Fourth Plinth - Work Diary

Fourth Plinth - Work Diary

Evaluation

Overall, I think that my fourth plinth project went well and feel that I managed to create some interesting and original images. In total, I created seven composite images using different landscapes and using the same object which was a small plush fairy. I thought the idea was good for the fourth plinth project as fairies are obviously related to fantasy and are therefore not something that you see everyday which therefore make it ideal for the project. I positioned the fairy in a variety of landscapes. One set of the images were with it placed in countryside landscapes while the other set had it positioned in a city landscape. Below shows my favourite and least favourite image out of the seven which I produced.


This is my favourite image from the ones which I created as the surreal element is not completely obvious at first glance and therefore requires the audience to look at the image more closely in order to find the hidden aspects. I like the way that in the image the fairy appears to be perching up in the tree. This could make the viewer perceive the fairy as being mischievous which adds interest to the image.


This is my least favourite image out of the seven which I created. Obviously, I edited the image using photoshop but I feel that the editing is more obvious in this image than the others and feel it is not as well done. I do not feel that the burning to create a shadowed effect in this image is overly effective as the day on which the image was show was not sunny. Also I feel that because the background image was shot at an angle, the fairy needed to be at an angle as well which is not. I think that this would make the image look more realistic and natural and therefore more effective.

Idea Development

If I were to look at the topic of the fourth plinth again, I would try to perhaps work with a larger object as I feel this would make it easier to photograph in the studio and add to the images. However, if I were to complete the topic again involving the fairies, I would perhaps use photoshop to manipulate the colours of their clothing and maybe use multiple fairies to create a more permanent and colourful feel to the images. I think this would help to make the composite images more attractive and striking to the audience and would also make them more eye-catching. Also, before I started the topic, I would perhaps look at the Cottingley fairy images for inspiration and perhaps attempt to recreate similar images but with a modern twist. Below are some of the images which I would use as inspiration for this.

London Landscapes - Work Diary

London Landscapes - Work Diary

Evaluation

Overall, I feel the London shoot went very well and feel that I captured a successful series of images. I like how the images capture iconic areas of London and therefore help the audience to connect more to the images. I enjoyed exploring the topic of landscapes and in my first series, I took rural landscape shots but for this, I took urban landscapes in the form of London. During the trip, I enjoyed shooting for the topic but as it got dark found myself struggling. However, once I had figured out the correct camera settings, my photographs began to come out well again. I found that at night, the correct camera settings were having the f/stop at 5.6 and either putting my ISO to 400 or 600, or alternatively, putting the camera on night mode. I found that I could create more interest in the images by shooting from alternative angles and also by shooting both landscape and portrait. Below shows some images from the London shoot.

This was one of my favourite images from the London shoot. I like the colours in this image and especially like how the road has an orange tint which reflects on the interestingly shaped building. I also like how the image presents the formal element of line by means of the road. I also like how there are no cars on the road which gives the audience the feeling of dissertation which can contribute to the image giving off an uneasy feeling. I captured this image on the f/stop of 5.6 and had my camera on auto focus. 

This is one of my least favourite images from the shoot. The image was taken when it was just starting to get dark and also when I hadn't adapted my camera settings yet so this therefore makes the image appear very dark and gloomy. Also the image composition is not very good as you can see a person's face on the left hand side of the image. Also, the image is slightly out of focus and in addition to this, the cars headlights are slightly overpowering in the image. For this reason, I do not like the image and feel that it is a boring and therefore not a successful image.

Idea Development

If I were to go up to London again and shoot landscapes, I would take a tripod as this could help me get more images in focus, especially when it started to get dark. In addition to this, I would go to London for a whole day so in this way I would not be limited and restricted by the fading light. I would also visit more areas in London in order to get a wider range of images in different locations which I feel would create a more broad outlook on London. If I were to shoot again and at night, I would use Rut Blees Luxemburg's night photography as inspiration. Below shows some images which I would use if I were to shoot for the topic of Landscapes in London again.

