All posts by Maksymilian K
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Threshold Experimentation – Keld Helmer Petersen
Keld Helmer Peterson was an architectural photographer who did a lot of working regarding experimentation with high contrast images featuring man made structures.
A similar effect can be created using the threshold tool in Photoshop
I found that Graffiti translated well into the threshold tool however it creates a rather boring image. I also like how the barbed wire looks when using the threshold tool as it creates an abstract, repeating but chaotic pattern.
I found that introducing grain into the flatter images helped the image react better to the threshold tool. however i was careful not to add too much grain as it would result in the image simply looking like a grainy black and white image.
This was one of my favorite images of the photo-shoot. The fence reacted very nicely to the threshold tool giving a strong contrast to the white walls littered with graffiti.
This is my favorite image of the photo-shoot, while the original image was taken in very low lighting, the threshold tool works nicely to highlight the main subject of the photo.
Here I experimented with photographing various signs. On the second image the rust and the peeling vinyl on the sign creates some interesting texture to prevent the image from being too flat.
Albert Renger Patzch – The New Objectivity
Albert’s work primarily focused on the idea of making ordinary items into extraordinary pieces of photography. The majority of his notable work is in black and white giving a sense of drama to his pieces. Albert also published the well known book “The World is Beautiful” which documented his work focusing on subjects such as industrial subjects, mass produced items and natural forms. His work often features a small aperture allowing for the majority of the image to be in focus, creating a objective look to his photo’s.
This particular photo utilizes an organic subject as the photo includes rows of trees. The photo features a small aperture however due to the fog in the photo it gives the appearance of depth of field. It features strong contrasting tones between the thick white fog and the almost black trees.
Response:
Personal Favorite Images:
Final Choice: 
The World Is Beautiful
A contact sheet is a method used by photographers to easily display the work from a photo-shoot and scrutinize the images, making a fine selection of final images from the entirety of the photo-shoot.
They are useful as they allow a photographer to see all of the images at once on a single sheet and notate any changes that they may want to make to the images as well as entirely disregarding images if they are beyond editing or are simply not composed to their standards. Displaying any errors also allows the photographer to progress their work and learn from the mistakes more easily.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard – Case Study
Ralph was a photographer that pursued photography primarily as a passion as oppose to a source of income. He experimented with a variety of abstract techniques within his photography. One of his more notable photo-shoots ‘zen twigs’ had a strong focus on experimenting with focusing on branches and twigs with a very large aperture leaving all background subjects as simply a blur. His photo-shoot ‘no focus’ is a very expressive shoot with a lot of ambiguity as to what the subjects of the photos are. Most of his work has a very strong contrast as with the lack of focus I believe it is important to focus on tonal work.
In this example, Ralph used a large aperture leaving all subjects in the image entirely out of focus, creating a sense of ambiguity about the image. The image is rather formless with no distinct subject. It is difficult to discuss the technical aspects of the image however due to the large aperture required for such a photo, it is safe to assume that the shutter speed used would have to be rather high.
Response:
I took more inspiration from his work with the ‘Zen Twigs’ project as opposed to the ‘No Focus’ project. While I experimented with focus to a degree, I didn’t find much success with the no focus experimentation.
Contact Sheet – Long Lens Experimentation
Photoshop Experimentation
Paper Task
IMG_3892.JPG:
Lighting: for this image I used natural lighting from a nearby window in order to achieve the color temperature that I wanted, since natural light is often cooler then the halogen lights in the school giving a nice balance between the cool blue lighting and the pink paper.
Aperture: I used a Rather low F stop in order to produce the depth of field look i wanted.
Shutter Speed: I experimented with various shutter speeds for this project, in this image I settled on a Fast shutter speed as there was plenty of light and I still wanted some deep shadows.
ISO: for the entirety of the project I stuck with an ISO of 100 in order to avoid grain and simply controlled the lighting with the shutter speed.
White Balance: for this image I wanted the color temperature to be rather dominant towards the cooler tones.
I was influenced by the work of Martin Creed with the latter half of the photo-shoot taking a lot of inspiration from his work with a scrunched up paper ball.
AS – Introduction to Abstract Photography
