Monthly Archives: September 2016
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Shutter Speed Experimentation
Inspiration: Francesca Woodman
In the lesson today, we experimented with different shutter speeds, how to use them and two they alter your images.
Shutter speed is the time for which a shutter is open at a given setting on a camera.
- If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60) you will need to either use a tripod.
- Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the number the faster the speed (i.e. 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30).
- When considering what shutter speed to use in an image you should always ask yourself whether anything in your scene is moving.
In today’s lesson we experimented with different shutter speeds with a deliberately moving object. I used Matt, my model to help me experiment with different shutter speeds. I told him to walk across a corridor several times to enable me to capture lots and lots of different frames of movement. I attempted to cause blur by using slow shutter speeds – this made the shutter close in the chosen time – I experimented with 2 seconds and in my opinion, this worked really well! I believe the last 8 or so worked out the best.
I tried to pair shutter speed and ISO together so they complemented each other and balanced each other out. However, in some images, the quality was quite grainy. This is why the I chose the last 5 or so as my favourites because they are the most clear.
Also, to enhance the quality of my photographs, I used a tripod to stabilize the camera when taking the pictures and this was the first time I had used a tripod. If I was to try out shutter speed again, I would definitely use a tripod again as this really aided the outcome.
Shutter Speed Experimentation
In photography, shutter speed or exposure time is the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light, also when a camera’s shutter is open when taking a photograph. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is proportional to the exposure time.
If the shutter speed is fast, it can help to freeze action completely. If the shutter speed is slow, it can create an effect called “motion blur”, where moving objects appear blurred along the direction of the motion.
Depending on the speed of the shutter , it can effect how exposed the image is. If the speed of the shutter is low, about 3 seconds then, the image is going to be over exposed because a lot of light is getting into the camera. If the speed of the shutter is high, about 1/60 of a second , then the image is going to have a low exposure.
The image above is the display shown on the camera when on the shutter speed setting. The TV sign in the top left corner stands for Time Value. The number next to it shows the speed of the shutter.
Francesca Woodman – Inspiration
These photographs from Francesca Woodman are inspirational to me. The photos are taken at a face on angle with a high exposure. This is because the slow shutter speed takes in a lot of the light and therefore compliments the sense of blurriness. I particularly like these 2 photographs because they include a spookiness that has been well captured. The sense of depth has been limited to blank walls behind the person which successfully compliment the expressionless face.
Final Images- Environmental Portraits
Here I have taken a picture of an old man sitting on a wall with a Helter Skelter behind him. When editing I cropped the photo so only the important objects would be in the photo. I then increased the contrast and brightness on the image. When I looked at the image I really wanted the clouds to look more dramatic and heavy.
So I used the burn tool to bring out the darkest parts of the clouds. However, the Helter Skelter looked very dark as well as the mans face. So to add a little more light to certain parts of the picture I used the dodge tool. I also used this tool on some of the edges of the clouds to give them some light. I did no other editing as I did not want to change the picture too much.
Week 5 // Street Photography
Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. The concept of the “flaneur” or people watcher is often referred to…as is the candid portrait.
“The decisive moment”—–Henri Cartier-Bresson
Born: August 22, 1908, Chanteloup-en-Brie, France
Died: August 3, 2004,)
…was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35 mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and conceived of photography as capturing a decisive moment.
