outcome as it gives off a mysterious and dark ambience. Model: @jackrossphotographync1a

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6 Portfolio Images

Terri Muirhead NC1A For my 6 new portfolio prints, I stuck with my original ideas from my portfolio task 2 plan apart from a continuous light image and a shadow filtered image although I would like to perhaps add an extra 2 photographs to my portfolio that involve these techniques.

1. Window/45 degree lighting For the first image of my portfolio, I wanted to produce a strong portrait. I achieved this photograph using natural window light. I experimented with various angles and aperture settings until I finally captured the correct amount of exposure. For my original portrait idea, in my plan, I wanted to capture my model with fairy lights surrounding them and around the camera although I felt this wouldn’t fit with a male model as it was rather feminine so I choose to go for a more antagonistic shot. I am extremely pleased with the outcome of my final image as I got the desired effect with a simple set up.

2. Colour burned tower For my second image, I wanted to produce an over-edited landscape as I thought this would look artistically appealing and different from my other images. I choose to photograph a tower in my local community that I personally found fascinating. I later opened my photo in Affinity photo and experimented with multiple adjustments, I changed the image to black and white and then changed it to a saturated orange colour with a colour burned blend mode and this was the final results, I am amazed by how many possibilities I could achieve with editing my photographs. If I was to change anything about my image it would be to have a more natural look although I am currently really interested in this process even if it's not for everyone. 3. Double exposure For my third image, I stuck with my double exposure concept and produced a portrait with a flock of birds passing through my model, this is a symbol intended to portray freedom and exemption. I originally wanted to place an architectural building or landscape within my double exposure, but I decided against it and instead used the blue contrast image of the sky with a flock of birds flying, due to it’s cold, lonely atmosphere. First, I had to combine the image of my friend Jack and the image of the birds flying. The software I used was Affinity photo editor. I watched a Youtube tutorial to help me achieve the final outcome. I am rather pleased with the end results as the images blended together perfectly as I turned down the opacity setting in specific areas to bring out sections of the model's side profile which made the image more visually compelling. It also shows a variety of techniques that I can produce. 4. Macro My macro image was shot using a 1:1 magnified Sigma lens attached to a sturdy tripod. I particularly enjoyed shooting my nature macro image as I felt more rewarded once I had captured the perfect shot. I focused on half of an Asian bleeding heart as these flowers have a distinctive shape and style to made the image more appealing to the viewer's eye. The contrast of the pink flower and green background also gives the image an eye-catching look as the pink flower pops out as the main focal point of the piece whilst the blurred green background assists the focal point with a contrast of colour. 5. Swirl When choosing images for my portfolio I wanted to add something I had shot in my creative imaging class. So, I decided to capture a collection of yellow flowers with a motion blur swirl effect by turning the camera quickly whilst pressing the shutter at the same time to create a swirling effect. I found shooting this image easy as the technique was simple to follow and produced an unexpected, exceptional outcome. I later used Affinity photo editor in which I turned up the vibrancy to make the yellow of the flowers stand out. After this I sharpened it, to remove any blur near the centre of the image to create a clearer focal point. Finally, I turned up the contrast to further make the main focal point, being the flowers, stand out more. 6. Textured I also recently shot this landscape image as part of my creative imaging class. I opened the photo into a photo editor where I then added a new adjustment layer and placed a textured image I had saved, I changed the opacity of the textured background so the image of my model and backdrop could be seen. I had a contrast of colours with the backdrop of the mountains having warm reds and the model being a cold blue, with a gradient in between. 

When I decided which photos I would be putting into my portfolio I placed each image on an A3 sized canvas in Photoshop with a certain height and length to prepare the image for printing and sending off to Deadly Digital. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of my images and feel they have conveyed a wide variety of skills and techniques that I have developed whilst studying the course. Each technique I have used has had differentiation from the previous techniques I have used in my current portfolio to create diversity with style in my updated portfolio.

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My Final Reportage A3 Canvas

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Textured Image

I created this textured image using Affinity photo. I overlayed a textured google image by dragging and dropping the image on top of my current photo to cover the entire canvas. I then selected the overlayed image and changed the blend mode from normal to multiply as this was the best-suited blend for my image. Afterwards, I added a new mask layer to finish my layer and allowed me to change personal adjustments.

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My Blue Toned print

To do this I previously developed and produced a black and white print in the college darkroom. I then placed the print into a tray with running water for roughly 5-10 minutes to prep the image for toning. Once the image was rinsed I placed it into the chemical bleach mix for 10 minute’s as I wanted my image to have a darker contrast. I then replaced the paper into the wash for a further 20-30 minutes to remove the excess blue toner and left my print to dry. I very pleased with the results.

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