Experimental Photography

1. Experimental
Imagery in
Photography
name
1

2. 2
Case Study

3. Case Study: Colour Isolation
This is a photo taken by Locopelli as he isolates a certain part of the image to make it stand
out. It is unclear whether this photo was originally black or white or in colour but what is
clear is that he has made the main subject of this image ‘the boat’ in a bright blue colour to
make it stand out against the rather dull black and white photo. This gives the boat a
striking impact and adds emphasis to the subject. One technique that the artist has used is
placing the photo’s focal point in the center. This makes it easier for the viewer to pick out
the boat because it is directly in front of them. The artist has also used a relatively plain
background to give no real distractions for the viewer. This is a simple yet effective way of
ensuring that the viewers eye lands where it's supposed to.
Both these techniques listed are traditional and
is contemporary because it is taken from our
time. Colour Isolation photography might be
displayed on billboards and in airports and train
stations to draw the viewer's attention to a
certain image or a bit of writing. For example if
the photo was really whacky and all over the
place it might be hard for the viewer to pick out
a piece of information or a particular image.

4. Case Study: Photomontage
This is a photo taken by David Hockney in 1986 called ‘Pear Blossom Highway’. This is
actually quite a simply photomontage as the photo has not been moved around much and
you can still see the image quite clearly. A first technique that has been used is that
Hockney has used lots of small images of the scene to keep the photo as real as possible. If
for example he took just 4 photos the photo would look a lot less defined. This technique is
traditional but also historical because it is an old simple technique and adding to the fact
that this photo was taken 30 years ago. A second technique that has been used in this
photo is that he has not made a focal point present in this photo. This is common in most
photomontages as it would be quite difficult to depict a main subject in a jumbled photo.
This is a common, historical and traditional technique.
Photomontages will pretty much never be
found on billboards because they are too
jumbled to try and sell and make people
aware of products. However they are
extremely creative so will be found most
commonly in places such as art galleries.

5. Case Study: Underwater Photography
This photo was taken by Carlos Luis Aguilera Borjas and he has used many techniques to
make this photo what it is. First of all he has picked out a focal point of the image which is
the Starfish. Even though there are others in the background, the photographer has cleverly
put emphasis on that starfish to draw the viewers eye. A second technique that the
photographer has used is that he has shined light onto the starfish to make it stand out
more against the dark starfish in the background. Both these techniques are contemporary
and non-traditional. He has also used a camera that makes the starfish look 3D to add an
extra dimension and perspective to the image. He has also used a short focal length to make
the photo more blurred at the back. This means it has a large Aperture. Underwater
photography can be displayed in lots of places. For instance you could find it on a billboard
to try and sell a certain product such as a water park or a swimming pool. However
companies such as Pepsi also use underwater photography to try and sell ice cold drinks.

6. 6
Technique #1

7. Technique #1
This contact sheet displays out of focus shots in TV or AV mode. I either shot the pictures
1/250, 1/500, 1/800 or 1/1000. For instance in the 4 pictures of the hedge, the images get
slightly sharper as they go along as the resolution and the exposure decreases.

8. Technique #1
For this edit I quite simply just increased the photos brightness and made the photo stand
out more by boosting the vibrancy. As you can see on the left hand side is my original out of
focus photo, and on the right hand side is my edited version.

9. Technique #1
In my opinion this photo edit is very good as although it keeps it title as an out of focus
photo, it has definition on it and can be easily defined as a hedge. The bright patches of the
image make it stand out more. I do however feel I could have improved this photo by
possibly adjusting the bottom section as it looks much darker than the rest of the image.

10. Technique #2
For my reflection images I used 5 different apertures which increased or reduced the
brightness and quality of my photo. The higher the setting, the darker the photo got as
proven by the middle image as it was taken at 1/2000. On the other hand the second
image in from the left hand side was a shot at 1/250 giving the picture much better photo
quality. I did this to get a better perspective on how camera settings effect a images
composition.

11. Technique #2
On the left hand side is my original photo which was taken with an aperture of 1/2000.
On the right is my edited version which drastically increases the photo’s brightness &
contrasts which is the setting I used for it. I also increased the exposure to make it easier
to see the photograph. To change the brightness I went to edit>adjustments>brightness
& contrast. I made both the brightness and contrasts really high to create a much lighter
version as shown on the right hand side.