Task / blog post 1 [ Introduction to Street Photography]
- Design an introductory post to define and explain what street photography is / can be
- Choose 2 x street photographers from the list below and write a short biography about them and their work
- Select a key image from both photographers and analyse using a combination of the 3 types of analysis you have learned
Task / blog post 2 [How we use shutter speed and angles in street photography]
- Explore the use of shutter speed to capture a range of street photographs / candid portraits (your images)
- Explore the use of various angles and viewpoints (POV) to capture a range of your own street photographs in various locations
- Include your contact sheet and describe and explain your process / analyse
Task / blog post 3 [Selection of successful images from Week 5]
- Choose a small range of images (3-5) to edit and present
- Analyse and discuss your choices…why, how, what , who etc
- Compare and contrast your work to your 2 x Street Photographers
EXTENSION TASK…LOOK AT EXAMPLES OF juxtaposition IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY AND CREATE A POST DESCRIBING AND EXPLAINING HOW WE CAN EXPLOIT THIS TECHNIQUE
Homework Assignment STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
- AIM TO TAKE 100-150 PHOTOGRAPHS
- SHOW THE INFLUENCE OF AT LEAST 1 STREET PHOTOGRAPHER IN YOUR IMAGES
- EXPLORE 3 DIFFERENT AREAS OF TOWN / VILLAGE / HOUSING AREA ETC
- SHOW HOW YOU CAN USE SHUTTER SPEED TO CREATE different effects WITHIN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
- DEADLINE MONDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2016
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS
Trent Parke, Bruce Gilden, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Raghubir Singh, William Klein, Elliott Erwitt, Garry Winogrand, William Egglestone, Lee Friedlander, Martin Parr, Joel Meyerowitz, Paul Strand, Bill Brandt…but there are many more to discover and explore
Tony Ray-Jones listed the following shooting advice to himself in his personal journal:
- Be more aggressive
- Get more involved (talk to people)
- Stay with the subject matter (be patient)
- Take simpler pictures
- See if everything in background relates to subject matter
- Vary compositions and angles more
- Be more aware of composition
- Don’t take boring pictures
- Get in closer (use 50mm lens or smaller)
- Watch camera shake (shoot 250 sec or above)
- Don’t shoot too much
- Not all eye level
- No middle distance
Tony Ray-Jones
Some more tips to help with your Street Photography…
http://petapixel.com/2015/12/22/10-tips-for-successful-street-photography/
Low/Fast Shutter Speeds
I have experimented taking photographs with varying shutter speeds. I took them at 1/250, 1/100, 1/25, 0″3, 1″, 2″, 4″. The faster speeds didn’t let as much light in due to the speed of the shutter so therefore the photograph looked quite dark. At about 1/25, the light was well balanced and the moving person is visible enough to see levels of detail. At a shutter speed 4″, the shutter is so slow, the moving person looks almost out the photograph because he moved out of shot before the lens captured the moment.
I believe that the shoot went well as I highlighted how the varying shutter speeds can affect the movement of a photograph. However I believe it could of gone better by including a wider range of speeds.
My favorite photograph is below. I incorporated the rule of thirds to allow the viewer to focus on the moving person. Also I took this photograph at a shutter speed at 2″. I believe I have almost captured a ghost – like figure through the blurred movement. The high exposure creates exaggerates this movement giving a feeling of dizziness.
This is my edited version inspired by Francesca Woodman and her work. Here I adjusted the contrast to enhance the darker shades of the moving person.
Compare & Contrast
When I compare my picture (left) to August Sanders picture (right) I don’t see many similarities. The similarities I do see are that they are both elderly men who have lived many years and have seen a lot. They are both dressed fairly smartly wearing clothes that are fairly dark and holding an object that means a lot them. They are both in the center of the image as well as sitting at an angle.
However, when I contrast my picture with August Sander’s I see many differences. First of all the man in my picture isn’t looking at the camera instead the man in my picture is looking his phone. Also in August Sanders picture the background isn’t that significant and is completely out of focus. Where as when you look at my picture you see the green from the plants, the bright reds and whites from the Helter Skelter as well as the deep dark shadows from thick grey clouds with a hint on blue from the sky. Another contrast is that there isn’t much light shining on the mans face in my picture where as August Sanders picture there is plenty of light on the mans face. The differences in these photos are fairly big.
However, I think this represents the change in times. The fact that these men are about the same age in these photos you can really see how times have changed from 1910 to modern day . The man in my photo can’t even look at the camera as he is so distracted by his phone. This is probably because he found the situation awkward. In world today we can often use our devices and technology as an escape from reality. When you look at August Sanders picture he is looking straight at the camera, you can see the emotion in his eyes. His photo has so much formality to it the fact that the man is staring straight at the camera, wearing smart clothes and it’s in black and white clearly shows this. This in itself shows the difference between times.
Even though its not ideal that the man in my picture doesn’t have any light on his face I think it could represent how we can be so controlled by technology that it can almost feel like a cloud is over us and maybe once and while if we just looked up from our phones and devices we would feel better about ourselves and more connected with the world. We use technology so much to escape the world we live in, that sometimes we miss the beauty and experiences that are in it. That’s what photography is about noticing the world we live from our own eyes and capturing it. Whether it be the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, the strange, the normal.
Camera Handling – Depth of Field
Camera Handling – High, low and cantered angles
