I carried out a photoshoot at home in the style of Francesca Woodman. I then edited these images to look like Woodman’s.
I photographed myself and my family and to do this, I used a DIY tripod made up of the camera on a chair balanced on my bed! I set a self-timer of time seconds and after the timer was over, I set the camera to shoot ten successive shots. I told my subjects to move about as much as they could to create a sense of quick, sharp movements using a slow shutter speed to capture a blur.
In today’s lesson we experimented further with shutter speed. This allowed me to hone and enhance my abilities with this particular skill in photography. I was able to plan and think out what I wanted to achieve more thoroughly than last time which proved beneficial as the outcome is of higher quality.
From the shoot, I created three contact sheets which allows me to display them to you in a logical order and helps me evacuate my work as I can see the images all in one place.
I attempted to use the zoom pan and whip pan in this photoshoot also and in my opinion, it worked out well and complements the shutter speeds.
This time around, I focused on the outside environment, and cars in particular. Their fast movement paired with a slow shutter speed made for a great outcome! There are only handful of good ones from the shoot and just one or two great ones but these are noticeable as the best ones have the car in focus and the background as a blur which was what I aimed for!
The bright colours of the cars against the plain, green background makes them stand out. Your eyes naturally are tempted to follow the path of the car across the photo.
If I was to do a photoshoot on shutter speed again, I would focus on a different subject; perhaps portraits again to develop my skills in that area.
After experimenting with different shoots and positions while using a slow or fast shutter speed, I edited some of the shots.
While using the fast shutter speed, we tried to get the perfect image with the person in the center of the frame in a still shot. We repeated the process many times until we where happy with our results.
We also experimented with a zoom blur. This is when you use a slow shutter speed, and as you take the photo, you quickly either zoom in or zoom out. This creates a cool effect that looks like a tunnel leading away from the center of the image.
Untitled 1975-80 Francesca Woodman 1958-1981 ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d’Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/AR00357
Space?, Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-1978 1975-8 Francesca Woodman 1958-1981 ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d’Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/AR00350
Untitled 1975-80 Francesca Woodman 1958-1981 ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d’Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/AR00358
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.
My Edited Favourite Image – Black and White / Brightness and Contrast / Levels
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.
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.
…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.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
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 OFjuxtaposition 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
Robert Frank (USA) Trolley Car, New Orleans, 1955 (From “The Americans”…a photo essayRaghubir Singh, From a Way Into India, 1995Trent Parke
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…
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.
