7. Theme or focus of image & reasons for choice
The following images all aim to promote the Salford quays in a positive light. I chose
to photograph the landscape during late afternoon/early evening as these are
known as the golden hours and allow for a warm glow which in turn brings out the
texture and detail within an image. However due to the change in weather I was not
able to achieve this as effectively as I would of liked and therefore had to settle on
using a slower shutter speed in order to allow for more light in the images.
Image one is by far my favourite photograph; the docks are a major part of the
Salford quays therefore I wanted it to be the focus of the photograph. I’d hoped for
the image to me more vibrant since bright colours connote a sense of elation and
are more alluring to the eye, however I’m satisfied with the end result. Since water is
both the central theme of the image and a focal point of the quays I wanted the
photo to have a cool blue effect to it in order to reflect that. Considering the rule of
thirds the docks ideally would have taken up two thirds of the image, however due to
the tower block in the foreground it was impossible to take a satisfying photo that
cropped it out. Therefore, whilst editing- using the dodge tool- I lightened the rest of
the image excluding the water in order to make it stand out then added a dark blue
cooling filter to it. The inspiration behind this photo came from Will Pearson; he
photographs on overcast days since it allows for more evenly lit images- this is an
effect that I hope I’ve achieved in my own photo.
Following with the theme of the docks, in image two the boat became the focus. A
cool blue filter was applied in order to achieve the same effect as the previous image
and to represent the theme- water. However, since the boat needed to be the
attention grabbing point I ensured it was at the forefront of the photo and was the
8. most vibrant object. Considering the rule of thirds, I tried to ensure that the horizon
was within the top third of the frame in order to take attention away from it. The use
of natural lighting allowed for a well exposed image whist the shadowing from the
sun provided my focal point with texture. Whilst the water itself is an important factor
within the photo- It acts as a secondary visual point.
Although there is an element of water in both image 3 and 4, the building themselves
are the focus. Using the rule of thirds I ensured that the horizon took up two thirds of
the image. I wanted the theatre to be the eye grabbing focal point; therefore during
editing I increased its vibrancy and added a cooling filter to the water in order to
make the building stand out. The warmthness of the sun creates contrast between
the water and building which in turn allows for a more visually appealing image that
has both texture and detail.
When capturing image 5, I wanted it to be a little more dynamic; rather than using
the rule of thirds, I attempted to place the horizon in the centre of the image,
therefore leaving the other half of the image with the docks and creating a sharp
contrast. The overcast lighting provided the image with crisper detail and softer, more
evenly lit exposure. Other than increasing the vibrancy of the glass buildings in order
to add some colour to the image, no filters were used. By doing so, it allows the
images to reflect their true alluringness without manipulating them.
Image 6 is fairly different to my other photos in terms of the style since I took a
different approach. I aimed to create a silhouette of the horizon in order to make the
sky the focal point of the image. The sunlight acted as a backdrop in order for me to
capture this effect and create a dramatized sky that’ll draw in attention. The lighting
allowed for texture in both the clouds and water, therefore creating more detail. I’d
hope for the sky to be more vivid and vibrant, therefore I applied a blue filter in order
to make it stand out and grab attention.
With image 7 and 8 I aimed to catch the greenery of the quays. The images aim to
be visually appealing; the use of bright colours connote a sense of elation. The rule of
thirds has not been applied to image 7; I wanted the photo to just draw in your
attention so that you look at every aspect and detail within it. However with image 8,
during editing I purposely created a contrast between the ground and building by
increasing the brightness of the greenery and adding a green filter and applying a
blue filter to the buildings and increasing the brightness.
During the evening the Salford Quays is a spectacle of lights and this is something I
wanted to showcase in image 9 and 10. The right hand side- in image 9- and the left
hand side- in image 10- is the focus of the image and therefore the dominating
factor within the photo. I wanted the lighting to be the main centre of attention;
therefore the brightness was enhanced in order to grab attention. The BBC studios are
what revamped the Salford Quays- hence the name media city UK- and are
therefore an important element. The bright light of the building and water against the
darkness connote a sense of glory- they’re he important element.
Techniques used
A fast shutter speed of 1/1000 and ISO of 100 was used in both images one and two in
order to capture crisp photos and to avoid any motion blur from the water. Although
it was an overcast day, the natural lighting was fairly bright and was therefore
9. causing overexposed images with a slower shutter speed. I tried a combination of
faster shutter speed ranging from 1/300-1/600; however these did not freeze the
motion of the water. 1/1000 was the perfect shutter speed in achieving this, however
it led to underexposed images, therefore I used an fstop of F3.5 in order to allow more
light into the lens which in turn allowed for evenly lit and well exposed images.
The wind began to pick up a little in image three and four so I therefore had to
increase the shutter speed to 1/1250 in order to freeze the motion. An ISO of 100 is
considered to be normal if your intention is to catch crisp photos, hence why I kept it
at this setting. Due to the sunshine coming through the clouds during the capturing of
these images, there was no need for me to reduce the Fstop since I’d increased the
shutter speed; it was kept at f3.5.
