I chose these six photos for my final selections from my colour harmonies and contrasts shoot because I thought they showed a range of styles, patterns and colours. I took these photos in the style of two famous abstract photographers however for my final image I would like to edit them using skills I have acquired during this project.
Using these two images from my last shoot I re sized and rotated them so they were the same dimensions. I then added the blue photo as a separate layer over the pink one and experimented with blend tool.
For the first edit i used the blend setting lighten, this removed all the white areas from the blue image so that the pink showed through. This photo did fit the abstract theme however the colours made the photo a bit disjointed and you could still see the original image. For my final image I wanted something more traditionally abstract that showed a mixture of all the techniques I have learned through this project such as shape and pattern, colour and texture. The second image for me showed this the best.
Alternative Final Piece …
I wanted to incorporate this effect into many of my photos taken, and do decided to do this through corners of color paintings and instruments to mimic this style.
I used this mind map as my basis for the shoot, where I would occasionally use this to find what I needed to focus on most importantly. From this these were my results in the shoot:
From here I decided it would be best to cut the shoot down into ten images, through this it would make it easier for me to identify the photo I think is best in the shoot. These are my top ten images of the shoot:
I chose this image as my final photo, as I thought it best matched with the style of photography I wanted. Which incorporated an element of graphic design into the imagery, making it simple but visually pleasing to the eye.
This enables a clear definition between the lights and darks to the photo, whilst it being very simplistic at heart, the scrunched effect makes an almost complicated look to the image.
This allows us to experiment as a photographer with not only composition but in a way our artistic creativity as well, due to how we are able to warp the materials given to form structures which we are able to use to our advantage.
As much as I liked his work, I decided to mainly focus on reflections made by the water, and since I lived next to the beach I thought this would be an ideal idea to do.
I used this as a basis for my shoot, so when taking the pictures would know what to specify on.
From these images taken, I chose the top ten out of the shoot, to narrow down and edit which one overall I think should be my final picture.
I chose this image because I loved the detail within the crashing wave on the shoreline, whilst the contrast between the darkness of the wave and the foam in my opinion make a dramatic effect. I also loved how the composition of the wave slanted across the frame, creating an almost abstract effect to it all.
1) Find a texture - Finding textures is easy, you can find them in almost anything around you that catches your eye.
2) Equipment - You will want to keep your aperture at about f/8, as you don't want to introduce shutter shake, which is what you want to avoid the most.
3) Light - You should mainly use natural light like the sun to take pictures like these, as the rays of light will hit the texture at an angle creating an effect. Whereas inside you obviously need a off-camera light, which can imitate sunlight.
4) Depth of field - By messing with the depth of field, you are able to create a seemless effect within the image, to perfectly blend a pattern into a backdrop.
5) Mix - By mixing contrasting colours together, it is able to create an effect which is visually pleasing to the eye, due to an introduced twist.
Trolley - New Orleans 1955
Named The Trolley, this became one of Robert Frank's most famous photos released from the book The Americans. The picture captures the fleeting moment that conveys the brutal social order of the postwar America. Frank was originally shooting a street parade when he saw a trolley passing, in which he quickly spun round and took a picture before the trolley disappeared from view.
Visual
The picture consists of a small amount of tonal range but a large contrast between black and white throughout. The picture is obviously taken at a slightly angled position, with a balanced symmetry across the entirety of it. This image has been cropped from the original taken with a huge contrast between the white poles and the people next to each one, instantly drawing your eye to them.
Technical
A natural light is used within the image as it was taken on a bright sunny day creating a warm tone to the overall piece, but has been slightly manipulated with evidence of the Ansel Adams zone system used throughout. The whole image seems to be in focus with no blur at all with a big depth of field, whilst telling us that Robert must have used a high shutter speed to capture the moving trolley so clearly without the traces of blur. From the reflection in the glass above the trolley windows, it is clear to say that it was taken head on allowing for the effect to occur.
Contextual
The picture perfectly captures the racial separation between the people at that time period within America in which classes were divided (In one window there is an old white woman, the next are two white children and the last are two black men), whilst also revealing and documenting the truth behind what the Americans saw as 'The American Dream' in which not everyone was equal with similar opportunities in life
To really create the effect I desired, I drove round jersey to and from destinations, taking pictures of lights that interested me as a photographer, as I thought they would capture the eye of the viewer. Some of the techniques I would incorporate into the images were motion blur and low shutter speed zooming, I specifically made sure not to use a tripod, as I wanted to create a disrupted effect to most of the pictures taken.
I decided to make a mind map of the objects and ideas behind them, that I could take in the shoot to help me along. From there I would be able to section off individual images from each segment, and choose the best image from each. This is what it looked like:
From here I went ahead with the photo shoot, and these were my results from this experiment below:
From this selection of my top ten images, I decided to single them down even more to a top five, to really distinguish the good pictures from the rest. These are my top five:
I chose this image as I loved the triangular effect created by the outskirts of the blue lights at night when driving by, with a long shutter speed (1.8 seconds). I also thought that the contrast between the blue, really stood out from the rest of the image, making it very visually pleasing to the viewer, as seen by all the underlying shades of blue present within. What I really liked, was the fact that the image was an unbroken pattern, creating symmetry throughout the piece allowing for a greater effect.
