Landscape Photography Project // Landscape

Since we have recently finished our experimental photography project, we have therefore moved onto our next project. This being landscape photography.

The new brief on Landscape photography states that we can look at the stereotypical landscape, as well as cityscapes and waterscapes / seascapes. This is to show that a landscape can be something other than an idea of how we perceive the countryside, but as water and urban themes count too.

This project will also involve research of photographers that I will find out about whilst doing this project. This will be interesting as I will be looking through there work and taking inspiration for my own from theirs. This will involve looking through the list of photographers we have been given on the brief as well as doing some more research of my own to find different photographers that create images that I like and prefer the style of to others.

This means that I get to really look in depth of the scenery around me, which I don't usually do as I take it for granted as I've lived with it my whole life. I will also look in depth around London for cityscapes in the capital city, this will have a totally different feel in the way of cityscapes compared to Sheffield. I will also be looking and taking images whilst I am on holiday for a week in Switzerland, which should result in getting images with mountains, lakes and altogether a totally different scenery to be taking landscapes of compared to Sheffield and Derbyshire.

Below is a range of Landscape photography that I am researching and taking inspiration from in this project.

ISO // Features

ISO stands for for the International Organisation for Standardization.

ISO refers to film speed ratings - a film's sensitivity to light, with the higher the number being the more sensitive the film is.

Different ISO ratings are used for different things. With 100, being the normal, everyday setting. Rating 400 and above are used for weddings and indoor sports and dark places.

Sourced from http://gdj.gdj.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/iso-photography.jpg

Shutter speed // Features

Depending on the shutter speed, depends on the amount of light able to pass through the camera shutter for a determined period of time, exposing photographic film or a light-sensitive electronic sensor to light, in order to capture a permanent image of a scene.

Sourced from http://www.everydayhdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Waterfall-Aperture-Compare.jpg

Sourced from http://www.stacyspaulding.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/shutterspeed.jpg


As seen by the images above, the quicker the shutter speed the sharper the image; compared to the longer the shutter speed the smoother the image.

Exposure // Features

In photography, exposure is the total amount of light allowed to reach the electronic sensor during the process of taking a photograph. The two main control your digital camera uses to control exposure are shutter speed and aperture.

This is an important aspect of photography because exposure defines how well lit your image is. Exposure links to shutter speed and aperture, as they control it.

Images can either be under exposed, over exposed or correctly exposed. These make quite a difference in the final result of an image, as seen below.

Sourced from http://www.myphotoshopsite.com/tutorials/level_3/images/exposure_sample.jpg

Sourced from http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/camera/settings/images/exposure-examples.jpg

Aperture // Features

Aperture is a key aspect of photography, this is because one of the main things the camera lens works with is aperture.

Sourced from http://www.picturelikethis.com/uploads/1/5/0/2/15028520/5105309_orig.jpg


Aperture is simply the opening of the lens. This being, since it's the opening of the lens, it therefore let's in different amounts of light so that images taken at night or in a very brightly lit place are still visible and haven't been washed out by the amount of light there is.



Sourced from https://taylearningphotography.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/aperture.jpg

Composition // Features

Composition within an image is important because it relates to how the whole image is portrayed and shown

'Composition' in photography is arranging elements within an image in a way that suits the core idea or goal.

This involves symmetry, rule of thirds, object placement.

Symmetry:
from the middle of the image, each side is almost identical to the other.

Sourced from http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18mvdegcbt0aijpg/original.jpg

Sourced from http://www.bestpsdtohtml.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Symmetrical-photograph-24.jpg


Rule of thirds:
having your points of interest in an image on the lines, or intersections along the third lines.

Sourced from http://www.photographymad.com/files/images/lighthouse-rule-of-thirds.jpg

Sourced from http://bcast.skyviewlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Quiz-Image.jpg


Diagonal rule:
important elements of the image should be placed on the diagonal lines of the image, going corner to corner.

Sourced from http://blogs.egusd.net/haynesphotosakauye/files/2013/03/diagonal-rule-b-w7wegz.jpg

Sourced from https://michelleraena.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_1965.jpg


Golden section rule
this is where a set section draws in the viewers attention to the image.

Sourced from http://www.adventfilmmakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Horizon_with_rule-of-thirds.jpg

Sourced from http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rule-of-thirds.jpg

Vantage points // Features

Vantage point's are a vital element of photography. This is because it is the perspective that an image has been taken from.

Below are different perspective vantage points.