12. Technique #2
I like this photo because I have taken the original which was just pretty much black and
turned it into a very seeable distinctive picture. I could have possibly looked to have added a
filter to this or made more adjustments but overall I am more than content with the work I
have produced.

13. Technique #3
This photo’s have all been taken using a long exposure. I decided to take distant photos
and not really focus on a certain subject because I wanted to see what the background
quality looked like. All these photos had the exact same settings on which were an f
number of 25, iso of 100 and set in av mode. I chose these settings because due to
research I learned that having the lowest iso setting was the best suited for long exposure
photos and the same with the aperture, but the difference here was that this number was
really high.

14. Technique #3
On the left hand side is my original photo and on the right hand side is my edited photo. I
thought my original photo was quite good anyway so I just made a small adjustment
which was to increase the vibrancy. Although only a small adjustment I believe it has
significantly improved the quality of my image.

15. Technique #3
The appropriate audience for this photo would be students since its taken at a college and
this image would be seen on college websites and leaflets

16. Technique #4
For my fourth technique I used the hockney joiner. To make this work I took the images in a
snake pattern from left to right of each part of the photo. I set my camera to auto focus with
the iso set on auto and the f number on 5.0.

17. Technique #4
On the left hand side is how I processed my hockney joiner by selecting all the different
parts of the photo to then create the joiner. To get to this point I opened Photoshop,
clicked on file>automate>photo merge. This is the point where this screen would be
present. I would then collect browse and insert al my photos before un ticking blend
images together. I would also make sure the layout was on auto and then I would select
ok and Photoshop will then start working his magic. This would then create my hockney
joiner which can be shown on the left.

18. Technique #4
Overall I am very pleased with how my hockney joiner turned out. I wanted to make sure
that this joiner looked very similar to the original painting. This image would be found in art
galleries and museum and would dictate an audience of students and artists. In my opinion
this image is also aesthetically pleasing on the eye. I also believe the composition in this
photo is interesting.

19. 19
Investigating
Experimental
Techniques

20. Investigation #1: 3D Photography

21. Investigation #1: 3D Photography
How do you make 3D Photography then? Most people make this type of photography through
Photoshop although it must be noted that it can also be made through other software's such as 3D
photo maker. Photoshop however is by far the most popular way of doing this. First of all it is critically
important that you find a subject and of you cannot take two pictures at once the make sure your
subject has almost no movement between shots. Due to research I have found out that scenes that have
a lot of depth and that are photographed without blur in the background and foreground make the best
3D shots. The second step to making a 3D photography image is to take two photos of the exact same
scene but nudging the camera about 2 inches horizontally. When you have taken these images you
should then open Photoshop and place them in separately. After this you need to select the second
photograph by using CTRL-A before copying it. After youv’e copied the second image you should open
the left image and then paste the second image onto the first image. When the second image has been
pasted on top of the first image, the first image should contain layers which you will be able to see on
your right hand toolbar under the layers tab. The second photo is layer 1, while the first photo is still
listed as the background. You should then double click layer 1 to bring up the layer style box. When the
layer style box has been brought up, go under advanced blending and channels and uncheck R. By doing
this it will keep all the red in the right photo unblended. After this you need to double click the
background and make it into layer 0 before grabbing the move tool. When you've done this you need to
choose a focal point in you're photo before dragging the red portion of your focal point over to its
counterpart in the other image using the move tool. When this is done you need to crop off the leftovers
before saving your file.

22. Investigation #1: 3D Photography
To create a 3D effect you really only need a camera, tripod and the access of Photoshop. If
you have a high budget, 3D cameras are an alternative but in general you will just need the
three items already listed. For 3D photography , the choice of subject is pretty much up to you
within reason. There is also no other method really besides Photoshop unless you obviously
own a 3D camera and this process can be largely skipped. Post production is key however to
making sure that your image is the best it can possibly be. In my opinion this experimental
photography technique is fairly flexible in what you can do with it.

