Here I will be editing the best outcomes from my previous photo shoot. Although these were my best images, I think that some are slightly over and under exposed so I plan to attempt to fix this by editing them on Photoshop.
Original image
Final outcome To edit this photo I adjusted the curves so that it was slightly more saturated, as I thought this would make the overexposed white part at the bottom a little less noticeable, as the background colours would stand out a lot more. Doing that also brought down the brightness slightly, meaning that it also contributed to making sure the whiteness was less prominent. Lastly I also turned the hue and saturation right down so I was able to make the image black and white. I decided to make the image black and white instead of highly saturated for 2 reasons. Firstly, because I thought that if the image was in black and white, the overexposed part wouldn’t be as visible, and secondly, because I wanted to add an element into my image that shows I was slightly inspired by Sander as all his images were in black and white. I think this was a really good idea as it meant that I added a vintage touch into my modern day inspired environmental photography.
Original image
Final outcome
When looking at this photo, although it was far too underexposed I thought that it was an image with potential because of how the model was making intense eye contact with the camera. To edit it, I turned the brightness all the way up, so that the image wasn’t so dark. To make it fit in with my other image, and did the same technique that I mentioned previously and turned the hue and saturation all the way down to make the photo black and white.. I think that the intense stare that the model is giving, combined with a black and white filter makes the image far more successful as it makes it more dramatic and mysterious.
I have chosen to go in the direction of either strong shapes (e.g. buildings) or showing people’s lives either in commute or their workplace.
However, I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to follow the common theme of making the photos black & white as I think leaving the colour in the photo will help it be both more eye catching, as well as helping portray certain aspects such as colours wearing out (which you can’t see in black & white).
“Be yourself. I much prefer seeing something, even it is clumsy, that doesn’t look like somebody else’s work.” – William Klein
“There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”- Henri Cartier-Bresson
“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” – Bruce Gilden
Threshold Concept #7
Photographs are not fixed by meaning, context is everything.
The meanings of photographs are never fixed, are not contained solely within the photographs themselves and rely on a combination of the viewer’s sensitivity, knowledge and understanding, and the specific context in which the image is seen.
Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Although there is a difference between street and candid photography, it is usually subtle with most street photography being candid in nature and some candid photography being classifiable as street photography. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. Though people usually feature directly, street photography might be absent of people and can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic.
The photographer is an armed version of the solitary walker reconnoitering, stalking, cruising the urban inferno, the voyeuristic stroller who discovers the city as a landscape of voluptuous extremes. Adept of the joys of watching, connoisseur of empathy, the flâneur finds the world “picturesque”. Susan Sontag, 1977 The street photographer can be seen as an extension of the flâneur, an observer of the streets (who was often a writer or artist).Street photography can focus on people and their behavior in public, thereby also recording people’s history
Qoutes about Street Photography:
“Emotion or feeling is really the only thing about pictures I find interesting. Beyond that is is just a trick.”
-Christopher Anderson
There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes. – Abraham Lincoln
Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world. – Bruno Barbey
“Photographers mistake the emotion they feel while taking the photo as a judgment that the photograph is good” –Garry Winogrand.
Threshold concept #7:
The meanings of photographs are never fixed, are not contained solely within the photographs themselves and rely on a combination of the viewer’s sensitivity, knowledge and understanding, and the specific context in which the image is seen.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was born on August 22, 1908 in Chanteloup, France. A pioneer in photojournalism, Cartier-Bresson wandered around the world with his camera, becoming totally immersed in his current environment. Considered one of the major artists of the 20th century, he covered many of the world biggest events from the Spanish Civil War to the French uprisings in 1968.
In his early years, Cartier-Bresson was widely considered one of the leading artistic forces of the 20th century, Henri Cartier-Bresson was born on August 22, 1908 in Chanteloup, France. The oldest of five children, his family was wealthy—his father made a fortune as a textile manufacturer—but Cartier-Bresson later joked that due to his parents’ frugal ways, it often seemed as though his family was poor.
Images from Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “The Decisive Moment”:
Chosen Image:
Technical:
High contrast
Reflection
Natural lighting
Distance (relatively close)
Depth of field
Underexposure (possibly intended)
Film speed (grainy finish)
Visual:
Ripples in water
Black and white / high contrast image
Small man running
Reflection of man and building in the background on still water
Pattern in the fence
Depth of field showing people in the background (possibly workers)
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s contribution to MAGNUM Photo Agency:
Created in 1947 by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David Seymour, Magnum Photos today has around 80 members. Martine Franck became a member in 1983.
