I started this photoshoot in the afternoon hours of the day and then continued on inside when the natural light dimmed. I feel this photoshoot was successful however I feel if I was to give it another go I would take wider shots of some of my interior. Below shows the contact sheet opened in Lightroom after my photoshoot, this includes all of my photographs that I took which I will then go through and flag so that I can experiment with different ones to create the best outcomes possible.
Contact Sheets and refining:
Contact Sheet
Contact Sheet
Flagged Photographs
4-5 Star
For my selective process I went through and flagged up all of what I thought would be a first round of best photographs, my really good ones and ones that maybe could get better as an outcome with some editing involved. Next I went through every flagged image only, separated the off and stared them all out of 5 stars, using 3’s and 4’s mostly as a decider of my better images and ones I will not choose to edit. I singled out my 4 star photographs to start looking into editing them and also producing some outcomes that could either be viewed by themselves or as a double or triple display.
Editing:
Editing Process: Colour
Editing Process: Colour
While editing my coloured photographs I knew I wanted to create quite warm-toned photographs, compared to being colder-toned, this is because I personally enjoy warm/yellow light compared to white light and I feel editing to a higher temperature and contrast it helps to create the effect and illusion of warm light and a warm toned image even if it wasn’t there in camera originally due to the time of day maybe. I have chosen to make them warm-toned as I personally feel that it makes me relate to and think of it being more homely and welcoming which I think of with the ideas of Home-Sweet-Home.
Editing Process: Black and White
Editing Process: Black and White
While editing my black and white photographs I used these as a slight experiment, while developing and editing I felt myself preferring the coloured photographs however felt that some of the interior shots that I produced work well in high-contrast black and white which is where I took these experiments along.
Edited Photographs and Outcomes:
I feel that this photoshoot went well, I feel that my exterior photographs went better than my interior shots, however all together I feel they work well and the exteriors help to bring up the interiors.
Below I have my personal favourite outcomes from the photoshoot and the editing. I feel they are successful being displayed in a trio together as they are all linked and are following the same warm-toned colour scheme.
This is the result of my first 2 edits bringing the photo-shoot down to 56 images and then further down to 9 images using the rating system
Most of the edits that I made were white balance adjustments as the images had came out very cold, during the shoot I changed the cameras white balance to compensate for this however this was quite far into the shoot and thus most of the images required some form of color correction.
The rest of the edits were mainly compensating for the dark shadows in the images in order to bring some more detail into the compositions.
Most of the images were taken using natural lighting in order to cast more directional shadows.
Here the shadows were brought higher in order to show the light reflecting off of the floor. Highlights were then lightly adjusted due to the exposure changes made.
Here the shadows were increased to accent the main subject of the image.
Here the white balance was adjusted to compensate for the cold lighting as well as some adjustments to contrast to bring out more of the details.
here i adjusted the various levels in order to help extenuate the natural vignetting created by the central light source
Here the shadows were brought up in order to bring out some more detail while not raising them too much in order to preserve the contrast between the shadows and highlights.
Here I adjusted the tint in order to come at this image with more of a stylistic approach.
On these 2 images of the hose I tried to accent the water within the images as it helps to bring out details as well as bring in some more highlights.
The rational behind my further exploration was that I wanted to explore different ways in which I could change one of my Bob Le Sueur images, in order to create different effects. I looked at experimenting with different tools on Lightroom in order to explore the effect they give, and how they compliment other effects. I then also looked at making the photograph more contemporary, in a photomontage style, in order to create a new conceptual meaning towards my work. Within this piece of work I selected my three top images, based on camera technique and overall ascetic of the photograph, and created three different edits for each one showcasing this exploration.
Photograph 1 Edit Exploration:
For my first edit, I decided to make a colour edit which allows the formal element of Colour and Texture. To make this photograph work, I decided to allow the structure and clarity of the photograph to be strong. I also decided to add in vignetting allowing the corners to be darker, forcing my subject to be the main focal point within the photograph. I believe this edit is successful due to the warmth presented with the lighting, as well as the detail on the skin, helping to present the contextual and conceptual elements of the photograph.