When photographing image 5 the trees in the foreground continuously appeared
blurry due to the weather, I therefore had to increase the shutter speed drastically to
1/2000. Although I had a shorter exposure time then sun was getting much brighter
now which was causing overexposed image even at this setting; I changed the fstop
to f4.5 in order to allow lees light through the lens. Although I want my images to be
well exposed, I don’t want drastically bright images hence why the settings allow for
more evenly lit monotone photos.
Image six is a lot more different from my other style of images, therefore I had to
change the settings I used a lot more. Since the sun is so bright and acting as a
backdrop when taking a silhouette style photograph a high fstop is required in order
to ensure a large depth of field so that you have a focused image. A shutter speed of
1/800 was used in order to allow time for the light to be let in, however looking back
on the image, I’d ideally of used an even slower shutter speed in order to achieve the
effect more accurately and precisely.
In image seven and eight the wind began to pick up again and since I was so close
to the greenery I needed to use a high shutter speed in order to completely freeze
the motion. I ended up using an exposure time of 1/4000, however thinking back on
it, it could have been much lower. A shutter speed of this type created
underexposed images; therefore I used an fstop of f4.5 in order to achieve a high
aperture which in turn allowed more light into my lens.
I wanted the lights within image nine on the building and reflection within the water
to be over exaggerated since it’s the focus of the image. In order to achieve this I
had the help of a tripod; since I was using a shutter speed of 1/20 the camera
became sensitive to movement- a tripod kept is stabilized. An Fstop of f3.5 was used
in order to allow even more light through the lens to dramatize the image.
Strengths & suggested improvements
Throughout all my images I’m happy with both the framing of them and the chosen
areas within the Salford Quays that I photographed. In image six I should of
experimented more with taking silhouettes photos in order to achieve a better final
edit- I’d ideally of used a slower shutter speed to allow more light through the lens. I
also managed to crop out a part of the bridge- this is something I need to ensure that
10. I don’t do again. Whilst I’m happy with the composition of image seven and eight,
my editing skills let me down- the vibrancy of the images is too strong and does not fit
in with the theme of the other photos. Looking back at photos one, two, three, four
and five I do believe that they’re slightly monotone in colour and could be slightly
more vibrant in order to give more of an elated feeling. I believe that the images lack
any sense of ‘personality’ and do not have my own signature to them- they’re very
basic and lack creativity. If I was to re-take the photos, I’d of taken them on a sunnier
day so that the images could reflect there true alluringness without the use of
photoshop. Nigh photography is something I need to practise at as I believe m
camera was set up a the wrong setting and therefore caused slightly out of focus
images.
Editing details
Image one: using the dodge tool I lightened everything within the image- excluding
the water, whilst a cool blue filter was applied in order to reflect the central theme of
the photo. Using the magnetic laso tool I highlighted the sky so that I could then
increase the exposure to make it ever so slightly brighter. I finally applied auto
contrast so that the highlights appeared lighter and the shadowing darker to make
the image stand out more.
Image two: A cool blue filter was again applied to follow with the theme, before
increasing the vibrancy of the boat by using the magnetic laso tool to highlight it.
Once this was done, with the help of the spot healing brush tool set to its lowest
softness I removed all imperfections from the base of the boat and the raindrops
visible within the water. Prior to editing a building was visible just behind the Lowry,
however I removed this by selecting the stamp tool, highlighting a patch of sky similar
to the shade closest to the building and stamping over it. Finally auto contrast was
applied again.
Image three and four: Both images were very dull, flat and muted, therefore I applied
auto colour in order to correct the image. The Lowry theatre was the focus of the
photos however this was not obvious prior to editing- using the magnetic laso tool I
highlighted the building and increased the vibrancy before applying a green coral
coloured filter. In order to make it more obvious, a cooling filter was then applied to
the rest of the image to make the theatre more eye grabbing. With the use of the
burn tool I darkened the shadows within the image.
Image six: Other than using the lasso tool to highlight the sky and add a blue filter to it,
no other elements were edited.
Image seven and eight: Although both images were already quite vivid in colour I
wanted to increase the brightness to make them stand out. With image seven I simply
increased the vibrancy, however with image eight, using he magnetic lasso tool I
highlighted the greenery before applying a bright green filter and increasing the
vibrance, I then did the same with the building by applying a blue filter. By doing this I
aimed to create a contrast between the greenery and urban scenery.
Image nine: I wanted the BBC studios to connote a sense of importance; therefore I
wanted it to be ‘glowing’. In order to achieve this I used the magnetic lasso to select
both the building and patch of water with the reflection and enhanced both the
exposure and vibrancy. With the use of the burn tool I selected patches of the sky to
11. give it that blue tint.
Image 10: The same theme follows through to image ten; therefore I applied the
same editing techniques by increasing the vibrancy of the studios. The only major
difference is that I decreased the exposure of the entire image in order to make the
building stand out.
Capture Log
Setting Shutter Speed ISO Aperture
Image 1: Manual Mode
1/1000
100
Image 2: Manual Mode
1/1000
100
Image 3: Manual Mode
1/1250
100
Image 4: Manual Mode
1/1250
100
Image 5: Manual Mode
1/2000
100
Image 6:Manual Mode
1/800
100
Image 7: Manual Mode
1/4000
100
Image 8: Manual Mode
1/4000
100
Image 9: Manual Mode
1/20
100
F3.5
F3.5
F3.5
F3.5
F4.5
F16
F4.5
F4.5
F3.5