Magnum Photos is a cooperative wholly owned by its photographer-members. The independence this allows is reflected in the spirit with which subjects are chosen and treated. Magnum photographs are famous for their journalistic and aesthetic qualities. Through its four editorial offices in Paris, New York, London, and Tokyo and a network of fifteen sub-agents, Magnum Photos provides photographs to the press worldwide. At the heart of this activity is a concern to encourage the photographers to carry out their individual projects and to act as sensitive witnesses to world events. The work of Magnum photographers reaches its audience both through the world press and in books and exhibitions.
(The agency is the copyright holder of both Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck.)
Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Although there is a difference between street and candid photography, it is usually subtle with most street photography being candid in nature and some candid photography being classifiable as street photography. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. Though people usually feature directly, street photography might be absent of people and can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic.
The marvels of daily life are exciting ; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street – Robert Doinsneau
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
I fell in love with the process of taking pictures, with wandering around finding things. To me it feels like a kind of performance. The picture is a documentation of that performance. – Alec Soth
Street photography mindmap Moss Photography – Adobe Portfolio
Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt
“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.”- Alfred Eisenstaedt
“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” – Bruce Gilden
Threshold Concept 7:
Chance plays an important role in photography , to some extent all photographs are the result of chance processes. a good photographer must have the ability to embrace chance processes in the creation of photographs, welcoming ambiguity, playfulness, serendipity,risk and not knowing in order to discover something new, recognizing discoveries when they materialise.
After contacting multiple people to see who was willing to be involved in a photoshoot, I was finally able to get hold of a dog walker.
WHAT am I photographing?
During this photoshoot I was planning to capture a very regular walk , the everyday typical working day of the subject.
WHEN am I doing the photoshoot?
I chose to do this photoshoot during early/ late morning as I felt that I could get the best, most bright images during this time of day.
WHERE did I conduct this photoshoot?
In order to get the most interesting images, I visited two locations, a wooded area in Trinity and also Bouley Bay.
WHY did I conduct this photoshoot in this way?
I thought that the images I’d take during this photoshoot would be a lot more interesting as there are more than one subject in the image. There are dogs which would add an element of action to all the images.
HOW did I produce the images?
For this photoshoot, due to the bright weather conditions of the day, I used a sun hood on my camera to avoid over exposure of the images. I introduced a power complex to the images, taking the images from a low angle.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF IMAGES;
TECHNICAL:
This photoshoot was quite tough in terms of exposure to capture properly. It was early morning when I went out to capture these images. I was expecting cloudy weather, with very diffused, soft natural light, yet the day was only partially cloudy therefore there would be moments when the sun was very strong and I would be forced to manually change my exposure and shutter speed settings. This in turn made a lot of the images have motion blur due to the moving of the dogs and walking to capture the images. I therefore used a sun hood in order to stop this from happening, making a lot of the images very dramatic in lighting. During this photoshoot I also had keep in front of the subjects in order to allow them to look into the camera and make eye contact. There is no real composition to any of the photos as they were captured in the middle of an action, sometimes stopping to again make eye contact with the camera. Also due to the fact that I constantly had to keep in front of the subjects, I had to walk quite a distance in front of them meaning I used a long-focus lense, this allowed me to retain the quiality of the images even when I zoomed in on the subjects. It was also useful as it was a better lense for capturing action shots. As for camera settings, I mostly used the M (manual) setting, due to the constant changing of light in the environment, being dark in the wooded area and very bright on the beach. I used a shutter speed of 1/800 as this allowed we to capture, crisp and clear images even when the dogs and the subject was moving around. I used exposures of f8 during cloudier periods of time and f16 when it was sunnier as this meant that the images weren’t over or underexposed during specific weather conditions. As for white balance, I kept it on the daylight setting as I thought this was the most effective and allowed me to capture images that are balanced.