23. Investigation #2: Multiple Exposure

24. Investigation #2: Multiple Exposure
How do you carry out the multiple exposure effect? Multiple exposure is essentially a combination of two or more
exposures to create a single image. The two photos will usually be an image of someone’s face and some sort of scenery
or background that will be used for a clipping mask. The first step is to prepare the main photo which will be the portrait.
It is also worth noting that you should select an image where the background is simple and where there is no distracting
elements. The next step is to make the photo much brighter and add contrast, to do this you need to go to
image>adjustments>levels. The next step is to get rid of the background and to do this you simply select the magic wand
tool and click anywhere on the background to select it and then go to select>inverse in order to make the person
selected. You should then right click on the photo and select layer via copy and you’re person has then been successfully
cut out. After this you then need to create a new layer below the cut-out portrait. After this the first process has been
complete and it is now time to start creating the double exposure effect by combining two images. The first step to doing
this is to select the second photo for your composition. In my opinion the background that works the best is a cityscape.
You should place this photo over the portrait but keeping the background selected, press the control key and click on the
layer clipping mask of the layer below. After this you need to press the add vector mask button in the bottom of the layers
panel to hide the unneeded parts and if you click on the chain icon between the image thumbnail and the mask thumbnail
in the layers panel, which will then unlink the layer and its mask, so that you can move and rotate the image inside the
mask without moving the whole layer. When this is complete you need to select the layer which contains the cutout
portrait with clipping mask and the make a copy and drag and drop it above the cityscape. You’ll then need to make the
portrait monochromatic to fit the cityscape image color palette. As you keep the portrait layer selected, move to
image>adjustments>desaturation which will then convert the image to greyscale if it wasn’t already. After this open the
levels options window and make the image eve darker by moving he back slider to the right side. When you have applied
this effect go to image>adjustments>hue/saturation and also alter this. You then need to right click on the portrait layer
mask and then apply layer mask in the dropdown menu. After this you need to change the blending mode of the portrait
layer to screen in the layers panel. After this you’re multiple exposure photo should be complete.

25. Investigation #2: Multiple Exposure
For multiple exposure images you will generally just need a camera and a tripod and also to
have the access of Photoshop. The subjects you can explore also have a wide variety as its
really up to you to use you’re imagination to create you’re multiple exposure photo. There are
different way of doing this technique though, as you could opt for the focal point to be a hand
or a face etc. and the clipping mask to be of nature or a cityscape or whatever you feel
suitable. In terms of post production it is up to you to make tweaks and alternations o you’re
photo. Increasing or reducing the exposure could add a different dimension to your photo.

26. 26
Planning
Documentation

27. Mind map

28. Mood board

29. Plan - Log
Time Date Experiment
12:45 to 4:30 28/10/16 Multiple Exposure
12:45 to 4:30 4/11/16 Photomontage
12:45 to 4:30 11/11/16 Solarization
12:45 to 4:30 18/11/16 Black and White
12:45 to 4:30 25/11/16 Hockney Joiner
12:45 to 4:30 2/12/16 Everything

30. 30
Production

31. What types of experimental photography will you produce? What are your subjects?
The 5 types of experimental photography that I will cut it down to will be multiple exposure,
solarisation, photomontage, hockney joiner and black and white photography. I will look to
cover a wide variety of subjects in and around college including cars, bikes and long distance
shots of the building.
What techniques will be required?
I will adjust the aperture and shutter priority for each type of experimental photography
which will give me more control over my images. To also make sure I have the right colour
tint on my photos I will use the white balance setting. This will be particularly important on
my 3D images. I will probably also require some post production to finalise my images
including adjusting the exposure and altering the brightness and contrast on my photos.
Proposal
What equipment is required?
To take these photos I will need a digital camera and a tripod as well as having the access to
Photoshop on the computer.

32. Contact Sheets (Shoot #1) Multiple
Exposure
My idea for multiple exposure is too take one of these photos and contrast it in with a
portrait photograph. I decided to shoot different scenery to give me alternative options
of what to play with. My first choice is to go for greenery as i think it would look quite
cool incorporated on a human body. Other options include the york college sign and
images of clouds and sky.

33. Developments (Shoot #1) Multiple Exposure
When I placed the image
in Photoshop I used the
magic wand tool to
separate it from the
background
I then inserted the
picture of the leaves
over the man’s face
After this I
created a clipping
mask
This then made the
leaves fit onto the
mans head
I then turned down the opacity
to roughly 50% to create this
image.
I then started to make slight adjustments to the photo
To ensure it had better contrast and overall darkness.
My first step to doing this was by selecting the color
balance and hue/saturation settings. This allowed to
darken the image and improve the overall contrast to
the photo. I also messed about with the
brightness/contrast and exposure settings and after this
it allowed me to complete my multiple exposure image
which can be seen in the bottom right.

