Category Archives: Recording

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Developing, Experimenting, Final Outcomes, Recording

Shoot 2 – Home

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Home shoot

For this shoot, I wanted to just focus on light and/or shadow affecting objects or areas in and around my house. I used my Canon camera for this shoot. Below are the contact sheets displaying my responses:

Contact sheet 1
Contact sheet 2
Contact sheet 3

Experimentation

To edit my images, I used lightroom. I adjusted the brightness, contrast, shadows, whites, blacks and sometimes the clarity. I also experimented with 2 black and white images but thought that the colour images looked best for these types of images, as light and shadow contrasts the best when in their natural colour.

Planning, Recording

To DO

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  1. Produce a detailed plan of 3 shoots for each idea in your specification that you are intending to do;  how, who, when, where and why in the next 3 weeks?
  2. Think about lighting, are you going to shoot outside in natural light or inside using studio lights? Maybe shoot both inside and outside to make informed choices and experimentation. Remember to try out a variety of shot sizes and angles, pay attention to composition, focussing, scale, perspective, rule of 1/3rds, foreground/ background and creative control of aperture (depth of field) and shutter speed (movement). If appropriate, think about how to convey an emotion, expression or attitude and the colour palette, tone, mood and texture of your pictures. Consider mise-en-scène (everything in the frame) – e.g. in portraiture deliberate use of clothing, posture, choice of subject objects, props, accessories, settings. Make a selection of the best 15- 20 images for further experimentation. Produce 2-3 blog posts from each shoot and analyse and evaluate your photos through annotation showing understanding of basic visual language using specialist terminology.
  3. It is essential that you complete your principal shooting over Easter and return on Tue 23 April with a few hundred images ready for further post-production and editing.
  4. Upload blog post with above planning by Fri 5 April

Planning, Recording

Shoot plans

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  • Shoot 1 – studio shoot experimenting with flowers. I will use a torch to adjust the lighting for my images and will get someone to hold this torch so I can make successful images. As this shoot is adjusted with artificial light, I do not have to do this shoot at a specific time of the day.
  • Shoot 2 – shoot around my house focusing on light and darkness. I will go in the garden of my house at around 5:30pm when the sun is setting. I want to also focus on repetition within looking into light and darkness, for example I have blinds in my house where the sun shines onto them to create light and dark tones on the blinds, as well as other interesting aspects in and around my house that create light and darkness.
  • Shoot 3 – shoot focusing on architecture and how light and darkness (shadows) are portrayed onto buildings.
  • Shoot 4 – shoot using a dark room to create images using different objects and models such as glow sticks, lights and using a long exposure technique with a waving torch to show the variation of light and dark tones.
  • Shoot 5 – shoot focusing on cutlery and using light to create shadows of darkness. shoot at the beach focusing on seascapes and interesting nature objects on and around the beach that fits into light and darkness.
  • Shoot 6 – shoot focusing on boats on the beach and how their specific architecture creates interesting light and dark aspects.
  • Shoot 7 – shoot focusing on cutlery and how using artificial light can create interesting shadows that portray light and darkness.
  • Shoot 8 – shoot focusing on nature and how light and darkness effects nature in different ways.

Analysis, Developing, Recording, Research

Light and darkness

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Light is:

In photography terms, light is “the illumination of scenes to be photographed. A photograph simply records patterns of light, color, and shade; lighting is all-important in controlling the image. In many cases even illumination is desired to give an accurate rendition of the scene.” Light is important within photography as it determines how beautiful, scary, eerie or amazing an image is; really, it communicates the tone of the image. A really bright image with lots of light being let into the lens will allow for images to appear jolly and happy, whereas the opposite would be images with a lot less light – a dark image would be considered scary or frightening or maybe it could imply secrecy. I like how light is an important factor when taking photos. Using this as a baseline for my project will allow me to explore the exam theme well; I will be experimenting with light by using a range of sources of light – the sun, torches, a man light within a room etc.

Mood-board for using light

Darkness is:

In photography, darkness is just as important as light. “If photography is writing with light, darkness is the punctuation. Darkness defines shapes, makes two dimensions look like three, and heightens drama.” I want to also experiment with darkness in relation to light, for example capturing shadows, or silhouettes, or doing a studio shoot where I use a model and a spotlight so the model appears as light and dark depending on where I position the light.

Mood-board for using darkness in photography

Analysis, Developing, Evaluating, Recording

Reviewing and Reflecting

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How well have ideas developed?

I have developed my ideas well by adding more inspirations from artists to influence my final shoots. I have started with the idea of sunlight, but have added on the idea that I wanted to explore light in general, as well as exploring its opposite of darkness to communicate the variance of these 2 everyday factors of life, as well as the similarity of how light and darkness can interact to produce similar effects that will be shown throughout my photoshoots.


Are ideas explored and selective appropriate to intentions?

My ideas have not yet been explored thoroughly; I have experimented with repetition of doors and windows – these 2 shoots were produced from the influence of the Becher’s and their typology approaches. However, I need to experiment with my specification ideas and start to focus on the shoots I have planned – (blog post on planning of shoots).