Landscapes - Work Diary

Landscapes - Work Diary

Evaluation

During the past few sessions, we were given the task of shooting for the topic of landscapes. At first, I thought that this was going to be a boring topic. However, as the topic progressed, I found that it involved more than I had first thought. I do not feel that my initial shoot was very successful as the day was very windy and this therefore made my images slightly blurry. Also, I found that I struggled to shoot a 'landscape' in Harlow. However, I thought that my second shoot was more successful and thought that I managed to explore the topic further by experimenting with different shooting angles and camera settings in order to capture more effective and interesting images. I also liked that for the second shoot, I was able to capture my images in a setting which I found inspiring and interesting. Below shows some images which I captured during my shoots.


This is one of my favourite images from the shoots. I like the angle at which it was shot at as I feel it is interesting and different. I edited the image on photoshop and increased the contrast and saturation as well as adapting the curves to make the image appear brighter and therefore more effective.


I like this image as it has an additional element as well as the landscape. In my opinion, this helps to make the image more interesting and effective. I also edited the curves of this image to make it brighter which helps to make the image more striking and eye-catching.

 
This is my least favourite image from the shoot as I feel that it is very dark and does not really show a true landscape. I don't mind the silhouette effect but do not feel that the image is effective as it is also quite boring.

Idea Development

If I were to go out and shoot for the topic of landscape again, I would try to go out and shoot on a day which had more interesting weather, whether it be snow or sun. I think this would assist me in adding interest to my images. I would also be interested in attempting to capture a series of images which all related to each other and also perhaps creating a series of images which were more saturated and bright. For this, I would use the landscape photographer Helen Dixon as inspiration as I really like her images and the style in which she captures them with. Below shows some of her images which I would use as inspiration.

Documentary Photography - My Life - Work Diary

Documentary Photography - My Life - Work Diary

Evaluation

The concept behind my series for documentary photography was to portray 'My Life'. To do this, I chose to capture the outdoor element of my life, with my photographs including both my family members and animals which are part of my lifestyle. Overall, I believe that my series was successful in portraying my lifestyle and I feel that I managed to gather a wide range of interesting shots. I feel that my series presented a clear theme which therefore contributed to the series success at conveying my lifestyle. I especially like the composition of the images as I feel that they help to create interesting and eye-catching images. Some of the images have leading lines and distinctive curves within them which helped to make the images more attractive and original. In addition, I like that the images have eye-catching backgrounds. When I went out to capture my images, I firstly ensured that the it was a bright or sunny day which helped me to create eye-catching and effective images. In my images, I included many of the formal elements such as colour, depth and in many instances, lines which helped to create bold and striking images. Finally, I edited the final images in order to make them brighter and more vibrant and in many cases, I adjusted the curves and contrast of the images. Below shows some of the images which I feel are strongest and most successful at showing my lifestyle in my series.


I think that this image is strong as it is successful at showing the environment as well as showing one of the horses. I also like the way that the light falls and the shadows which have been created within the image as I feel that this helps to make the image more appealing.


I really like this image as it is simplistic but has bold and striking colours. I also like the curves which are present as this makes the image more appealing and as a result helps to draw the viewers eye into the photograph more.


I also really like this image as it is original and interesting. I like the aspect of leading lines within the image as this helps to draw in the audiences eye. I also like the way that the image has an interesting background and like the slightly distorted effect which has been created by the angle that the image was shot at.

For my shoot, I had my camera settings as f/stop 5.6 and alternated between using manual focus and autofocus and for most of my shots, had my ISO at 200. These camera settings helped me to capture interesting and effective images and were appropriate for the type of images I was shooting. 