Picture Guide To how Edit was Achieved:
Comparison of Original and Edit
For my second edit with this photograph, I produced a black and white design which is similar to the colour. I felt that having the photograph in black and white will allow the detail and structure, formal elements, to be clearly showcased through the contrast in tonal regions within the frame. This artistic intention has allowed a clearer conceptual and contextual reasoning within the image. I also like the fact that the subject stands out from the background, drawing attention to itself, thus making it the main focal point.
Comparison of Original and Edit
C
For my final edit I decided to take a more contemporary approach to my work, and created a surrelism photomontage. I used the black and white photograph from above and transferred the file onto photoshop. To achieve this effect I duplicated the layer (ctrl + J) and then moved it slightly to the left/right turning down the opacity allowing the bottom layer to still be seen. The distorted effect, allows the concept of how Bob’s war memories has affected him and changed his outlook on life. I really like the way in which this edit turned out, due to distorted and disorientating ascetic it holds.
Photograph 2 Edit Exploration:
For my next experimentation I selected the photograph of Bob looking towards the side, showing his better side, which has more detail allowing the formal elements of texture and shape to be presented within the composition. The lighting makes his face naturally darker, almost creating a chiaroscuro affect, thus having the photograph in black and white allows the tonal regions to be showcased.
Comparison of Original and Edit
For my next edit, I used the black and white edit, slightly adjusting the structure and clarity, allowing the detail to be showcased better, creating an overall more detailed and visually better photograph. I then decided to add a large vignetting, white, which allows the portrait to be framed, creating a stylistic portrait, like shown on a memorial paper. This artistic design allows the contextual factors of Bob to be shown, on top of the conceptual factor that Bob before the war has died and has changed and developed into a better person due to the event of the war.
Comparison of Original and Edit
For my final design using this photograph, I decided to turn the photograph into colour. This design is not as successful as the black and white, due to the lack of detail and texture being presented. However, it still showcases my ability to experiment in colour and black and white, and critically evaluate my final designs. I like the warmth presented on Bob’s face, presented through the colour and lighting used, as well as the chiaroscuro effect clearly showcased within the design.
Comparison of Original and Edit
Photograph 3 Edit Exploration:
My final photograph used was the macro shot of Bob’s hand allowing the detail of my subjects skin to be showcased, on top of presenting a whole new conceptual meaning towards my portrait. My first design with this photograph is in black and white, allowing the contrast in tonal regions to be shown. It also has a darker atmosphere towards the photograph, which allows the conceptual factors to present the horrors of the war, creating a whole new meaning towards my photographic response to Bob’s stories.
Comparison of Original and Edit
My second edit utilising this photograph, I decided to adjust the settings to the extremes, either end of the Bipolar scale. This included having the structure to the higher end and the whites and blacks on bipolar ends, allowing the detail in his skin to be showcased clearer, really showcasing the formal elements of detail, shape and texture. I also decreased the saturation of the photograph, which as allowed the colours to not seem as vibrant, which reinforces the statement mentioned above. This is my most successful photograph within the experimentation, due to ascetic and new conceptual reasonings it brings to my work.
Comparison of Original and Edit
For my final design of this photograph I decided to produce a colour version of the image. To do this I wanted the detail and texture of the skin and cane to still be presented, so I ensured the structure and sharpness of the photograph was high. I also decided to make the image naturally darker, having more shadows which allows a sense of space to be presented, on top of a more sinister mood, implying the horrors of the war as conceptual and contextual reference.
Comparison of Original and Edit
Top Photograph From Each Experimentation:
Evaluation:
Within this further exploration I have been able to experiment with different tools on Lightroom as well as going back onto photoshop to create a surrealism photomontage. I have been able to present different conceptual values to these documentary style portraits. In addition, I have shown my ability to present the same portrait in three different ways, with different artistic intentions allowing my creativity to be presented. This exploration was helpful as I have been able to produce outcomes which I would not usually do, which are successful and are some of my stronger outcomes. In addition, I am happy with the three final outcomes as I think they clearly present Bob’s stories of the war as well as presenting a visually stimulating photograph with a clear ascetic. One thing I have found is that these portraits work better in black and white or with lower saturation due to the detail and texture of the skin, which is emphasise through the contrast in tonal regions. To conclude, I have been able to produce successful outcomes, and evidence of me exploring with my photographs, showcasing my competence on photo editing structure.