Are they sustained and focused?

My ideas are sustained and focused as I have researched artists to back up my evidence of where I want my photography exam project to follow.


Are they reviewed and refined?

My ideas are reviewed and reflected as I have followed on from my main idea of ‘sunlight’. I did a lot of research on the Sun and Jersey’s relation to the Sun, and the art movement romanticism and how this links to my project due to its beauty. Yet, I have refined my ideas to light vs darkness, using studio photo shoots as well as outside, natural sunlight shoots within nature etc. This is to make my project more varied so I can explore many different factors within lightness and darkness.


How many responses/ shoots?

So far, I have only done 1 experiment shoot to explore the idea of repetition. However, I have been planning on my other shoots to show my ideas. I am planning on doing a good amount of shoots, investigating sunlight, artificial light, shadows, variance of light and dark tones within nature, seascapes and people.


Command of camera skills/ photographic techniques and processes

I am planning on using my camera to take my other photo-shoots. I am going to experiment within my shoots by adjusting the ISO and white balance etc to whatever lighting I am in.


Understanding of composition/ considering quality of light

I will make sure I photograph my images from a variety of angles to make sure I can gain the best images possible from my shoots into light and darkness. This is also to ensure that my images are better in terms of lighting; I want to be able to have a perfect image so that when it comes to the editing process, I can adjust whether I want my images to be lighter or darker.


What are the overall quality of the images?

So far, I have only done one photo-shoot but the quality of these images were high as I made sure the composition of my images were all from a face on perspective, and were edited and cropped carefully.


How do they respond to research?

I have conducted research on Kanghee Kim, the sun and Jersey’s relation to the sun. I will respond to this research in further shoots. However I have already responded to the Becher’s typology images with my typology of doors and windows. I am planning on making a research blog post on romanticism and an artist from that movement, (J W Turner), and other artists such as Ray K Metzer, Viviane Sassen and Rinko Kawauchi that are giving me inspirations to take my photos.


How do they relate to artists references?

My images so far relate to artist references as I have also done a ‘play’ shoot with links to John Baldessari, as well as my doors and windows shoots which links to Bernd and Hilla Becher.


How do the interpret exam theme?

Bernd and Hilla Becher interpret the exam theme because they are taking images of similar types of building from the same viewpoints, where all the images are the same format (black and white), yet all the buildings are varied as they all come in different layouts but share similar characteristics such as the shapes of the buildings within 1 typology and the structure of them. John Baldessari interprets the exam theme as he is experimenting with how play is a similar thing that everyone does at some point, yet it can be so varied in how people interpret the meaning of play; everyone plays differently.

Developing, Experimenting, Planning, Recording, Research

Contact Sheet | Tiny Planet Photoshoot

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For my attempt at producing tiny planet images, I went to two locations, Les Landes and Grosnez. This is my first attempt so I am not sure how it will pan out when I put them into photoshop to create the planet.

The above shoot was Grosnez, a full 360 degree panorama (not yet stitched). I had the camera on a tripod in a portrait angle so I could capture a better height. I then used full auto setting to best get the land setup best. I took the images overlapping the last by 1:3 to ensure no bits are missing and the stitching works well.

The shoot below was at Les Landes, I did the same concept, 2x 360 degree on full auto. I used ,y hand to mark the start and stop of each panorama

I now have to put the images into photoshop, create panoramas then bend the images into a circle.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Evaluating, Extension, Recording, Research

Local Exhibition Study

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After recently going to two exhibitions, the CCA Gallery and Public and Private, I was inspired through the works of the photographers regarding their pop art, graphics, album art, documentary photography and paintings. Looking back at the galleries I really liked how each artist’s work varied from the next, with each possessing their own unique perspective and style. The first gallery I visited was the CCA Gallery, exhibiting the works of Mike McCartney, Rupert Truman, and Carinthia West. Some examples from the gallery can be seen below:

Rupert Truman:

Storm Thorgerson founded StormStudios in the early 1990s where he worked as part of a creative team that included photographer Rupert Truman, who worked with him shooting 99% of the studio’s output.  Storm Thorgeson sadly passed away in 2013 but the Studio remains busy today creating ‘normal but’ designs and Rupert Truman has given us access to many works from the studio, including iconic props such as the heads used in the 10cc album,  Tenology, that will be included in our exhibition ‘The Eye Of The Storm‘ (Thursday 6th – Sunday 30th July 2017).
Rupert Truman is one of the leading photographers in the country and has shot images of bands from Pink Floyd to Muse. We’re delighted to announce that Rupert will be at For Arts Sake gallery Sunday 23rd July from 12-3pm talking about his art and signing copies of his book. In our interview with Rupert Truman he talks to us about his work, his time with Storm Thorgerson and the future for StormStudios.

