For my final piece of work on the abstract unit, I wanted to explore urban abstract environments and image manipulation techniques such as hue altering and double exposure effects.
Image Selection
Below Is a contact sheet with all of my original image choices on. From here you can note the images I have chosen to develop into my final piece, as well as the ones that didnt make the cut. All are already edited as this contact sheet helped me decide upon my final outcome.
Here are my Final images as selected by process of elimination via the above contact sheet.
In this picture, I simply altered the hue of the environment and isolated the person and duplictated them and altered the opacity of each layer gradually to give off a “ghost” effect.
With this image, I simply duplicated the layer and altered the layer opacity and changed the hue to a colour that would match the shoes, Giving this image a sort of 3D glasses effect.
This Image was just a basic hue filter applied to make all of the rust on the metal work of the building pink. it is a different perspective of a scene people often Ignore on a daily basis.
This image is a skyline scene featuring a crane and the top of a town house. I have lowered the vibrance and exposure to give the image a dark, yet minimalistic feel to it. the hue was also altered to give off an even darker effect.
This photo is of a drainpipe on the outside wall of a warehouse. I have decided to include white elements in order to create a minimalist effect. This is the only photo that I haven’t edited or altered using digital tools, This image came about as a result of low exposure on my camera.
Clare Rae is an Australian photographer who has recently done a Photo shoot in Jersey based on the work of Claude Cahun, A local photographer who lived on the island during the 1940s and 1950s. The photo shoot explored both Rae and Cahuns love of nature and their position within it in terms of the association of the female body with the natural environment
The shoot itself was taken in rural spots around the Island, with many easily identifiable coastal scenes throughout the piece of work. Gorse bushes and lichen strung rocks play an important part in the shoot. The images are essentially of a self portraiture nature as they highlight the individuals association with their environment and tell a story
Here are a few pictures of the visit
A large amount of images, all themed on coastal fauna and the artists association with them. The images were taken at various locations around the island such as Le Hocq, Grosnez castle and Beauport headland.
This image is a particular favourite of mine due to the abstract nature of the image. The image depicts rae, Placing one arm through a hole in a piece of old ruin and hiding behind it
In this image, Cahun is seen with a Nazi eagle badge in her mouth. This can be seen as representative of the local environment at the time of the shoot due to the Nazi occupation of Jersey, Which lasted from late 1939 until may 1945.
Each Picture tells a different story, yet all explore the unique association both artists have with their natural environment
In this project I have been able to explore into the concept of abstract photography. I have looked at a variety of artists, who use multiple editing and camera skills, allowing me to gain a greater depth into the theme of abstract photography. I have captured a range of subjects, from paper to twigs, allowing to experiment with the formal elements which play an active role in abstract photography. I have acquired many camera skills, from controlling the shutter speed, ISO, White Balance and Depth of Field. I feel that I have successfully demonstrated these skills through my photo shoots, which have been inspired by artists that I previously researched.
Here is a final plan for the layout of my final images:
Analysis
Overall, I chose the images as my final images due to them, in my opinion, reflecting my camera skills and perspective within ‘Abstract Photography’. I also chose them due to their abstract view points on colour: man made vibrant colours next to natural and neutral colours. Throughout my project I focused on photographing abandoned or decayed buildings or surfaces because I liked the idea of the fact that we’re living in a forever growing world with things being introduced to us everyday. Yet, there is so much decay and remains left for us to bare and manage. This overall project was to show how in our everyday lives, we ignore the decay us and proceed with our ‘new’ set in place futures.
M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Portraiture\TO DO
TASK 1
You must introduce the new topic : PORTRAITS
Ensure your blog posts are clearly CATEGORISED
Remember… your images must include a caption…this is especially important if they belong to someone else (copyright etc), and helps clarify which images are yours for assessment.
