Week 9 Finished

This week we wanted to show how the different types of light affect photographs differently. We examined specifically three types of light, natural, artificial and movie lighting. Natural light tends to be a lot brighter and natural looking, artificial incandescent light tends to be warmer and have a more home-like feel, while artificial LED lighting is a lot brighter and lab-like. We had three stations for each of the different lights, and the photographs from each station are represented below.

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This was taken in the natural light, should've gotten the entire set in the photo instead of having some of it cut off on the side. I actually like the contrast, however, between the dead pictures and the bright flowers. Natural light creates natural shadows giving the picture a naturalistic feel while still having the element of human intervention.

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This was taken with LED artificial light and a high f value. One of the flaws in this image is the fact that you can see direct shines from the light on both the pitcher and the apple. When using artificial light the reflections are supposed to look natural, I do however like the way the color from the pitcher radiates.

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The last two photographs were taken with natural light, you can tell because of the minimal reflection. There is an obvious flaw in the black spot of the last photo, but that of course can be edited out. The first is a lot nice and the shadowing from multiple sides sets the tone of the photograph.

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The last pic taken in natural light is undoubtedly the best in the set. I took it with a shallow DOF which allowed for the flower to be focused as well as a bit off the back ground but not the fore ground leading into the flower. f/ 4.6

Today's photographer is Henry Cartier-Bresson. Henry took pictures of things he saw in life and hated developing his own photos. They focused on what could be seen in real life, his photos were never contrived and a lot of the time instilled an emotion rather than just being an image.

This is one of Cartier-Bresson's street life photographs, the sepia gives a tone of old fashioned as the bicycle sits across some brick and starkly contrasts the architectural style.

http://improvephotography.com/1946/

Week 5 Finished

This weeks lesson was on photoshop. Photoshop is a pretty useful tool, but I think a lot of the time people overuse it. I like the fact that we're not doing things to edit people in and out of photographs, but rather to better the image quality of each photograph.
Adjusting color can really set the tone of an image, if you adjust coolness, it can make a picture feel either melancholy or light hearted (depending on the photograph). Warmth can do just that, give the picture a warmer feel, it can change the feel of the lighting. Not every photograph can be meticulously timed and well planned out, some are spur of the moment and for that very fact photoshop is a wonderful thing.
Now I know normally we are supposed to use pictures taken by our camera in class, but I was hoping since this one was for photoshop we wouldn't mind using one that I took with my phone. It will still correctly demonstrate the appropriate usages of photo shop, but in doing so will demonstrate the wonder that is my friend, Connor.

Here is the original image of my friend Connor. Asleep & happy as a clam.

The black and white gives it a classic feel, almost as if he's asleep in the early 1900's, and you wonder, "what tomfoolery has this young man gotten himself into?" 

For this picture, I cooled the photo down quite a bit...it almost looks like there's fluorescent lighting. It really opens your eyes to the fact that there are things still going on and this happy little guy is really missing out!

Warm Connor, did he pass out by the fire? Or is this just really good use of photoshop? I'll never tell. 

Sharp Connor, but let's be real, Connor's always sharp. The shadow over his face almost looks menacing, allowing the viewer to wonder what or who is standing over him. Is he smiling at said shadow? Is said shadow responsible for this debacle in the first place? 

Last but certainly not least, contrasted Connor. Probably not his best look, the shirt looks rather dirty. But regardless, he's so peaceful. We've all been there buddy, sleep tight.

For my famous photographer, I chose to highlight Jay Maisel. Jay takes pictures of a lot of different things, some abstract and some of cityscapes. He lives in New York City, because of this fact he was able to take one of my favorite images of the city on a misty night. I like the fact that he doesn't try to force the city into focus, it's so natural... it is the city in it's element and though it may seem majestic, that literally is what the city looks like most nights in early spring and late winter. Sometimes naturalism is the most important aspect of a photograph and you can see that in his abstract photos. Though the objects are often placed, they seem to fit with their back grounds making them feel as good as they look. 

Info taken from his own website and wikipedia page.

Tutorial 11 Finished

Let me start off by saying that when I uploaded these pictures onto the blog, for some reason they all edited themselves and make the room seem much lighter than it was. Though this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm not entirely sure how to stop this blog from editing photographs on it's own. This weeks lesson was on using light to create duplicity. Using someone as a model, we timed the camera's shutter speed with turning a flash light on and off, allowing the person to move while it was off, creating multiple images of the same person within the same image without using photoshop. Using light in the darkness with a slow shutter speed (of multiple seconds) you can, by controlling the light, control everything that shows up in your image. In the case of the photos below, you even see multiple shadows. All photos we're taking with an f value of 8.0.