Carinthia West:

Throughout her career as a model, actress and journalist, Carinthia West, 59, has always had her camera by her side, capturing carefree moments for her bulging scrapbooks. She remembers her great-grandmother being a keen photographer, and received her first camera – ‘a plastic thing; when you wound on the film it got caught in the sprockets’ – at the age of nine. But it was when she was given her Canon EF, a 35mm single-lens reflex camera, in the early 1970s, that she began experimenting with film and exposures while taking shots of her friends. West’s first exhibition, Hanging Out, has come about almost by chance. As a tribute to her parents, General Sir Michael and Lady West, last year she started organising a show of their extensive art collection – ranging from a Lowry, which her mother bought direct from the artist, to a Lichtenstein – at the Quay Arts Centre, a gallery that her parents had helped found and build in the Isle of Wight in 1975.

Mike McCartney:

Mike McGear is actually Paul McCartney’s brother; he changed his name in the mid-’60s shortly after the Beatles become famous, not wishing to be perceived as riding Paul’s coattails. He was a member of the Scaffold, who recorded some fairly successful comedy rock releases in the late ’60s (their “Thank U Very Much” and “Lily Pink” singles were big British hits). In 1974, he recorded a solo album with plenty of help from Paul, who wrote or co-wrote almost all the songs and sang backup; fellow Wings Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, and Jimmy McCullough also play and sing. The album, which unsurprisingly recalled Wings, attracted some critical notice, but sold poorly.

After visiting the CCA Gallery we headed over to the Public and Private gallery, they were currently holding an exhibition based around ‘Pop Icons of the 20th Century – British & American Pop Art’. Emerging in the mid 1950’s in Britain and late 1950’s in America, Pop Art reached its peak in the 1960’s and went on to become the most recognisable art form of the 20th century. It began as a revolt against the dominant approaches to art and culture and traditional views on what art should be.

Young artists felt that what they were taught at art school and what they saw in museums did not have anything to do with their lives or the things they saw around them every day. Instead they turned to sources such as Hollywood movies, advertising, product packaging, pop music and comic books for their imagery. Some of the artists who have the work exhibited are Andy Warhol, Sir Peter Blake and Patrick Caulfield. Some of their work can be seen below:

Andy Warhol:

Andy Warhol, original name Andrew Warhola, (born August 6, 1928, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died February 22, 1987, New York), American artist and filmmaker, an initiator and leading exponent of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s whose mass-produced art apotheosized the supposed banality of the commercial culture of the United States. An adroit self-publicist, he projected a concept of the artist as an impersonal, even vacuous, figure who is nevertheless a successful celebrity, businessman, and social climber. The son of Ruthenian (Rusyn) immigrants from what is now eastern Slovakia, Warhol graduated in 1949 from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, (now Carnegie Mellon University), Pittsburgh, with a degree in pictorial design. He then went to New York City, where he worked as a commercial illustrator for about a decade. Warhol began painting in the late 1950s and received sudden notoriety in 1962, when he exhibited paintings of Campbell’s soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles, and wooden replicas of Brillo soap pad boxes. By 1963 he was mass-producing these purposely banal images of consumer goods by means of photographic silkscreen prints, and he then began printing endless variations of portraits of celebrities in garish colours. The silkscreen technique was ideally suited to Warhol, for the repeated image was reduced to an insipid and dehumanized cultural icon that reflected both the supposed emptiness of American material culture and the artist’s emotional noninvolvement with the practice of his art. Warhol’s work placed him in the forefront of the emerging Pop art movement in America.

Sir Peter Blake:

Peter Blake was born in Kent and studied first at the Gravesend Technical College School of Art before continuing his studies between 1953 and 1956 at the Royal College of Art in London. At the RCA Peter Blake was at the forefront of British Pop, studying alongside Patrick Caulfield, David Hockney, Pauline Boty, Derek Boshier and Peter Phillips amongst others. He was awarded the Leverhulme Research Award in 1956, to study popular art. Between 1956 and 1957 he made an extended journey to Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Holland and Belgium), and in 1961 was awarded the first Junior Prize from the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition. In 1964 he was appointed a lecturer at the Royal College of Art in London and at the Walthamstow School of Art. In 1975 he was a founder member of the group of artists called The Brotherhood of Ruralists, and from 1994 to 1996 he was Associate Artist at the National Gallery in London. Blake became a Royal Academician in 1981, was awarded a CBE in 1983 and was knighted in 2002 for services to art. There have been multiple retrospectives of his work in Britain, with the most significant including those in 1983 at the Tate and in 2008 at Tate Liverpool. In February 2005, the Sir Peter Blake Music Art Gallery, located at the University of Leeds was opened by the artist with a permanent display of 20 examples of Blake’s album sleeve cover art, including the only public display of a signed print of the iconic Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.

Patrick Caulfield:


Patrick Joseph Caulfield, British artist (born Jan. 29, 1936, London, Eng.—died Sept. 29, 2005, London), was a member of the “New Generation” of 1960s British Pop and abstract artists. Caulfield’s bold paintings incorporated everyday objects in still lifes and ordinary domestic interiors and were defined by strong graphic design, black outlines, and bright, saturated colours. He later introduced elements of trompe l’oeil and photorealism into his painting. He also worked in other mediums, including graphic prints, tapestry, theatrical set design, and screen-print book illustrations. Caulfield was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1987 and shared the Jerwood Painting Prize in 1995. He was made CBE in 1996.