2. Visual Language
The subject matter in this photo is of a handle on a window with some staining of the window and the
colours in the background being made from bushes and a garden. The lines in this photo are mostly
horizontal looking as if they are going from left to right. The colours in this photo are rich and full but
not too saturated or bright. The shapes in this photo are mainly soft and rounded, there are no harsh
and sharp lines. There is some texture from the markings on the glass, because the detail has been
focused on and the textures show up. This photo is a natural opportunistic photo as the window was
always like that and wasn’t put there on purpose for the picture. The lighting in this photo is natural
and ambient there was no lighting other than the grey glow of the outside. The photo isn’t busy
because of the clear lines and contrast between the background and focal point .
The subject matter of this photo is of a corner of a room and the light shining through on to
the wall and the inside of the room. The light acting like a dim spot light shining on the
painting highlighting lighter parts of the painting. The lines in this photo lead the eye to the
middle of the photo, the shadows create the lines that lead diagonally across the picture. The
colour in this photo is very unsaturated and dark, but the colours that show are deep, like on
the wood in the bottom of the photo. The shapes in this photo are mainly square and
rectangular because of the windows and the subjects being square. The depth of field is
around a normal depth as the foreground is all in focus but through the window the
background is all out of focus. The lighting in this photo is ambient, the lighting is not put
there on purpose for the photo it is natural. Also the subjects in the photo are naturalistic
they were not put there for the purpose of the photo.
The subject matter of this photo is of an antique bowl sat on a counter. The depth of field in the
photo is quite small as the focal point of the bowl is in focus but the background is out of focus. The
lines in the photo are mainly vertical, running from the top to the bottom or middle or middle to
bottom. The set out of the photo is naturalistic as the subject matter hasn’t been put there for the
purpose of me taking a picture. The lighting in this is also naturalistic and ambient as no additional
lighting was set up for the photo, the only lighting used was what as already available. The colours in
this photo are deep and full but the saturation is very restrained and held back so the blue doesn’t
become too bright and overpowering. The shapes in this vary as the pattern on the bowl gives the
photo more movement and shape.
3. Visual Language
Over all the final set of images all came out in a similar style and quiet colour so they all match and go
together as a whole. The subject matter of the final set are all very similar as well showing manmade
subject with organic things being mixed together and seeing how the effects of nature changes the
manmade things. The style of the close ups and the contrasting with the landscape shots also gives a
good variation of subject matters and perspectives.
The shots are quiet and not very busy, they have a feeling of silence and minimalism that is enhanced by the
restrained matching colours of blues, browns, greys and greens and simple subject matters. The lighting in
these shots look dramatic and this works because of the shadows contrasting with the light, for example the
shot of the bed, the light is soft and is coming in from one place, meaning that shadows from where the light is
hitting contrasts and gives the photo some texture, which makes it stand out and look aesthetically pleasing.
The photo to its left is similar in this way, how it has one place where soft light is coming from one place, so
the shadows create texture and outline all the details of the photo. The photo on the right is different in the
way that is shot is a long exposure, which means the river looks smooth instead of being sharp, but the rest of
the subject matter in the photo are sharp because they are still in focus. Even though this photo has some
differences about it, the lighting and the initial editing of it is similar and makes it match the other two photos.
4. Audience
The Audience for my set of photos would be very specific, for the class they would be mainly
middle class, because the places where the photos would be shown and exhibited you would
need to have spare money to be able to view them, and people in a lower class may not have
that kind of money. The age would be mainly adults 30+, because they have more money to
spare, and also have more knowledge and experience and culture to be aware of the fine art
photography, or even just take an interest in the photography and appreciate and understand
it, as younger people may not.
This would also only appeal to a small percentage of people because it is a niche activity so
only a niche part of the audience would participate in going to look at a exhibition.
The psychographics of the audience will be very similar, they will have similar interests,
values, attitude and interests.
But the audience could change depending on whether they have to pay to look at the photos.
If they didn’t then this means that the exhibition would be more accessible and that more
people from different backgrounds would be able to attend, like working class people with
less money and students. Schools and colleges could visit for educational trips, making the
audience age a lot more varied, from 15yr olds-23 year olds. It would also bring a more
diverse audience in from different background, as more people will visit if they don’t have to
pay.
5. Historical and cultural context
Ansel Adams
In my work there was a lot of influence from older photographers such as Ansel Adams and more
modern ones like Mark Power and Darren Moore. The work from both photographers I researched
were both used for fine art purposes, the end result for their photos would be for people to buy
them and enjoy looking at them.
This photo I took was part of a set of long exposure river photos. The
inspiration for this photo was Ansel Adams and his style of photography.