Originally Olivia appeared a lot clearer, however when the blog edited my photos she appears to be a tad bit see through. This is a lighting issue, as for parts of the picture she isn't where she used to be, and because trace amounts of light can still be seen in those spots it creates the illusion of transparency. Having a better form of concentrated light or making the distance between the locations she stands may help curve this in the future to make a more human-esque duplication of Olivia.

By understanding what will appear in the original frame, the following photos demonstrate how you can create change through lighting and movement. The original model steps off to the side as the following model steps up to the camera, making it seem as if they are transforming into each other.

The photographer/photographs I decided to take note of today are those of Timothy Hogan who advertises for multiple company's including ESPN and Tommy Bohannon's shoes. What impresses me most about Timothy is the way he is able to capture an object in motion and freeze it, using the correct shutter speed to capture the image in the most perfect moment. He also has an eye for advertising as it could be argued that the photographs he uses for adds are as powerful as his art (in a less artistic way and a more marketable way of course). 

The usage of a golden back ground, the splash of beer, and the perfectly positioned label make the beer all the more enticing, with the correct lighting, you almost feel like you really are living the "high life".

Though found on google images, Timothy had a better photo of green and purple paint splashing together on his website, it was copyrighted so I couldn't put it here, but this still demonstrates his ability to take a photograph in a high shutter speed using what has to be a modified source of light to show texture you wouldn't normally see in paint.

All info was taken from his website, timothy-hogan.com, both images were from google.

Tutorial 7 Finished

This week we went over architectural photography. Using lines, contours, and textures we examined back grounds against architecture to make them look better. An integral part of taking a photograph of this nature is using balance, as well as symmetry to help bring out the features of the building you are photographing. We learned to put corner pieces of the building as the main focal point if possible, creating a line of symmetry as well as giving the viewer a main focal point to base the rest of their perception off of. (Photos of Kieran were included for kicks) ISO:200 (for all)

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Using the corner of the building as a focal point helps describe the texture of the rest of the building.

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Using symmetry and evenly proportioned lines, the photo has a more naturalistic feel.

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Look at that creepy stash.

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Straight lines parallel with the frame help set the tone for the rest of the buildings texture, like the grey gradient behind it.

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Leading into the trees makes the contrast of a modern environment with a natural one look that much better.

This week, I want to highlight the architectural photography of Helene Binet, a trained photographer who utilizes crackling light, shadow, and texture to take pictures. Helene really captures the textural side of architecture very well, her images make you imagine you're standing inside the building, you can almost feel your feet against the ground. She uses the lines and symmetry to make aesthetically pleasing photographs (something I'm sure the architects appreciate). Below are a few of her pictures of some impressive buildings in modern style. 

http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/02/the-25-greatest-architectural-photographers-right-now/helene-binet

Tutorial 4 Finished

This weeks lesson was on composition. Composition is all about the visuals of the photograph, the placement of the focus, the framing, patterns, and all the things that define the focus of the picture. Today's set is short because demonstrating composition is easy, mastering it so that it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, however, is another story.

 

The first photograph above is an example of framing. I used two bushes with a small path in between them to demonstrate how you can use a natural element to frame a view. I like this photograph because it in a way demonstrates nature framing human engineering . 

The above picture demonstrates a pattern, I have four bicycles equally distances away from each other in the center of this photograph streaming away. It demonstrates how even the simplest things can represent patterns.

Though it is not the perfect example, the bench and table is symmetrical. If I could take this picture again I would focus more so on leveling out the photograph, and perhaps I would've cleaned off a certain stain that's on the right side.

For the rule of thirds or creating a grid. I put my not-so-lovely model Kieran on a line and took a photograph with a larger f/ setting in order to completely capture the back ground. The photo is not a perfect example at least compared to the slides, because Kieran isn't exactly the biggest looking object or attention stealer in this photograph.

Just another example of framing. I used building A4's entrance way to frame Cooper taking a picture on the roadway. There are so many frames out there it was hard to pick just one.

In short, composition are the little things that can make or break a photo. Aperture settings and shutter speed might get more focus when it comes to the human eye, but using things like frames and grids can really set the tone for how someone views a photograph. I think I like the use of frames because it allows for the photographer to highlight an object within an environment.

 For today's photographer I wanted to highlight someone who I've heard of before, even though we haven't really covered her style of photography. Annie Leibovitz is famous for working for her portraits of people, having worked for both Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone Magazine in the peak of its popularity. Leibovitz is also notorious for being the last person to photograph John Lennon, she took a picture of him just hours before his death with Yoko Ono...


Her goal was always to capture people in a sort of defining moment. Lennon and Ono both agreed that the above picture captured their relationship perfectly. Sometimes she used little strategies like framing to encompass emotion as seen in the picture below.