Bird's eye view:

Source from http://www.noupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/bevpyms-061.jpg

Sourced from http://entertainmentmesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/87-wallpapers.jpg


Worms eye view:

Sourced from http://www.photoforbeginners.com/users/1571/thm1024/1350935250_image.jpg

Sourced from http://acdn.architizer.com/thumbnails-PRODUCTION/e1/78/e178888c690f6d5d616bc8d01dd767e1.jpg


Side view:

Sourced from http://www.portrait-photos.org/_photo/4462137.jpg

Sourced from http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/200150754-001-black-kitten-walking-side-view-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=xtFRlzA42NnSXyUkOharY7Io7zD5ACLmjgwQj6ztiP4%3D


Close up

Sourced from http://www.photographymad.com/files/images/leaf-with-water-drops.jpg

Sourced from http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/close-up-macro3.jpg


Front view:

Sourced from http://static.anygator.com.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/static-anygator2/thumbs/uk/89/896a6d320f5699d23d259f09ca8b59b45d2f2dc6/big.jpg

Sourced from http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/eleanor-calder-louis-tomlinson-460x460.jpg


Long view:

Sourced from https://andreaoconnellphotography.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/736-2.jpg?w=1114

Sourced from https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8160/7124567841_c84f8f8c89.jpg


Angle view:

Sourced from https://secure.static.tumblr.com/746621ba69850501250641b96ad29628/lqza3cm/GD1ndv447/tumblr_static_tumblr_static_56irivdtcvgogwow0cwg80o8w_1280.png

Sourced from http://holicoffee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/zoella-hair-flower-crown.jpg



Techniques // Features

Within photography there are important camera techniques, that need to be used and followed to make images attractive to a viewers eye. These can be both on an analogue (film) camera, or a digital camera.

These techniques include:
- Composition
- Exposure
- Shutter speed
- Aperture
- Vantage points
- ISO

These techniques can have sub-categories within them as there may be different sections to them.

(photo taken by Poppy - subject I was using in my SLR film for my experimental project)

Experimental Photography Project Evaluation // Experimental

What was the project brief?
The brief of the experimental photography project was to be exploiting the potential of experimental techniques from ones which are suggested to you, and implementing your own. Discover new techniques, be inventive and daring.
1. What was the project theme and what did you think of it?
The theme of the project was experimental photography, which at first I wasn't too sure about. This was because when I first started looking at photographers for this brief for research, I thought all the images seemed pretty complicated to create and to know what to say about the images with having no clue how they created them. Once I found photographers that created images that found interesting and liked, as well as knowing how to create similar image was when I started to enjoy this project. I enjoyed getting immersed with my images in the darkroom, being hands on with manipulating my images.
2. What part of the project did you enjoy the most/found most interesting (taking photograph? developing the film? etc.)
The part of the project that I enjoyed the most and found the most interesting was enlarging my images from my developed film. This is because whilst I was enlarging the negatives, I was using experimental techniques and idea to create my images for this project.
3. What new techniques have you experienced?
I have learnt quite a few new techniques through completing this photography project. These being things such as thinking more of how my composition would look, this being through creating my collage. Also creating solarised images in the darkroom, as this meant I got to manipulate my image after the enlarger but still within the darkroom and changing the shades of colours that the image resulted in. I also learnt about chemigrams and how to create them, which playing around with different substances on the photographic paper to create different effects. I created some emulsion transfers which meant that I was learning how to transfer an image from a piece of paper onto another surface. Another new technique I have experienced using is creating double exposure images through laying two negatives on top of each other in the light of the enlarger.
4. What technique would you like to develop further?
The technique that I would like to develop further is thinking more about the composition of my images. This is because composition is important for all aspects of photography and not just a specific type of photography. Composition is also a vital aspect of photography, as the composition of an image is one of the aspects that makes it a striking image that draws in the viewers attention.
5. Which photographers did you research through this project?
The photographers that I researched through this project was Man Ray, Daro Montag, Ian Egner, Akihiko Miyoshi, Peter Hoffman, Pierre Cordier, Odette England, Stephanie Jung, Taylor Allen and Robert Heinecken.
6. How have they influenced your photographs?
They have influenced my photographs for this project by using the concepts, ideas and parts of the images that I liked and wanted to use within my own work.
7. Which technique did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed the solarising technique the most, this is because I started off creating an image in the darkroom normally. Which after only a short time in the developer, being 10 seconds, you had to take it out and shine a normal light onto it. Then put it back in the developer and continue the process normally. My favourite thing about this technique was seeing how the image came out after I had put the photographic paper through all the different chemicals to process the image.
8. What do you feel is the most successful part of your project and why? (sketchbook pages, final prints, cyan tones images? spray developed images, etc.)
I feel as if the most successful part of my project is the photograms I created inspired by the works of Man Ray. This is because I used composition to effect with them, and with me saying I want to work on my composition technique and develop it further - I feel as if I have created images focusing on my composition here. I am really happy with how the images came out with my composition of the objects on the paper, so I believe I am learning more and working on my composition more as I go on throughout this course.
9. Did you encounter any problems in your project?
I encountered a few problems during this project. Firstly, at college we ran out of photographic paper to produce darkroom prints on. This meant that my experimentation with negatives was halted for a few days, but I came in to college for a few hours on a day in which I had no lessons to get some darkroom prints done. Secondly, before this project I had never really thought about how and why things had been done within images, so I had to think about this and think of some possible reasons as to why the photographer had done what they did to their image.
10. How did you learn from them and how did they affect your final prints?
There isn't much you can do when you run out of the specific paper needed to create darkroom prints, so as soon as there was more in college I used my spare time to create the prints that I wanted / needed. I have now learnt to think how and why photographers create images, which inspired me to use these concepts in my prints.
11. What would you do differently given the chance to complete the project again?
If I had the chance to complete the project again, I would have looked more into digital experimental photography ideas and photographers. Therefore I would have more of a mixture in my work of darkroom and digital experimental photography.
12. What do you think about your final outcome and what are your feelings about the project?
Overall I am very happy with my final outcome, because I feel as if I have researched a varied range of photographers who use different experimental techniques. I have used this research of the photographers to construct my own images by using aspects of theirs. I have come to really enjoy this project as you got to see how far you could go with an image with different techniques and see what the effect of different techniques were.

