Portfolio for Falmouth University (Photography)

1. Annotations for Portfolio
Introduction: Throughout my 2 years of Photography A level I used Adobe
Photoshop in addition to Adobe Bridge. The cameras I used for the majority of
my work was a Canon 400D and a Canon 700D with lenses ranging from the
standard 18-5mm lens to a 80-300mm lens. I created a total of 6 A3 sketchbooks
filled with annotations, contact sheets, darkroom prints, paper negatives, film,
film on DVD, panorama’s, manual and digital joiners, various prints from
multiple printer qualities, six point analyses and visual comparisons. In addition
to all of this content in my sketchbooks I have produced a book showing of the
best photos of the Cornish coast as well as spiral bounded books with my contact
sheets from various photography shoots across America, The Netherlands and
the UK. Below is a brief summary of photos within my portfolio.
Photos 1-2: Both of these HDR’s were taken during February 2016 at the
Epcot Centre at Disney World, Florida. My intentions for both of these photos
were to show the architectural design of the iconic landmark within this park.

2. Photo 3: This HDR was also taken during February 2016 at the Animal
Kingdom Disney Park. This HDR was edited (via Camera RAW Filters) to give it a
high contrast and saturation to give some of the foliage framing the riverside
building a sepia tone.
Photos 4-6: These long exposure experiments (as I call them) were taken
during the summer of 2015 in the small wooded area at Kennack Sands,
Cornwall where I work for a small beach Café owned by my family. These photos

3. came about when I decided to zoom in, zoom out or both during a long exposure
varying from 3-12 seconds long. I used a HOYA Pro ND1000 filter to increase my
exposure time whilst I had the camera on a tripod with a camera trigger. For the
zooming element of these successful experiments I manually zoomed the lens
with both hands to achieve a smooth constant zoom.
The first of these long exposure experiments was taken looking down a
path at two dark tree trunks enveloped ivy. However after trying out the newly
practised technique (If you can call it one) the tree trunks looked like foggy
silhouettes of people walking down the path. The 2nd long exposure experiment
in my portfolio is of a thin tree trunk snaking its way up to the tree canopy. This
photograph shows some of the best light trails in my photography thanks to this
rather experimental technique. The final long exposure experiment is off an
abandoned cottage that has been exposed to the natural elements for years after
its abandonment. The various light trails seen are from patches of light that
seeped their way through the tree canopy to spotlight random areas of this
desolate building.

4. Photo 7: This photography was taken from my Cornish family’s home in
Mullion looking over the Peninsula coast towards Penzance. This photograph to
me shows the cause and effect of fire in an unnatural way. This photograph
shows the vapour trail from an airplane down to the horizon however in this
photograph it can be interpreted as a very large bellowing cloud of smoke.
Smoke is the first signs and sight from a fire with the sunset appearing as a flare
of fire to the side of the “smoke”. Whilst my photography teacher and my friend

5. in the lesson couldn’t see what I meant by this I still believe it is still one of the
best photography pieces of the Cornish sunset I have taken.
Photos 8-9: These long exposure photographs were taken at the National
Trust area of Poltesco, Cornwall. Both of these were taken with the same
equipment as photos 4-6. The first photo was been altered slightly using Camera
RAW Filters then turned into B+W to show the various tones throughout the
depth of the photo. The second photo however was altered using Camera RAW
Filters then nothing else. Too adjust the tone textures and mainly to remove the
spots from an unclean lens and filter. This photograph is divided however as the
lower section of the water stream shows the flow and movement of the water as
it collides and gushes past the rocks whilst the upper half shows a pristine and
clear reflection of the tree canopy’s tones as well as the mossy stones beneath
the water surface.

6. Photos 10-11: This little bird was photographed at the Animal Kingdom
Park, Disney World, Florida during February 2016. The first photo was altered
using Camera RAW Filters to show the bird in more light as it was originally
really dark in the shadows. This photo was then altered with various brush tools
and mask layers to bring forth the textures, tones and depth of the bird and its
quick “Dynamic Wash”. The second photography is of the same bird no more
than a few minutes afterwards standing of the edge of the bucket looking out

7. towards the floor. I was able to capture a predatory stare from this innocent bird
in the moment of its quick and sudden movements.
Photos 12-14: These photos were taken at the same place and day as the
previous two photos. These three photos comprise a mini-series, which I have
grown to love from the suggested narratives behind these two primates. The first
photograph shows the movement of the ape, “The Lone Traveller” as it clambers

8. towards it rustic stone building that it has grown to call home whilst the 2nd
photo shows the sister, “The Lone Watcher” looking out towards the crowds of
tourists, holiday makes with their gawping smiles, enchanted stares and
comments in an unknown foreign language. The third photo shows the sister
primates united, together away from their true home in a so-called “Home
Environment” whilst the only truth is their bond with one and another.

10. Photo 15: This final photograph was taken during September 2015 in a
park no more than a mile from my college. Whilst I was taking photographs of
various flowers for a comparison of photos I had taken the year before of the
same flowers this fly landed on a yellow flower and to my luck, it remained in
place whilst I was able to take many photographs ranging from different angles
and camera settings as well as a few HDR’s. This photo is a HDR that has been
cropped, and altered using Camera RAW Filter to make the small, and
unimportant fly look majestic atop the pure yellow flower. The amount of detail
and texture of the fly are some of the best of my close up photography work
throughout the past two years of my Photography A Level.