Because he used long exposures and film I wanted to try and get a similar
effect on some of my photos as him by editing the photos in black and
white and dodging and burning them. The background behind this photo
is showing the movement of the river, how the long exposure can conceal
how tough and forceful the environment is. The black and white edit of
the photo is to make the ripples on the river contrast more, so your eye is
concentrating on detail rather than colour. The difference between these
photos is that Ansel Adams’ photo was taken on film, which means he
could not edit them digitally my photo was taken digitally so that I could
manipulate and experiment with my shutter speeds, I could also edit my
photos on photoshop which means I could get an effect I desired. Hwne I
edited my photo I had to give an effect on it to make the colour and tone
of the other photos I had taken, which means my photo is a lot more
muted and less contrasting than Ansel Adams’ photo. I Also feel that my
exposure time is not as effective as Ansel Adam’s as the water on mine
does not flow as smoothly or look as soft, if I were to keep my exposure
on for longer this means that my water would look a lot less rippled and
more straight and soft.
Ansel’s
photo
My Photo
6. Historical and cultural context
Mark Power
This photo was a part of a set of an outside shoot. I
was concentrating on capturing finer details in a big
area like a tree, so I took close up macro shots. The
simpleness and detail with the depth of field in the
shot and the restrained colours are inspired by Mark
Power. The background behind this photo is about
noticing the smaller finer simple detail, subject
matters that are quiet and calm. Its also showing
a mix between manmade items and nature and
how they can work together or clash. I feel that
my photos are similar to Mark Power’s because
of the lighting. In the photo on the top left Mark
has used natural lighting to his advantage,
capturing the light bouncing off the dark
environment, creating drama with the effect of
the contrast, my photo beneath grasps a very
similar idea, where I tried to work with the
natural lighting in a dark area, with lighting
creating a wide spotlight on my subject matter.
The colour pallet in the two left hand side photos
are also very similar, with the blacks, dark browns
and beiges which work well to create an earthy
and moody feel to the photos, the lack of colour
also enhances the drama in the photos.
Mark Power’s photos
My photos
7. Historical and Cultural context
Darren Moore
Here I am comparing my work to Darren Moore a photographer that
specializes in black and white long exposure images. I chose this
photographer because I feel that his images are very similar and
different in different ways to my long exposure shots. The similarities
are that our photos both focus on one main subject matter that stands
out in the photo, in his photos the subject matter is usually a piece of
architecture, which mine is also. The black and white aspect of Darren
Moore’s work is also similar to mine, where we both take the image
digitally in colour, and then edit it into black and white, then also
editing it to look more dramatic, increasing the contrast, increasing the
brightness and shadows, dodging and burning different areas too
increase the contrast of the different hues of grey to make the photo
look more aesthetically pleasing. Another similarity is the style in
which the long exposure has been executed as. Both of our
photographs show water that has been smoothed out by the long
exposure, giving the photos an eerie feel, making them seem ghostly
and empty, I feel that my photo is not as effective as Darren Moore’s
though, because the water in my photo isn’t completely smooth, and I
failed to do this because of how over exposed and light my photo
would come out. The difference between our photos are the editing, I
edited mine to match my other photos, so I put different effects on my
long exposure photo to stop it from looking like it had been excluded
from my set of images, where as all of Darren Moore’s images are like
each other so they have been edited more clearly and have more
drama and contrast to them.
Darren Moore’s
photos
My photo
8. Intentions and fitness for purpose
When I first set out to do this project I always had the intention of using the final product as a fine art, to be
exhibited. I had two plans to if one didn’t work out I would have a plan b. The first plan was to concentrate
on natural landscapes, simple landscape photos of the fields and environment in which I was surrounded
in, I also had planned to do some long exposure experimental shots of moving water and rivers. I did fulfill
this plan and I took a lot of landscapes and long exposure photos, but I felt they weren’t as successful as
they could have been because of the surrounding and the weather conditions being quite dull. So my
second plan was to take some photos of the inside of the house, close ups of historical items, using the
lighting from windows to my advantage to give a quite simple feel. I think this plan worked better as there
was more opportunity and interesting things to photograph, the lighting opportunity was also a lot more
dynamic and gave me a lot more options on what to take a picture of and what mood the photo gave off, it
also made colours look deeper and more interesting.
My images have been made for a fine art exhibition. I think they suit their intentions and are fit for purpose
because of how they have been edited and the style and feeling they give off and how they all match, they
go together and when people look at them collectively they can find their own meaning and reasoning
behind the photos. I feel they could also be suitable and used for other things such as adverts, posters and
magazines because they are diverse and if the subject of that piece of media is right, then these photos
would deliver the right message.
‘There is a certain feel to your images and it really does show in your images. Like a hidden depth and a
meaning behind them and I can feel it in all your images.’ (external comment of final images)
Next time to improve on my work I could have a more directed vision of what I want to create, instead of taking
the pictures and then deciding what feeling I want to create and what I want people to feel, I would plan
that all out and be clear about what I wanted to do. Next time I would really take into account all of the
extraneous variables that could effect my shoot, such as the weather did. I would also give my self lots of
little plans to fulfill just incase my main plan cannot be carried out.