Image focus // Experimental

The focus of an image and keeping it the same all the way through the exposure is important to produce an image that one would say was 'good'. This is because the image is usually not wanted to be blurred and not in focus.

 

This is an interesting experimental technique because the image has started off in focus for the majority of the time, then it zoomed out and out of focus whilst the exposure was happening. It's also not a usual concept to do to an image as we usually keep our images still to make sure that they come out 'perfect' and as they were meant to be seen when they were photographed.

Material layering over photographic paper in dark room // Experimental

With chemigrams, you put chemicals and substances on the photographic paper to create effects with images. I decided instead of using chemicals and substances, I was going to use drink stirrers, cling film, printed tissue paper  and a cut open resealable sandwich bag. Each one created a different effect to the previous.

 The image above has had drink stirrers placed diagonally across it, which has ended up in four lines of white, from where no light from the enlarger could get through to the paper. The four lines are quite striking as it obstructs thick lines of the image from being visible within the image.

 The image above has had cling film used on top of the photographic paper to create the effect of the bunched up lines. Cling film seems to work effectively on the images because it adds a new texture to the image.

 The image above has had printed tissue paper placed on top of the photographic paper. I don't think this works that well because parts of the image are blurred and totally out of focus. This is from the tissue paper being much more opaque than the cling film and no where near as bendy and able to stay in it's place.

The image above has had a resealable sandwich bag used along it to create this effect. The sandwich bag works well on top of the paper as a light obstructer in my opinion because you can see where it creases, and because it's a transparent material so the light can go through easily.

Overall the drink stirrers, cling film and resealable sandwich bag all work well as light obstructers between the light of the enlarger and the photographic paper. Whereas the printed tissue paper didn't work as well because the material was much more opaque than the cling film and resealable sandwich bag and no where near as flexible and able to stay in the same position.

Solarisation // Experimental

Solarisation has been used by many photographers and still is. Discovered by Man Ray, solarisation  is an interesting process as it starts off normally, by exposing the paper to the light of the enlarger then putting it in the developer. That's where the usual process stops, as you only put it in the developer for a fraction of the time - that being 10 seconds, after which you remove it and quickly expose light to the whole image evenly, then you put it back in the developer and carry on the process as usual.

My solarised images are below.

 The image above, I have previously posted on the post on the negative, which is called Two negatives cut and stuck together.

 The image above had a normal negative used, but cling film was on the paper to create the bunched up lines. So this image involves two experimental techniques, being a material on top of the paper during exposure to light, as well as solarisation.

 The image above is of a piece of printed tissue paper in the negative slot of the enlarger, this not a common thing to do in the enlarger, so therefore is an experimental technique within itself. Along with the solarisation, making the image having two types of experimental techniques used.

Finally, the image above is a negative of a portrait, which has been solarised to create blacks and greys within the image limiting the whites.

Overall I am very happy with my solarised images as they have all been done with different negatives and different additional techniques, which makes each of them unique to the other. 

Robert Heinecken inspiration // Experimental

Robert Heinecken creates images of double exposing images. This is interesting as it tells a story, with more information to it than a single image would as his images are two different images on top of each other so each of them are visible.

Each of his images below involve a portrait at some angle, which makes the image seem as if it's personal towards the subject. The images also makes the viewer wonder what the reasons for each layer of the image are and whether there is a specific story behind it.

Each of his images seems to have a theme within it, for instance the top one being a specific female subject and metal, the middle one being what's in the subject's mouth, the last one being objects that the subject could be thinking about.

My images that I got inspiration from Robert Heinecken are below.

Both images above feature a portrait, with another image or textured paper which has been double exposed. This creates the idea that there is a personal story with the subject and the other layer of the double exposure, being the reason that they have been chosen to accompany the portrait. This works with Robert Heinecken because each layer seems as if there is a story and reason behind it, as well as the fact that they've been double exposed to the light of the enlarger within the darkroom.



Taylor Allen inspirtation // Experimental

Taylor Allen's exposure series features images that have been created and manipulated through double exposure. All his images within this series are of people which blend with a separate image of things within nature. This series of his creates a peaceful and dreamy impression through the calm colours as well as his well motifs which are well composed and never seem overloaded.

My images that I took inspiration from Taylor Allen are below.

The image above is my test strip for my image, that went up in 3 second intervals

The image above was under the enlarger for 30 seconds from how the test strip looked. This works with Taylor Allen as he has his subjects with nature, and my subject has been double exposed against a background of trees in Bingham Park, which makes it look as if she's looking out within the trees. I'd like to think that this image also gave a peaceful, dreamy effect  from how it's been composed and from it being in monochrome.