34. Shoot #1 Multiple Exposure
Original Image Edited Image

35. Shoot #1 - Analysis
I developed my multiple exposure image by first finding a portrait on
the internet of a man. I wasn’t really too bothered about what he
looked like, I just needed to make sure he was male.
The first step was to place the portrait onto Photoshop, before
inserting the photo of leaves on top of it making sure the entire face
was covered. I then created a clipping mask and lowered the opacity. I
then changed the colors on my photo to black and white to improve
the contrast. In terms of further compositional
techniques that I used, were altering the texture and
tone to make the mans jumper more fuzzy to make it
fit in better with the leaves. If I did this image again,
I would possibly look to make it more surreal by making
the leaves grow out of his hair but overall I am very
satisfied with my end result.

36. Contact Sheets (Shoot #2) Photomontage
My main thought for this shoot was to gather images where there was plenty of
appropriate space available, allowing me to work in different images to create a
photomontage. I looked at cycle lanes, roads, fields and car parks for my contact
sheet.

37. Developments (Shoot #2) Photomontage
This is my original photo which
I thought was a good base to
create a photomontage
I then added some birds to
the sky to make the photo
come more alive
I then wanted to make my
photo have a subject so
added a car in the center of
the image to grab the viewers
attention.
This is my final image as I also added
a filter to give the photo more
customization.

38. Shoot #2 Photomontage
Original Image Final Image

39. Shoot #2 - Analysis
I developed this image by simply adding some birds to the sky and a
main subject in the car. I also added a filter grain to further customize
my image and make certain parts of it stand out more. In terms of
compositional techniques, I altered the color and contrast of the photo
by making it slightly lighter to brighten the general mood of the photo.
I have also used the rule of thirds with the foreground being the car,
middle ground being the bikes and the background being the birds in
the sky. I also give the picture a fuzzy look to it to add a different
dimension and a unique
element to it. If I did this photo
Again I would possibly look to add
Some people walking on the path at
the side, but at the same time I
don’t want to add any distracting
Elements because I want the car to
Be the main subject.

40. Contact Sheets (Shoot #3) Solarization
For my solarization project, my original intentions were always to get images of
the sky/clouds. After looking on the internet i saw that this was a very effective
technique and it was something that i wanted to include in my photography. I
ended shooting the images on 3 separate days to give myself a best
opportunity of working with different looking skies. As it turned out my sample
was fairly large to work with as although each day was dry, i managed to get
either a different shade of blue or different style of clouds in the sky.

41. Developments (Shoot #3) Solarisation
This is my original image I then added a plastic wrap to it
I then made the image black and white I then added another filter on top of it
to complete my image.

42. Shoot #3
Original Image Final Image

43. Shoot #3 - Analysis
I developed this image by quite simply just adding a filter and making it
black and white. Although this is very simple, it makes it looks extremely
effective and very much a solarized image. I don’t believe that I could
make any more improvements if I did this again. The specific filter i
added was the plastic wrap, which gave this image a solarized feel to it.
Although i don’t feel that this image could do with any further
improvements, i personally feel that i could have picked out a better
type of experimental photography that had greater options to explore.
Overall though i am satisfied with
what i produced and in my eyes see
It as a professional piece of work
and one that could potentially be
Displayed on different platforms.

44. Contact sheets (shoot #4) - Black and
white photography
For my next shoot i wanted to produce some classic black and white photography.
To make sure i got the best possible result i shot in different modes to produce
some light images as well as some darker images. I personally felt that looking at
background scenes rather than specific images would work better for this piece of
work. I also decided to do this just incase i felt the shoot was simple and boring, as
it would allow me to factor in a photomontage to add a different dimension to the
photo.

45. Developments (shoot 4)- Black and white
photography
I placed my image into photoshop and
went onto image>adjustments>black
and white to create my photography
style as seen on the right.
This then gave an excellent looking
black and white photo.
I still felt that this picture was lacking in
a focal point so i decided to incorporate
in some kids playing football to liven up
the image.

