2. Out Of Focus
Our experiment was to find and experiment with the manual focus setting on the
camera. We took the lens completely out of focus which allowed the image to go
completely blurry and colours to merge together creating the effect. We worked
more with places of intense lighting to create shapes and combinations.
From the experiment we gained a mixture of results due to the nature of the
location. The college offers quite warm lighting which gives a yellowish tone to
images, this isn’t really avoidable unless we changed the settings dramatically
which may of reduced the blurred effect we were going for. The most interesting
results we got were with light fixtures, which create small circles that stood out
against a background. This was the same for standard objects such as food the in
vending machine or people, the colours ad tones would merge together to create
a blurry mixture of contrast. It’s interesting to wonder if a viewer would be able to
understand what the object was.
The shape of peoples figures becomes less abrupt and with this, it gives a ghostly
visual without been able to see distinctive features. People wearing black or
brighter colours worked better with out of focus shots as white clothing was easily
lost in the blur of the light fixtures.
3. Use this slide to annotate your best image
The composition of this photograph is slightly off centre with the subject
facing the side which elongates the figure to give a ghostly effect.
The warm tones of the location due to artificial lighting have created a
yellowy glow. This gives more dimension to the blacks in the subject’s
clothing which makes the figure seem taller as it fills the frame.
The blur and mixture of light has given a reddish glow beneath the black
which gives an interesting visual. Light coloured hair and skin tones has
also been lost in the blurred background which makes it difficult to fully
understand what the image is.
Blue and white lights shine brighter against a yellow background as a mix
of cool and warm tones. This is either an act of the lighting or lens flares
created by the lack of focus and the low aperture.
4. Movement
During this we had to work with a slower shutter speed of around 5 to 20 seconds to give a blurred effect on only moving
objects. This involved having to prop the camera on a still surface or a tripod to reduce camera shake and give a more
dramatic effect, but we also looked at gradually moving the camera whilst the shutter was open to see what effects it would
give. Often it resulted in just a white photograph due to the confusion of moving light so still framed shots proved more
effective.
The results we got were varied depending on our method and approach. We found interesting ways of shooting by setting
the camera shutter speed to 10 seconds with the subject standing in one stop for 5 seconds, then moving quickly to another
area for the remaining 5 seconds. This left a ghostly remain of two figures in the shot, as if to double – this was due to the
camera capturing still movement for that short space of time before the shutter finally closed. Another result we found was
the effects of fast or dramatic movement whilst the camera was still, for example the subject shaking their head during a long
shutter speed, or moving a lit object to create a pattern of strobe. I think the portrait shot is particularly interested to view,
espeically in black and white as it gives quite an intense sense of a ghostly figure looming over the main subject.
Problems we encountered with this was trying to find the right aperture to match the shutter speed, often it was hard for us to
take precise shots due to the lighting and we were often left with a dark or overly bright shot. Using flash or artificial lighting
may help us with this issue in the future.
5. I think out of the set this is my best image as I personally
feel it is the most interesting and dynamic one to view.
What I enjoy most about this image is that you can see
some clear distinctive features of the subject before they
started to move, this is a unique perspective of movement
as it gives the impression of a ghostly figure or shadow
looming over the subject. I could see this photo being used
for Halloween ads or experimental portraiture.
Originally, the approach for this image was for the head of
the subject to become blurred due to the quick movement
and the body remain still. But we found it was difficult to
capture without the torso moving slightly and creating blur.
The subject at the time was wearing a full print shit with a
skyline on it, the effect of the movement has caused the
pattern to spread – giving even more dimension to the
spooky visual.
I would of improved this photo by using a tripod to keep
the camera still rather than holding it myself and taking
two separate shots, one of the subject still and one of him
moving. I would then Photoshop the blur head onto the
still body to give the desired effect I originally had in mind
on first approach.
6. Montage
For this experiment we followed through the inspiration of David
Hockney’s montages. His work was created by hundreds of Polaroid
images that were manually attached together to create a full image, each
individual photograph was a close-up element of the object. What made
his work so famous was the abstract visual it gave to what would usually
be a normal photograph, the splitting of the image and layering gave a
new dimension and style to a traditional shot.
The results I gathered from these test shoots was a range of different
examples of collage montages similar to Hockney’s. I tried to work with
several objects as well as larger scopes and also portrait photography, it
was especially interesting to work with the human face as the montage’s
created several different effects with easy movement to manipulate the
structure of the face for an abstract visual.
I found working in Photoshop with these images and the simplicity of
creating a montage was incredibly effective and gave several variations
of the way a photograph could be structured. Another small addition to
the formation I found that worked successfully was the inclusion of a
drop shadow to give depth to the whole image and also show the
separation of images. Taking several images of a large space also
worked similarly to a panoramic effect and allows the whole montage to
appear like a stretched image, which gives a wider perception of a space
such as the stair case.
7. Use this slide to annotate your best image
Out of the three final montages, this overall in my opinion was my
most successful. I think the composition works exceptionally well at
filling the frame in which the college sits, it gives a good insight into
what the photograph symbolizes and its location and is also visual
intriguing to look at. The whole image works well with the balconies
acting as leading lines directing the eye towards the main front
window. I have captured small aspects of life in the college
happening on each floor so that the picture gives a sense of
dynamic and personality rather than just the structure of the
building.
One thing that I think I could have manipulated or change in
Photoshop is the lighting, contrast and brightness of particular
shots. Some shots are incredibly dark compared to the rest of the
image, mainly due to the way in which the light hits the glass
window – creating the black silhouette. If I had, had more time or if
this was on of my chosen final images – I would increase the
brightness of the window area to reduce the black, or using
“Dodge” on Photoshop to bring out some of the lost textures
hidden by the dark.
8. Reflection
In this experiment, I had to work with surfaces and objects that produced
reflection e.g. mirrors, steel surfaces and dark windows. There are minimal
mirrored objects within the college that aren’t too obvious, so this proved a
challenge. With it being a darker day and the lighting of the college dimmed, it
was easier to pick out reflection in picture frames and computer monitors, this
gave us some basic results but ones that could be easily played around with and
improved through development.
The results we got varied, we found using front-facing camera on mobile phones
gave interesting reflection as well as a background shot – it was hard really to fit
the camera inside the reflection without over crowding, the further I moved back,
the smaller the reflection. I think using a smaller aperture to give a more shallow
depth of field would of helped to not distract the eye as much from the main
subject.
I was trying to look for reflections where I would not be present in the image, this
meant experimenting with angles and ways in which to position myself to get a
good composition. Working on a side angle with mirrors and darkened frames
allowed me to capture movement and life that was travelling past me that
produced a reflection.
9. Use this slide to annotate your best image
Out of the three experiments I found this to be the most successful image out of the little I could find in the college, although
it is quite dark and muted – the composition works well and gives a unique perspective of the corridor. It also is interesting to
wonder how the photograph was take as there is no insight of the camera itself, just the two subjects. I think if the reflection
had been clearer and more movement had been happening during the shot it would have worked more successfully.
These types of photographs would work in good partnership with fast shutter speeds, this would work especially well with
fast movement or lots of people walking in the corridor – as I think the composition would give an interesting perspective
rather than central. I also think I could have allowed more into the frame rather than it been so closely cropped to not
complicate the image, or flipped it horizontally so the clearest subject as the first thing the eye is directed to then following
backwards.