Try adding hyperlinks to use websites / blogs / video URLs or embed relevant YOUTUBE clips to help illustrate your key points
CREATING A VISUAL MOOD-BOARD
Choose a range of portraits / self portraits to develop a grid of images to show your understanding of what a portrait can be…
You must include a range of approaches to portraits in your mood-board…
Define what Contemporary Portrait Photography is…
formal (posed) and informal / candid / natural
head-shot / half body / three quarter length / full length body shot
high angle / low angle / canted angle
colour vs black and white
high key (light and airy) vs low key (high contrast / chiarascuro)
archival imagery (past / historic)
current / contemporary approaches
futuristic approaches
3. Develop a blog post that includes your imagery and label the images accordingly
TASK 2 CREATING A MIND-MAP
We will be studying the history, theories and concepts of portrait making…their purpose and role in our day to day lives too.
Design a mind-map / brainstorm / spider-gram / flowchart of portrait based ideas
Think about the ways in which we use portraits, and what they can say about us / reveal / conceal
define what a portrait actually is
Add your mind-map to a blog post
HALF TERM HOMEWORK TASK (1)
We will begin the unit by looking at ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS, which depict people in their…
working environments
environments that they are associated with
“An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography”
Here are some examples…
Arnold Newman
Mary Ellen-Mark-Circus Perfomers
Look at these influential photographers for more ideas…
August Sander (1876 – 1964)
Paul Strand (1890 – 1976)
Arnold Newman (1918 – 2006)
Daniel Mordzinski (1960 – )
Annie Leibovitz (1949 – )
Mary Ellen Mark (1940 – 2015)
Jimmy Nelson (1967 – )
Sara Facio (1932 – )
Key things to consider with formal / environmental portraits…
Technical= Composition / exposure / lens / light
Visual= eye contact / engagement with the camera / neutral pose and facial expression / angle / viewpoint
Conceptual= what are you intending to present? eg : social documentary? / class ? / authority ? / gender role ? / lifetsyle ?
Contextual=add info and detail regarding the back ground / story / detail / information about the character(s) / connection to the photographer eg family / insider / outsider
Take 100-200 photographs showing your understanding of ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS
Remember…your subject (person) must be engaging with the camera!…you must communicate with them clearly and direct the kind of image that you want to produce!!!
Then select your best 5-10 images and create a blog post that clearly shows your process of taking and making your final outcomes
Remember to show your Photo-Shoot Planning and clearly explain :
who you are photographing
what you are photographing
when you are conducting the shoot
where you are working/ location
why you are designing the shoot in this way
how you are going to produce the images (lighting / equipment etc)
After the final prints came through I began to experiment with ways to explore the out of focus photographs I had produced. To do this I am layering tracing paper in different ways to create different effects with the final photographs when they are displayed.
Layering Tracing Paper
For a first experiment I tried layering up the tracing paper over my final photographs to produce and even more out of focus photograph for effect. I experimented with layering one layer and then two layers of the tracing paper to see what different effects it can create while still being able to understand and see the photograph.
Technique 1
One Layer
Technique 2
Two Layers
Technique 2
Two Layers
Using Shapes
For this I began to experiment with ways in which I could place the tracing paper over my final photographs in different shapes to create different effects. Similar to the ‘Conceal and Reveal’ experiments on Photoshop it is experimenting with hiding and editing certain parts of the photographs to give them certain effects.
Technique 1
Using Triangles
Technique 2
Using Squares
Cutting Away Shapes
This is the same as the ‘Conceal and Reveal’ experiments as it uses the idea of putting a layer over the photograph and then removing certain parts of the layer to reveal the photograph underneath. I am doing the same hear using tracing paper and cutting shapes out as to reveal parts of the photograph. Some parts are more out of focus than others due to the tracing paper creating another layer of opacity making the image more difficult to see underneath.
For this homework I took photos of pieces of paper that I had modified to make to make it look different and abstract.
Red = NO
Orange = MAYBE
Green = YES
My Favourite Images (Unedited):
I really like how these photos look so I decided to edit them in Photoshop. On every photo I pressed the keys Ctrl, Alt L to get the levels tool. Then I put a photo filter on, then I lowered the vibrancy and saturation a bit.
My Favourite Images (Edited):
I am really pleased with how this turned out and I really like the look of the paper in these photos. I might use this technique again but it wasn’t my favourite technique to do.