9. Final Images
Technical qualities in my work that I have shown in my work that are skills that I have gained are
mainly to do with lighting, aperture, depth of field and shutter speed. I have learnt which
aperture is suitable for certain kind of lighting conditions and also how much ISO is
appropriate. Exposure was really important for me to be able to understand and control and
after a bit of practice I got the hang of it and the lighting in my photos was successful. Like in
this photo the exposure was important to get just right so the detail and colour of the flowers
was shown but the light didn’t overpower the picture.
Another major skill I learnt was controlling shutter-speed and working out how long the shutter
needed to be open for to be able to capture the movement and keep the rest of the image in
focus, after many attempts my skills improved and I managed to create successful images of
the moving river, making the river water look soft instead of sharp. Getting exposure just right
in these photos it difficult and it has to be exact, getting the ISO to shutter speed ratio right so
there is enough light in the photo whilst still getting the soft movement of the river, with
getting camera shake. I believe in this final image, with some post production it came out
successful and effective.
Over-all my final set of images are aesthetically pleasing and they are interesting to look at. The
subject matters have be varied and different for each photo, no photo looks identical. The
editing has been similar but this is on purpose so the set of photos match and go together and
don’t look out of place with each other. The images show a similar composition where the
camera lens is focused on one thing, which is close up to the lens and in the most detailed
focus. The composition then filters out to the background behind the main focal point is more
out of focus and blurry, creating a soft and interesting background for the foreground to
contrast against, making it look sharper and more detailed, and also so it stands out more,
making the photo more interesting and eye catching.
10. Technical competence
I have gained some technical skills throughout this project, mainly to do with developing and polishing off the
skills I already had a vague idea about. But with this project the lighting situation required a lot of control
with the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. The dark lighting meant having a large aperture but not so big
that the shutter speed was too slow and made the photos blurry and unusable. I also used the technique
of controlling the depth of field and what I wanted the picture to be focused on and what was in detail, I
used a macro setting for some of the close up photos, this meant the depth of field was smaller but the
camera captures a lot more detail, the contrast between the detail and the bokeh makes the photo look
more effective and gives the photo more detail. Technically I also used my skills on photoshop to right the
blemishes and imperfections in my photos. I used the simple increase in contrast and brightness first, then
I started to create a running theme with the mood I was giving off during my editing making them look
calm and peaceful, nice to look at whilst still carrying some intensity. I experimented and tried different
effects on my photos like a fake lens flare, but I felt that these effects where not helping me to get the
feeling I was going for. So I stuck to more simple editing techniques focusing on the detail of the photos
working to make the photos look as clear and as professional as possible.
11. Creative ability
During this project I have become more creative, because I have gained more skills and been able to be flexible with my ideas in a
limited environment and with limited equipment. I had to be creative with my perspective and lighting. An example of this
creativity would be this photo of the window, the creatively shows in the lighting and aperture control so gaining more
control has helped me become more creative. Also the focus and depth of field control has helped me to pick out things
people don’t notice, which could give the picture different meanings. A very coherent theme runs throughout the
photographs. The editing adds to the theme running through the photograph. In this shoot I liked to focus on the colour
and the contrast of black with it, I also tried to be creative with lighting, to highlight certain subject matters, to
bring more texture to my photos to make them pop out of the photo. As you can see in the photos below, I have
picked out colours that are being sat along side black in a specific sharp composition, side-by-side, I think this
looks dramatic and like there is some depth behind it. I enhanced this with editing, saturating the colours to make
them bolder and stronger, and to make the blacks darker
‘Interesting angles have been used in some of the photographs, as well as different focal lengths to focus on
certain aspects in the photographs’
Inspiration from looking at different photographers and their ideas on how a photo should be taken and what makes a photo
interesting. Their photos and their views and techniques all helped me to create my own idea in my head, and you can see
the flare of the researched photographers style in my own work, especially Mark Powers work.
12. Time management
Time management is important and the way to keep good time
management is to stick to a schedule. I planned out a
flexible schedule before doing the photo shoot. The
schedule just told me approximately when to do what and
how much time I would have to do each thing in. With the
photo shoot part of the schedule I did did exactly to this as
we had a whole day dedicated to going out and taking
photographs. The second part of my schedule or the post
production part and I had scheduled 5 days to complete all
of the editing of the 600 photos I had taken, (this includes
sorting them out and filtering through the best photos). I
soon found out because I have done a lot of editing in the
past and have a lot of experience with Photoshop, that I
actually completed editing my best 8 images in the first 2
lessons. So with my spare time I went about experimenting
with some tools and filters on Photoshop, trying to improve
the images I didn’t like using tools I hadn’t really used
before. But this meant I met my deadlines and finished with
plenty of time. This spare amount of time also meant I could
do another task where I put photos into a context, where I
made a leaflet advertising and telling people about the
exhibition my photos would be in. I made the leaflet by
using photos I had taken on the same shoot and editing
them into a information leaflet about the exhibition my
photos would be presented in.
