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AO2 Explore Ideas, Coursework

Motion Blur

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Motion blur can be adapted in many areas of photography; to create a sense of movement in the image or to blur out the background and bring the viewer’s attention to a certain part/detail of the image.

To begin, open your image in Photoshop and duplicate it.
By going to Filter<Blur<Motion Blur you can bring up the motion blur window and adjust the sliders to your liking.
After creating a layer mask, you can use the eraser tool to reveal the bottom image which is sharp and in focus; enabling you to pick what stays in focus and what doesn’t.

Side By Side Before vs After Image 

Although I used Photoshop to create this image and effect, it’s possible to achieve this using the camera. A way to do this would be slowing down the shutter speed,  using a small aperture and decreasing the ISO. These things combined would create a naturally blurred photo with a subject in focus.

Often, in Photography, motion blur adds movement and a lively atmosphere.

AO2 Explore Ideas, Coursework

Overlays – Photoshop

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Overlays such as these, help bring out certain colours or aspects of a photograph. When combined with a black and white filter they enhance a particular colour that wouldn’t be visible otherwise.

Start by inserting your photo and duplicating the layer.
Select a desired colour and, using the rectangle tool, create a square.
Using free transform in Edit>Free Transform Path or using Ctrl+T rotate the square and apply.
OPTIONAL: hide the shape layer and go to image>adjustments>black&white and then adjust the brightness and contrast in the same settings
Using the opacity and blending options adjust the visibility and type to your liking.

Side By Side Before vs After Image 

 

I like the outcome of this photo, the addition of colour creates an aesthetically pleasing effect. It also gives the image more life; the black and white background feels much more lively and unique.

AO2 Explore Ideas, Coursework

Bokeh

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Bokeh comes from the Japanese word ‘boke’ (ボケ), which means “blur” or “haze”. Bokeh is also defined as “the effect of a soft out-of-focus background that you get when shooting a subject, using a fast lens, at the widest aperture, such as f/2.8 or wider.”

Simply put, bokeh is the pleasing or aesthetic aspect of the blur in a photograph.

Bokeh can add softness to an otherwise brightly lit photograph. Using this technique to separate your subject from the background can also allow you to utilize a not-so-photogenic background in your image (but because of its diffused blur, it helps to “highlight” the subject, not detract from it).

Experimenting with Bokeh:

AO2 Explore Ideas, Coursework

Focal Length And Focusing

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What is focal length?

Focal Length means how much the image is apparently magnified (or not) when you take a picture.

Choosing the Correct Focal Length for Different Situations:
  • Landscape photography (10mm to 18mm)
  • Full body portrait of a person (24 to 45mm)
  • Headshot (55 to 140mm)
  • Night photography (10 to 18mm)
  • Close-up photography or macro photography (70 to 150mm)
  • Wildlife photography (200mm to 850mm)
  • General lens for shooting family and kids (35 to 90mm)
  • Outdoor sports photography (200 to 400mm)

The focal length of your lens essentially determines how zoomed in your photos are. The higher the number, the more zoomed your lens will be. The focal length measurement also tells the photographer what the angle of view will be. The angle of view means how wide of an area is visible in the picture.

The focal length scale shows that this lens can go as wide as 10mm and as long as 24mm (zoomed in). In the picture, it is set at 18mm.  almost all lenses have a scale like this on them.
Why is Depth of Field important?

When you are shooting, Depth of Field can play a large factor in how your image will be rendered and can change the meaning and intention of the image. You can choose to selectively isolate a subject from its background by having a narrow Depth of Field or alternatively you can make sure that everything from the foreground to infinity will be in focus, ensuring you have a sharp image throughout your image.

One of the most obvious factors to controlling Depth of Field is the aperture. When you have a smaller aperture (larger number) you will have a wide Depth of Field. In this instant, you will have a greater distance between the closest and furthest points in an image.

When you have a larger aperture (smaller number) you will have a narrower Depth of Field. The blurry parts that are not in focus are called Bokeh, and many people are quite a fan of the way it will render light.

Analysis, AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, Coursework, Knowledge and Understanding

Focus and Focus points

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How do we focus?

In order to demonstrator a sharpness to an image,and allow and intention to focus and not. The works also together in order to change the distance of lenses,from the sensor and or the filming order to control the way in which light is captured.This is also done by how the light coverage’s precisely a point within the plane of the film or a  DSLR sensor,this means the image will become more in focus .

when looking through a viewfinder of any DSLR camera and you will see several dots, or squares, that represent individual points at which the camera is capable of focusing. This is in order to clearly view the focusing points ,even if this might seem obvious.  but not all of them are created equal. When you press the shutter button  halfway, some of these points will light up, indicating that everything at that specific spot is crystal clear and your photo will be nice and sharp.

this is an example of cross focus points to hep with ensuring the positioning of the camera.