We were lucky enough to be visited by an occupation veteran called Joan. She was 6 at the start of the occupation and we had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with her hearing her tales and stories of the occupation.
Joan lived up on the north coast and she recalls that prior to the occupation. Her and her mother and father would watch the lights from the gunfire over the coast of France and she would frequently hear and see planes flying over the coast of France.
She then spoke of the islanders reactions to the united kingdoms decision to demilitarize the Islands. Many islanders felt they had been sold off to the Germans and disregarded by the United Kingdom. Joan also told us of the time she watched German bombers fly over the island and heard distant explosions. These explosions actually turned out to be the Germans Bombing St Helier
She lived down the road from Les Platons, which was the highest point on the island and this immediately became a German stronghold and Joan can recall fortifications being built by slave workers as well as guns being brought in and deployed
Joan also spoke of life in general. The cliff faces and beaches were all wired off and mined and became restricted zones, as well as the introduction and issue of ration books to each and every islander. Joan’s mother registered as a farm worker in order to receive more weekly rations. A curfew was also put in place, Banning islanders from being out after 10pm in summer and pm in winter.
Not Only did Joan tell us her stories of the occupation, She also told us of her memories of liberation. On the 8th of may her father, who was an office worker in town got sent home early as news had broke of the fall of the Nazis in Europe and that Jersey would be liberated the following day. On his way home he passed a distant cousin who had been storing a lorry in their barn for the duration of the occupation. The whole family, Joan included all got in the lorry and drove to town to celebrate
Photographing Joan
Joan then gave us the opportunity to photograph her in the studio. Below are my originals and final edits
In this photo, I have chosen to desaturate the image and increase the contrast while boosting the shadows to create a deep black and white effect to create a nice aesthetic. I have also used the spot removal tool on Joan’s face to remove patches where the light was shining off of her face
I decided to photograph Joans hands as I was quite intrigued by her jewelry. I decided to desaturate the whole image and bring the blacks down and boost the whites to give the jewelry a glow.
For this image I decided to take a photograph of Joans eyes as I find that a persons eyes can tell a lot about them. I decreased the vibrance and saturation and upped the blue saturation and luminance to make the eyes more prominent
Joan Tapley, a living survivor of the German occupation in Jersey came to our school to tell us her really interesting stories of how it was like for her living in Jersey during the occupation and how she and her family survived it. After that she was kind enough to let us photograph her and take portraits of her in the schools studio, so i chose the best one of these portraits and i edited it to make three different versions of it.
The Original Photograph
This is the best portrait i chose in the end as i really like Joan’s pose and face texture along with the great angle in where there’s some clear light on her left and then on the other side there’s a reflection of light, so this adds so much vibrancy and color to the photograph.
The Edits:
1)
first thing i did after choosing the photograph i want to work with is change the colors in it by adjusting everything from exposure to temperature manually until i came up with this really colorful portrait
2)
after editing the photograph i imported it to Photoshop cc where i embedded a frame behind it and binded them together to produce this really alien like color feature to the portrait and it really caught my eye so i decided to make it one of my three final edits
3)
Using one of light-rooms automatic filters i turned the original photograph into black and white, then i did some changes like raising up the contrast, after i was done editing it i embedded a frame on top of the image o make it look like an old style image.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the purpose of this blog post is to improve my editing skills and to prove how many different forms someone can create from one photograph.