Idea Development

If I were to improve my work, I think that I would have gone out and shot at different times of the day in order to get the different lighting. In addition, I would have chosen to go out and shoot on an even brighter day than I did as some of my images still came out slightly duller than I would have liked considering the days which I shot were nice and light. In addition to this, if I were to shoot again, I would have experimented further with different angles as the images which I captured using a slightly peculiar angle look very effective and interesting. 
I would also like to use a tripod next time I shot for this topic as I think that this way, I could have achieved even more images and would have not been limited by means of which ones I chose. Finally, I would further improve my work by including more portraits of my family members with my inspiration being the series known as 'Cowboy Church' by Ed Thompson. I like the portraits he includes in this series as you are able to clearly see the individuals lifestyle simply by looking at their expression and clothing. Here are some of these images by Ed Thompson which I would use for inspiration if I were to shoot for the topic again.

Portraiture - Work Diary

Portraiture - Work Diary

Evaluation

In the sessions this week, we were given the task of exploring the topic of portraiture. At first, I thought that this was going to be quite a boring topic but as the sessions progressed, found that I was able to produce some effective and striking images. In Tuesday's session, I focused on taking images in the studio where I tried to work in the style of Richard Avedon and Thomas Ruff. In Thursday's session, we went out and captured portraits on location. I found that shooting on location was much more enjoyable as I was able to capture more natural expressions of my subjects and found that the individuals being photographed were more relaxed and therefore easier to capture in my images. I also enjoyed experimenting with the different backgrounds that were available and also the shallow depths of field in my images, as these aspects helped to add interest to my images. In addition, I found that being able to manipulate the depth of field helped me to adapt and add interest to my images. I was able to manipulate the depths of fields by having my camera on aperture priority mode and setting a low f/stop if I wanted a shallow depth of field and setting a higher f/stop if I wanted to get a wide depth of field. Below shows some images which I captured during this weeks sessions on portraiture.

I really like this image and feel as though it could be considered as being connected with the image below. I edited this image using photoshop and altered the curves as well as increasing the saturation to obtain a more striking and bold image. I also like how the subject is not face on as the image therefore presents an alternative perspective of portraiture in the form of a side on angle. This is one of my favourite images and was captured during Thursday's location shoot.

I really like this image and like the way that the subject is natural and not looking directly at the camera. I altered this image using photoshop and increased the brightness, increased the saturation and also altered the curves to make the image vibrant and make the subjects skin bright so that they stand out more. This is another of my favourite images from the shoots on portraiture.

This image presents a screenshot of the photoshop page from when I edited the image above and on the right hand side, shows the layers that I added. 

This is one of my least favourite images from the sessions on portraiture. Although there is nothing specifically wrong with the image, I feel that the actual element of the portrait is detracted from due to the background and foreground which, in my opinion, is too busy. I feel like the image would have more successful had the subject been positioned in a plainer looking setting.

Idea Development

If I had the opportunity to go out and shoot for the topic of portraiture again, I would attempt to produce a range of images which featured the same subject but in different situations. I think that this would be effective as I feel as though the images would interconnect with each other and be more interesting. I would also try to photograph more people in their natural setting as I feel that this helps to add interest to the images and also helps for the audience to work out and have a better idea of the subjects identity. I would also experiment more with my images in photoshop and would perhaps try black and white filters on them as I feel that this would make the images effective and also would show various tones within the faces which would make the images more eye-catching and appealing to their audiences. Below shows some images which I would use for inspiration if I were to shoot for this topic again. 

Joiners - Work Diary

Joiners - Work Diary

Evaluation

In the sessions this week, we were given the task of shooting for the topic of 'joiners'. In the first session, I did not know what a joiner was, but after researching artists such as David Hockney, I began to get a feel of what was required. On the Tuesday session, we focused on taking photographs in the studio and on Thursday, we went out and captured images of landscapes, buildings and natural forms such as trees. Overall I found taking photographs and making joiners from them was very entertaining and allowed me to create some unique and interesting compositions. However, to begin with, I found the task quite hard and found myself constantly wondering if I had taken enough photos and if they were at the right angles. Nevertheless, as the sessions progressed, I thought that I improved greatly and really got the hang of using photoshop for this task. I really liked how on photoshop, I was able to arrange and angle images in such ways that allowed me to make my work unique and personal to me. Below shows some joiners which I created during the sessions.