However, the speed at which your camera can focus on one of the points, as well as how accurate the focus will be, depends greatly on whether the individual focusing point is a single or cross-type. Understanding the differences in how they operate can help you decide which ones to use to take better photos.This is a further example :

there are also many ranges within focus points,this can develop  of change the point within your camera with a button,and will be brought up upon the screen,showing the range of points.

below you can see my development of capturing the same focus point within a dogs face too.

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, Coursework

colour overlay and blur Photoshop

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Within this piece I wanted to cut out two identical pieces and use this in order to develop an overlay and deepening of color over the highlights and cut out on the wall itself. I used red to contrast to the lighter blue tones of the underlay of the original image. I duplicated these layers and images so again the red is more significant and you can see this development throughout these images.

Blur Photoshop
I edited  this image within layering and adding a blur layers then went back into this piece. Within the first layer I used a rubber and the brackets to differentiate how big and small I want the rubber to be,again creates a depth of field of how I want the front to be. I focused on detail and have successful aspects of realism and only the back to so blurred which creates contrast. Then further edited this image in order to show better color such as darker tones to again exaggerate the image itself and not be distracted by off coloring’s creating a Batter finished effect.

Here you can see my method of developing the color overlay,finally you duplicate the layer and attach the specific shape and placing that you feel would be the most effective,The throughout the half circle you can develop the colors and development of the square and further the potion and add additional shapes to deb then the color.

And to achieve the blur photo I Opened Photoshop then Duplicated the Layer added Mask Layer –,after this I added an additional Filter going to Blur then  Motion Blur –and finally Then selected how blurred I wanted the image to be ,then to take away and add more reinvent I  Selected the Eraser tool and followed to  Erase the section that I don’t to be in focus ,producing the final image.

Analysis, Coursework

Bokeh

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Bokeh
That is bokeh?
bokeh is the effect of blurring when lights are alined and portrayed in a close distance manner but are not in focus, it is created by not focusing on the specific image but the light points surrounding the image itself. The official term for it is the visual quality of the out-of-fouous areas of a photograph image, especially as rendered by a particular lens. This is a vey effective quality within photography, this is because it makes an image more visually appealing, forcing to focus  our attention on a particular area of interest within an image. The word comes from the meaning ‘bur’ It is almost the quality of being out of quality.
Bokeh is rendered by the lens, not the camera.But different lens will render the outcome differently, due to unique designs apertures also change the effect by making a more pleasant looking bokeh affect.When it is done well it successfully captures our perception on an image an therefore the background blur should appear soft and ‘creamy’


The larger the blades the more rounded and appealing the light itself will looks upping this will achieve a better overall look itself in the image and light.
They do not only have to be nighttime images but daytime with a certain close up focus point and then a bokeh background but different form that of depth of field due to a different softer feel to create a more finished background feel. I took these images again with a higher mm in order to achieve a more crisp circles have two edits to portray how the lighting can change within the image and how this changes the crispness of the image itself.

My experiment with Bokeh

Analysis, Coursework

Shutter Speed

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what is shutter speed?

It is the nominal time for which a shutter is open at a given setting.

Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30). Shutter speed is also the time for which the shutter is open in order to portray a certain vision or effect,such as the length of time that a camera could be exposed or open to certain amounts of light.You can also use light to develop shape with a long held shutter speed to create images and twist such as:

This meaning that a fast shutter speed such as the usual 1/60th or some seconds faster will be crisp,and capturing a sufficient movement .

whereas a slower shutter speed is used in order to cause a motion or a blurring effect to the piece itself,this can sometimes be difficult to capture due to the shale of a camera when the shutter is open results in a blur and perhaps not where it is desirable

shutter speed usually doubles in number value within each setting such as going from  1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 etc. this is handy and accessible due to it being bale to differentiate aperture settings and allow good exposure speeds by increasing or decreasing the settings. for example a slower shutter speed  will allow a more flowing tones such as a waterfall of capturing the movement of a train

I took this image but applying a long shutter speed and getting the person herself to move and sway, this pursues an almost replication of her face and also shows movement, it also works due to the light underneath also highlighting the bottom of the face again exaggerating the movement and blur of the piece.

With this image I wanted to move the light around so that that small bulb would be dragged and cause a blur but there is also a clear movement form side to side with is highly effective.It also has a very interesting composition  to the piece itself.

Finally with the third piece I wanted one specific light and a movement in a repetitive pattern such as above with a very long shutter speed to be able to create thew lines and movement within the time before it is captured. It is very interesting as to how the Ines break apart and how some are thicker and more developed due to the overlapping light hole the photo was being captures, it is very experimental but also works with interesting compositions and lines within the shape.I do prefer how the lighter lines at the bottom create a more free effect to the piece itself, and that would also be effective in the next piece.