And the final photo, a picture of the Queen was taken as a special request from Anne 

Tutorial 8 Finished

Today's lecture was mostly about light and using reflection to create a better amount of light. Using a reflector, we created warmer light using the gold reflector, and softer light using the silver reflector. The purpose of the reflectors is to give light to areas where there wouldn't normally be enough to take a photograph. Today we used different students in different amount of lights to demonstrate the benefit of reflectors, both in doors and outdoors. They can be very useful when it comes to taking portraits. We also covered clever ways to make people both be more comfortable while being photographed, as well as appear more comfortable and natural.

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The first photograph taken of Addie (above) is taken without any reflected light. This is the natural light and I felt this photograph would be a good contrast of when reflected light is added.

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Missed with the reflector a bit, but you can still see how the light from the reflector creates a better image. Ironically enough, it turns out that there is a reflecting jacket in the photo (completely unintentionally) and that's where you can see the light being reflected. The light makes her sking glow better, and allows for an all-around better photograph. 

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Sorry about this one, Tyler! This picture is completely taken within natural light, it shows how when using the correct lighting through windows, you can make a natural looking shadow on your own. It is not always necessary to use reflectors in low light situations.

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Model of the year winner: Kieran Smith. For this picture we used natural light coming from the window, as well as reflected light coming from the same sign. You clan see the contrast between the two sides of his face, one side is much brighter. We probably should've had the reflector stand on the other side, but I still think this makes for an interesting photograph, catching the pure hatred my friend has for being photographed.

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Another example of reflection being used to warm up a photograph, you can really see it accented on his neck, and the side of his face. It creates a cool sort of glowing effect. Creating radiance.

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I included this one because I feel like there is almost too much reflection! It doesn't look natural, the way the light is creating a shadow within a shadowed area and the entire wall is lightened up behind her. Perhaps a different angle would be appropriate if the intent was to take a more natural picture.

My famous photographer for today is Brian Duffy. Much like Annie Leibovitz, Brian Duffy was responsible for magazine photos, album covers, and photos of celebrities. I thought he would be a good example for today when we were taking portraits of people. 

A self portrait, taken from his wikipedia page.

David Bowie used this photo as an album cover.

Using different levels of light, Duffy was able to capture people the way they wanted to be captured. If you look at the [

picture of Bowie above, his chest looks much lighter than his face which is darker, the make up is accented and shadowed. The entire back ground is white and the picture allows for you to see the wildness that David Bowie always tried to accent. In his self portrait, you could see the shadows within his jacket and on his face. The expression of a man deep in thought, and comfortable with photographs. Using light Duffy became one of the better photographs of his era, even though he once quit photography burning all his negatives. But what is any good career in art without some sort of breakdown. Duffy passed in 2010.

Source: Wikipedia as well as an obituary in the New York Times. 

Tutorial 6 Finished

This weeks lectures and tutorials were on shadows and reflections. We have also begun to start shooting in RAW as opposed to jpeg for better image clarity amongst other reasons. Using light, the mission is too take pictures of shadows of ourselves, as well as shadow's from other objects. While at first this was difficult because the sun was hardly peaking out, it did eventually open up. The same goes for reflections in which we would also have to use both natural and unnatural light to take adequate reflection photos. Having learned about light and how to use it, we modified ISO's they were smaller for shadows and higher for reflections. I think I did a decent job at creatively finding ways to take these pictures, but I could definitely use some practice when it comes to adapting to the available light. 

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Wanted to take a reflection photo of something other than a person! I tried to get some symmetry in it as well!

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Seems a bit eerie, doesn't it?

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Not a particularly good photograph, I do however like the way it looks like he is standing in the other room though he is right next to me.

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This was my attempt at making only the silhouette of the tree available, however I should've focused more on the back ground before taking it.

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Because of the fact that today is Robert Capa's 100th birthday, I decided to use him as my photographer for the week. Capa's best known work came from his photographs in wartime. Though one of his famous pictures (of author John Steinbach) is a reflection photograph, so I figured I'd include it for this blog's sake. Though limited by technology in this regard, his shootings are all in black and white which makes them seem more powerful. The image of the fallen soldier is particularly haunting, rarely do we get a glance at such a drastic image from the World Wars. His most famous image, though unavailable to be posted on this blog because of sourcing, was that of a man being shot standing in a field. To attain the shot he was sitting in a trench, hearing the fire and just stuck his camera over the ledge at the moment the man had gotten shot. Sometimes it's all about timing, or lack their of for the poor soldier who received the bullet.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/finding-a-fearless-photographers-voice/?_r=0