Project Evaluation // Making Tracks

What was the project brief?

The brief of my project was the 'Making Tracks', which involved different types of transportation that people use in every day life.


1. What was the project theme and what did you think of it?

My project theme was 'Making Tracks', which I go to choose myself with the help of my family and tutors. I quite liked due to the fact that it wasn't really a type a photography that I would generally think about. Also the words making tracks can mean different things to different people, so it gave me a diverse range of things that I could look at for my project.


2. What part of the project did you enjoy the most / find the most interesting?

The part of the project that I enjoyed the most was that since it wasn't a type of photography that I'd usually do or even think about, I was putting myself out of my comfort zone. Through doing this I learnt new things, saw other people's perspectives on what they like in photography.


3. What new techniques have you experienced?

I learnt that with this type of photography that you have to be patient and be willing to wait around a lot of the time. Though you have to be set up and be ready to shoot when there's a train coming. I also learnt about having to sort the composition of my images out in a matter of seconds as I didn't have a subject that was willing to wait around for me to be ready to shoot.


4. What technique would you like to develop further?

I would like to develop my skills with composition with only having a few seconds at most to sort this out. This is because composition is a vital element of any photo, and getting it right is what makes a good photograph. Also there are many other types of photography that there are only seconds to sort out composition, such as live event / concert photography this is due to the artists moving around the stage constantly.


5. Which photographers did you research in this project?

The photographers that I researched in this project were Simon Coult, Glynn Farrar, Ian Egner, and Jim Pearson


6. How have they influenced your photographs?

They have influenced my photographs by using concepts, ideas, and techniques of theirs within my images to get the results I have and desired.


7. Which technique did you enjoy the most?

The technique that I enjoyed the most was creating light trails using the 'A' setting to let more light into my camera and not create an instant picture. I did this with car, trams, and trains with each of them creating a different effect to each other.


8. What do you feel is the most successful part of your project and why?

I feel the most successful part of my project is the images involving light trails, this is due to how they have turned out. As the light in each of the images is so striking it has made a very clear point of focus within the image, which is what I wanted to do.


9.Did you encounter any problems with your project?

The only problem I really encountered with the project is the weather, though it did help me at points, though rain pelting down isn't really a weather condition that I enjoy being out in.


10. What would you do differently given the chance to complete the project again?

If I had the opportunity to complete this project again I would get immersed in it from the get go, learning more techniques and going out for a few more shoots.


11. What do you think about your final outcome and what are your feelings about the project?

I quite like the final outcome of my project as I have some good results for a type of photography that I had never done before starting this project.

Final images // Making Tracks

The images below are the ones that I have chosen as my final images for the project, this is due them being the best ones that I took in my opinion and sum my project up pretty well. 

I am very happy with how my project has turned out and come together, with my final images summing up my project and all the images I took. To me, this shows the theme of 'Making Tracks' though the various images.

Meadowhall Shoot // Making Tracks

These images are from a shoot that I did at Meadowhall interchange, in which I looked at the variety of transport there that uses the interchange. This involved trains, buses and trams.

I'm quite happy with the results of these images, as they were my second shoot of trains and my first shoot of buses and trams during the day. These images in my opinion capture the essence of train stations and public transport as images from DSC_0095 to DSC_0104 show people getting on and off trains which is one of the main things people see at train stations. Therefore these images have an aspect of street photography in them due to it showing people going about their daily life on and off trains.

DSC_0073 didn't work out very well as I happened to have my camera on the wrong setting at the time of taking that picture, which I worked out before taking another picture. 

Tram Light Trails // Making Tracks

These images of light trails with trams were taken in Sheaf Square in Sheffield City Centre. They were taken after a rain storm which has created reflections within the image.

I also took inspiration for these images from Ian Egner due to them being light trails, which the concept of has helped to form these images.

I am really happy with the results of these images as they have really captured the lights of vehicles moving and created tracks through the light trails. 

My favourites are DSC_0137 DSC_0140 DSC_0142 DSC_1235 and DSC_1237, this is due to the angle in which the picture was taken as well as the light trail being so prominent within the image that it has made the point of focus of the image for the viewer. Each image has a slightly different composition which helps to make each of the images unique.

Trains Light Trails Shoot // Making Tracks

The images above I took at Sheffield Train Station at night, whilst it was raining - which created the reflections in the tracks and on the ballast. I did this by using my 'A' setting on my camera to open up the lens and let as much light in as possible.

For these images, I took inspiration from Ian Egner as even though he did light trails with cars on roads, this is another form of light trail done which is creating lines of where the vehicle has been.

I am very happy with the results of these images as they are unique, with each image being slightly different and the colours of the lights from the trains being very prominent. This has helped to create the light trail in each image as the point of focus for the viewer.

DSC_0112 is my favourite image out of these images of train light trails as by chance I managed to capture two trains within the image, one coming towards the camera and one going away; which resulted in one lot of white lines and one lot of red lines.

Jim Pearson Research // Making Tracks

I have researched Jim Pearson, who specialises in rail roading photography as well as wild life photography. He's from Kentucky, America where you get massive rail road trains.

Photo's have been taken off his website

The image above shows two freight trains close to each other. The image has been taken from the side of the train tracks, with the trains being quite head on to the camera, with the freight locomotives able to be seen behind the train. The colours of the image stand out clearly, with this and the composition making it a very powerful image. The composition is made up of the lines of the tracks, the trains being the main point of focus within the image, and the rule of thirds being used with different parts of the train being in each third.

The image is above is striking as it consists of foreground, the subject, and the background. This has been done by the photograph being taken from a distance, therefore being able to capture the subject as it has been. The train has been taken from an angle so its not side on or straight on to the camera, so you can see the front of the train and the side of the train at the same time. The colours in all aspects of the image stand out, with the reds, blues, greens, and yellows. 

The image above has been taken on a very grey day, and through the headlight of the train you can see the weather condition of rain through the image. With the sky in the image being very grey, it makes the colours much bleaker. The train is the point of focus within the image, with the colours of the front of it standing out compared to the rest of the image.



These images by Jim Pearson, I used for inspiration for taking photographs of trains within my project due to how he's set up the shot and how the images have come out.

Planes Shoot // Making Tracks

I took some photo's of aeroplanes in the sky, due to this being a form of transport in which people travel distance with and 'make tracks'. 

I took images of planes in the sky due that being as close as I really could get, as I don't use an airfield and don't have access to planes.

I took some inspiration from Glynn Farrar in this, but it was mainly down to trying out aviation photography as I couldn't get the type of images that he can.

Below is a contact sheet of the images that I took.

I am quite happy with the images that I have taken this is due to the images showcasing the planes that we see from the sky every day. Also as the theme of the project is 'making tracks' and the planes are leaving trails behind them which is a form of track of where they've just been.