This is my favourite image from the studio shoot. I really like how the images are joined and arranged in such a way that the joiner gives an abstract feel to it. I also like that, despite it looking distorted, you are still able to clearly see what it is supposed to be. In addition to this, I like the way that the light was used in the shots as this made them clearer and therefore makes them more eye-catching.

The above image shows a screenshot which demonstrates the process by which I created the joiners. To the right hand side, it shows the layers that were used and also shows the effects that were added to each layer. The outcome is shown below.

This joiner is another of my favourites and was shot during the outdoor shoot. I really like this image as it is simplistic due to the fact it only uses three layers but is made to appear more striking by the use of the rotation tool on photoshop. This allowed me to rotate the images to the angles that I wanted them and therefore helped me to create a more eye-catching and interesting image. In addition to this, I like the use of the black and white edit as it helps to show the subtle differences in tones between the three layers. 

This is my least favourite joiner. Although I like the image when it has a black and white filter, I feel that the original version looks quite plain and boring. I also do not like how the bottom image appears quite bright but then the image above this seems much darker. This therefore makes the image less effective as it detracts from the rest of the joiner. However, despite this, I feel that this joiner looked effective when a black and white filter had been applied to it.

Idea Development

If I had the opportunity to shoot for the topic of joiners again, I would focus my shoot in the studio and would look again at portraits. I would do this as I think that the faces and people looked more effective than other things when they were made into a joiner. I also think that by doing this, I would be able to create more abstract and interesting compositions due to the detail which is present in the human face and form. If I were to create more joiners, I would also try to focus one of my investigations just on the face, as during the sessions this week, when I looked at people in the studio, I did not just concentrate on the face and instead looked at the whole body. If I were to shoot for the topic again, I would use the following images for inspiration.

Depth - Work Diary

Depth - Work Diary

Evaluation

In Tuesday's session, we were given the task of shooting for the topic of depth. To do this, we had to use the cameras on manual mode and manipulated the f/stop values on the cameras whilst we were out shooting to ensure our images turned out the way we wanted them to be. Initially, I found using the camera on manual mode quite challenging, but after a while, got the hang of it and actually found manual mode to be better than auto focus mode. During the shoot, I found myself photographing a lot of natural things as I found that these created the best images to portray depth. Overall, I found that shooting for depth was enjoyable and that it allowed me to be creative. Also, having the camera on manual mode, allowed me to focus on specific areas of the shots. I also took some photographs in the studio using people. I really like the outcome as I feel that the images present a different form of depth. In addition to the work in the studio, we also explored the presence of depth by means of structures such as sculptures. I did not really like these images as I thought they were quite boring and were not eye-catching at all. Below shows some examples of the images that I captured during the session.

This is one of my favourite images as it shows depth very well. It shows narrow depth of field and I also like the way that it shows an example of point of focus. In my opinion, the image is quite interesting due to the shapes which are present in the image as well as the quite striking colours.

This is another of my favourite images and also shows a narrow depth of field. I really like this image as it would normally be considered to be boring, but with the added element of depth, the image has become more interesting. I really like how you are able to see the detail which is on the wire as this makes the image more eye-catching and interesting to the audience. 

This is my favourite image that I captured in the studio. For this image, I used the f/stop value of 5.6 in order to achieve the narrow depth of field which is present in the image. 

This image is my least favourite from my shoot. I took this image relatively early on in the shoot when I was struggling with using the camera on manual mode. This image does not show depth and does not demonstrate either a narrow or wide depth of field. For this reason, I do not feel that this is a successful image.

Idea Development

If I were to shoot for the topic of depth again, I would continue shooting my preferred natural forms of depth. I think that this would help to create more interesting and quality images as I think that the colours which are shown in these forms are extremely striking and help to make the overall image more attractive and capture the audiences attention. I would also like to look more specifically into photographing leaves as I think that the colours and patterns that they show would make for an eye-catching and quality image. This would also be a good way to shoot for a close up example of depth. Below shows some images which I would use for inspiration if I had to go out and shoot for the topic of depth again.