VISUAL:
During this photoshoot, the hardest aspect was definitely having reoccurring eye contact with the subjects. Due to the chaotic nature of this photoshoot, and having to run in front of the subject to capture them, it was hard to remind the subject to look at the camera. For the image below, I asked the subjects to stay still and look at me, I felt that this was a very successful image due to the ominous and dark atmosphere it has. There is a real sense of depth in this image, as the first subject is in the foreground of the image, the second being in the miground and the trees in the background. It is in a way a parallel image is it seems like the subject in the foreground is duplicated in the midground but flipped around to make eye contact with the camera. I edited the image and made it black and white as I felt this was the most suitable for this photo and the atmosphere it has. To remain consistent I did this for all my images. This image is extremely dramatic in nature, not only coming from the dim surroundings but also the facial expression of the subject. It is quite blank, with no noticeable feeling being captured, fitting well with the overall theme of this photoshoot. The angle of the image is quite central, slightly upwards facing. This further adds to the powerful presence of the subjects in the image. Both the subjects have a neutral stance, simply standing straight, yet the combined stance of them adds to an overall alluring image. The trees situated in the background of the image, break up the even surface of the coats of the subjects, adding additional captivating elements to the portrait. The light is hitting from the top left hand corner of the image, illuminating the face of the first subject yet keeping it dark for the second subject.
CONCEPTUAL:
During this photoshoot, the main concept I was wanting to capture was lifestyle and class in Jersey. This is island is filled with natural beauty, with beaches and natural landscapes all around. The subject who makes a living, spending their days in the outdoors to me is very admirable, as it is a job unlike most in jersey. Having a notably large financial sector, most people work in jobs which forces them to be stationary, not seeing the real jersey. This ties in to a much larger issue of people becoming disconnected from nature and the outdoors. This having many adverse effects, such as poor mental and physical health. Jobs like this are often seen as low class, yet it is on the simple tasks that often play an essential role in society. Very class, poor and rich have a place in society, being the mechanism which makes it run like it does. I feel as though this photoshoot also has links to gender, and gender roles. It is often expected that women hold lower level, less roles in authority, which this photoshoot enforces slightly. Should we really be enforcing traditional gender roles? It is not always something that I am against for. Different jobs express the true nature of the genders, males being naturally more dominant and lead better, and women generally being nurturing and caring. However it may enforce this, I feel this job is admirable in the sense that it lets the subject maintain good mental and physical health through the constant exposure to nature.
CONTEXTUAL:
Both subjects in this photoshoot are my own personal family members. The woman (my mother) has a big love for animals, especially dogs. She holds a job as a nursery school teacher during the weekdays and choosing to take dogs out for walks on the weekend. She was born in Latvia, in a small town near the border of Russia in the 1970s. Her farther being a forest ranger, she grew up inside a forest, contributing to her love of nature and all things outdoors. She grew up in communist soviet state of Russia, therefore being very limited to any outside knowledge before the 1990s when the state finally collapsed and she was able to travel for the very first time to other European countries. Latvia, after being in financial collapse throughout the 2000s, made it very tough for my family to remain living it Latvia, legally moving to jersey in 2012. The other subject in the photo is my brother. Being a few years older than me, he has started his own professional career in mechanics. Growing up in a rural town, he also from a very young agr acquired love for nature, often saying that he can’t “function before having a walk”.
“There are many things that are very false about photography when it is accepted without question. You must recognize and interpret it as you would any other art form, and then maybe it is a little more than real.” – Arnold Newman
A Brief Biography:
Arnold Abner Newman (3 March 1918 – June 6, 2006) was an American Photographer, noted for his “environmental portraits” of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still life images. In 1936, he studied painting and drawing at the University of Miami. Unable to afford continuing after two years, he moved to Philadelphia to work for a studio, making 49-cent portraits in 1938. Newman is often credited with being the first photographer to use so-called Environmental Portraiture in which the photographer places the subject in a carefully controlled setting to capture the essence of the individual’s life and work. Newman normally captured his subjects in their most familiar surroundings with representative visual elements showing their professions and personalities. Newman’s best-known images were in black and white, although he often photographed in color. His 1946 black and white portrait of Igor Stravinsky seated at a grand piano became his signature image. Among Newman’s best-known color images is an eerie portrait from 1963 that shows former Nazi industrialist and minister of armament Alfred Krupp in one of Krupp’s factories. Newman admits his personal feelings influenced his portrayal of Krupp.
Key Photographs:
Arnold Newman | Key Photographs
These are some of the key photographs taken by Arnold Newman, these include his most famous photographs such as the photo of Igor Stravinsky at the grand piano. As well as his most well known colour photograph of Alfred Krupp. Some of the other photographs include those of other well known faces that he worked with such as Salvador Dali.