46. Shoot 4 - Black and white photography
This is my original image This is my final image

47. Shoot 4 - Analysis
Overall i am fairly satisfied with how my final effort came out. My original intentions
were always to produce a black and white that looks like a throwback from the pat
but that it still kept its clear quality. Personally if i went to do this task again i could
possibly have looked at more different possibilities for my contact sheet. I went
about creating this image by placing the original file onto photoshop before going
onto image>adjustments>black and white to produce the basis for my developed
idea. At this point i still felt that it could do with more going in the photo, so i
decided to put 3 kids playing football onto the scene. I believe this addition hugely
helped improve this effort and gave it a much more professional finish. I don't think i
could have improved the actual image, as my intention from the start was to
created simple yet effective photograph. I fully believe i have done that.

48. Contact sheets (shoot 5) - Hockney Joiner
For my final shoot i wanted revisit the hockney joiner as
i believe it is a very effective experimental photography
style. I took pictures of each but of the york college sign
enabling me to plan out my production

49. Developments (Shoot 5) - Hockney Joiner
I started off by gathering the image and
placing them into a folder. This then
allowed me the opportunity to merge
them all together into a hockney joiner
I then went onto
file>automate>photomerge
to create my hockney
joiner. I then placed all my
images onto photoshop
before unticking blend
images together.
I then produced my
hockney joiner by
clicking ok on the panel.

50. Shoot 5 - Hockney Joiner
Original Images
Final Image

51. Shoot 5 - Analysis
I am content with how this hockney joiner has turned out. I developed this image by
firstly taking numerous pictures of the same object before importing them into
photoshop through file>automate>photomerge. This image in my opinion is
aesthetically pleasing on the eye and could potentially be displayed in museums
and art galleries and that it would dictate an audience of students and artists. In
terms of the compositional techniques there is certainly an interesting shape to it
with it also carrying a basic colour scheme and contrast. If i did another hockney
joiner in the future, i could potentially look to make a more interesting image rather
than a standard college sign. I could also look into exploring using bigger sample
sizes rather than 20 small ones to see the difference in the final outcome. However
despite this, i am still pleased with what i have managed to come up with for his
experimental photography style.

52. 52
Evaluation

53. Final Image #1

54. Final Image #2

55. Final Image #3

56. Final Image #4

57. Final Image #5

58. Development
Modification
The vast majority of the time i modified and re edited my images to make them a higher
standard. I particularly made severe modification to my 4th shoot. My original intentions
were to create a simple black and white image. After this came out though i felt that it was
too simple, so i decided to conjure up 3 kids playing football. This made the image come alive
and most certainly made it look more professional. My other shoots were not modified and
edited down as much as my black and white image. However they were still altered slightly in
the fact that they were not exactly the same as my original intentions. For my photomontage
my original plan to just add the car and that was it. After a while though i thought that adding
a filter grain would improve the image and make the car stand out further.
Creating Images
The developmental process turned out to be very helpful as it gave me a better opportunity
to improve my images. Although i believe that my original images were of a good standard,
the opportunity to analyse my work as i went along proved to be very beneficial. I have
already elucidated to this point, but my 4th shoot benefitted greatly from the developmental
process. If it was not for it, it would have made the final piece rushed and given me a lesser
chance of a better outcome.

59. Evaluation
Reflection
Overall i am very satisfied with how my project turned out, and i fully believe that it is to a
professional standard. Largely i stuck to the constraints that i gave myself in time
management but i did alter a few things here and there for the good of my work. I looked at
plenty of different forms of experimental photography and how they worked. By doing this it
allowed me to work with greater variation and produce a greater range of ideas as a result. I
was particularly impressed with how my multiple exposure image turned out. This was the
shoot that i put in additional work and i personally feel that it has paid off in my results.
Conclusion
In the future there is potential that i could look at even more types of experimental
photography. These could include cyanotypes, gum prints and photograms. Although these
styles would be a lot more time consuming and would probably be more suitable for a larger
project, the potential for these pieces of work are huge. I also believe that i could have looked
into more ideas for my mindmap. Despite this though, i am largely pleased with the work that
i have produced and certainly believe that this project has the potential to produce
professional pieces of work.