In Depth Analysis of a Photograph:
Arnold Newman | Alfred Krupp | 1963Discussed Analysis
Emotional Response: As a first impression and response to this photograph I feel it very intimidating due to the darkness and the stance of the man. It feels like a very busy photograph which I don’t particularly like about the photograph it’s very dark and can almost make me feel uncomfortable.
Technical: There is a sense of artificial lighting in the foreground of the photograph which is positioned on the man, it’s a sense of symmetrical lighting as Newman placed two lights either side of Krupp facing each other. In the background of the photograph there is a use of the natural light coming in through the windows. There is a strong perspective and large depth of field as well the image shows areas of symmetry such as with the windows and the trains either side of Krupp who is positioned as the center focus point. Krupp also has a strong gaze engaging with the camera.
Visual Elements: There are strong lines on the windows of the ceiling and the back wall which lead your eye across and through the photograph to a certain point. Also seeing that strong sense of symmetry throughout the photograph with the lines on the lights and the trains and structures either side of the photograph. Visually it is a very dark photograph there is a lot of dark tones created by the very deep black shadows in the corners of the photograph as well as up into the sides.
Context: Alfred Krupp allegedly used slave labour to produce weapons and trains for the Nazi’s. Despite later being convicted of crimes against humanity and being sentenced to twelve years imprisonment, he had been pardoned after a mere three years. Newman himself was a Jew promised to make Krupp look evil and like the devil.
Conceptual: Newman being a Jew himself aimed to make Krupp look as evil as possible to shine him in the bad light and visualize him as the evil man he is for what he did. Newman expressed his vision that Krupp was a truly evil man. Newman saw it as his own way of gaining poetic justice. One way that he did this was with the shadows that come down on his face as Newman made Krupp lean forward to create this.
A Video Describing and Analyzing the works of Arnold Newman
August Sander was a German photographer born (born November 17, 1876, Herdorf, near Cologne, Germany—died April 20, 1964, Cologne.) Sander acquired his first camera in 1892, where he took up photography as a hobby. After his service in the military, Sander began to look into Photography as a profession. He started by working in photography firms and studios in Germany. In the year of 1904 August had opened his own studio, after this he settled permanently in Cologne.
After photographing local farmers in Cologne, Sander had become inspired to produce portraits of German people from all social classes and different backgrounds. Sander’s portraits were usually very stark and distinct. The person would be standing straight on in natural light. The class and profession were evident to see by looking at their clothes, gestures and the background of the portrait.
Key portraits from Sander:
Key Image Analysis:
This influential portrait of a bricklayer was taken in 1928 by Sander, it is still one of his most celebrated portraits. This photo depicts a bricklayer (whose profession is clearly very hard-wearing and strenuous) maintaining a proud/strong pose despite of what he is going through. It seems that the bricklayer is emerging from the darkness and there is some light shining directly onto his face, his head is almost framed by the bricks around his neck which creates a dramatic noticeable effect. The bricklayer’s tough stare and strong pose with the hand on the waist also creates the idea he is powerful.
This photograph belongs to Sander’s project ‘People of the 20th Century’ which is centered on a social analysis of the German people at the time. Sander divided his portraits into seven main groups:
‘The Farmer’, ‘The Skilled Tradesman’, ‘The Woman’, ‘Classes and Professions’, ‘The Artists, The City’ and ‘The Last People’.
This photograph is from the group ‘The Skilled Tradesman’.
To edit this photo I adjusted the curves so that it was slightly more saturated, as I thought this would make the overexposed white part at the bottom a little less noticeable, as the background colours would stand out a lot more. Doing that also brought down the brightness slightly, meaning that it also contributed to making sure the whiteness was less prominent. Lastly I also turned the hue and saturation right down so I was able to make the image black and white. I decided to make the image black and white instead of highly saturated for 2 reasons. Firstly, because I thought that if the image was in black and white, the overexposed part wouldn’t be as visible, and secondly, because I wanted to add an element into my image that shows I was slightly inspired by Sander as all his images were in black and white. I think this was a really good idea as it meant that I added a vintage touch into my modern day inspired environmental photography.
When looking at this photo, although it was far too underexposed I thought that it was an image with potential because of how the model was making intense eye contact with the camera. To edit it, I turned the brightness all the way up, so that the image wasn’t so dark. To make it fit in with my other image, and did the same technique that I mentioned previously and turned the hue and saturation all the way down to make the photo black and white.. I think that the intense stare that the model is giving, combined with a black and white filter makes the image far more successful as it makes it more dramatic and mysterious.