After making adjustments to the original image I saved it twice, once in color and then editing the other one into black and white. To convert my image into black and white, I lowered the exposure on the image, only slightly and then went into adjustments and changed the image to black and white. I then adjusted the colors within the image so i could increase the darker and lighter patches within the image to make it stand out more and make her features bolder
These are my final images of my portraits of Joyce. The adjustments I made helped define the features on Joyce, like her skin complexion, which enhances her age, as the shadows under her eyes make her look older which enable the audience to see her age and imagine her history. I converted the same image into black and white, this is because during the younger ages of Joyce’s life, photographs where in black and white as they had not yet discovered colored images. However, the bottom left hand side of the image is lighter than the top right hand side, which creates a fade effect. This looks okay on the black and white image, however on the colored image it doesn’t look right.
Similar to the portraits of Joyce, with the portrait of Hedley and Joyce I made adjustments in color, saved it twice and the edited one of them into black and white. The settings were slightly different to the one person portrait, as Hedley had different colors to Joyce, so I had to balance them out, but enough to still show the complexion within their skin sand their features showing their growing age.
These are my final images of the portraits of Hedley and Joyce. When photographing two people I had to change the way the lighting was positioned otherwise the shadows created by Hedley would’ve been projected onto Joyce taking away the boldness of the image. I learnt that photographing two people together, a lot more planning has to go into it, so they compliment each other.
To the images of Joyce I added a frame around the portrait as I felt that it would add age to the image. I opened the original black and white portrait in Photoshop, then copy and pasting a frame from my folder onto the image of Joyce, this allowed me to stretch the image over Joyce. Above the two layers I had create was a drop down box with different settings, once selected the layer with the frame on it, I clicked on the drop down box and selected ‘Normal’. The using my right key, I slowly went through the different settings, this changing how the frame sat on the image, and what parts of the image it covered. Once I selected the frame I preferred, I then re-saved the image as a new image (JPEG). The frame I picked makes the image look as if it was taken on a film camera with the border surrounding it, as if the ink in the photo has bleed around the outside slightly, this adds age as film cameras are associated with war and the 19th century. The frame adds character to the image and makes it stand out as it inst just a standard portrait, with the knowledge I have on Joyce and her experience during the occupation I feel this frame fits her past.
With the images I took of Hedley and Joyce I then again added frames to them, I experimented with different types of frames as show above. I executed the same steps as I did when I was adding a frame to the images of Joyce. I decided t use the white frames on both images. It gave the colored image a rounded shape, acting like it had been destroyed and these were the pieces that were left from the war, which again as they both experienced the occupation it fits well with their stories, the same thing with the black and white images, adding a frame which gives the image a damaged look, gives the image character and effect which relates back to the couple.
I took time with the images of Joyce and Hedley, I experimented with different frames, as show above in the screenshot evidence I gathered during the process.
For the photos of Bob I knew that we would be in the studio this means that the environment is heavily controlled. The rule of thumb for studio flash light is to have your camera at 100 ISO, 1/125 and at f/16. The reason for this is that the flashes are used to simulate the daylight and this group of settings will always be roughly right for daylight. Using studio lights with a shutter speed of over 1/200 will not work as the shutter will block out part of the light and will be too fast for the flash of light that the lights will give off.
For this photo I had Bob facing side on to me and then gave him a point to look at which was down to my right, I then focused on his eyes and framed him in the center of the image, I was using a 50mm zoom so I could get a top torso shot with space over his head. For the editing I boosted the texture and and the clarity, also making the contrast larger to show the mall wrinkles and features on his face.
For the left image I thought that I would focus on Bob’s nose as it is a prominent feature of his face to do this best I thought that a profile would work. I made it black and white because it shows well the contrast in his hair and it shows the lines and contours of his face well. I also gave him a high point to look at to show his jawline more. The image on the right was similar to the first in composition but I changed it to black and white and had him look up.
This image was taken to show his walking stick which is something that he has with him all the time and it has scratches, chips and dents which give it its own character, I had Bob lay his hands on top of eachother so that there wasn’t a big empty space that there would be if his hands were side by side. The focal point was the ring finger of his left hand as it has a chip in the nail. I put this image in black and white so that there is a big contrast between the darker wrinkles and the highlights and his nails.
Robert (Bob) Le Sueur is an occupation survivor from Jersey who has been credited for his role the escape and survival of multiple Russian prisoners who were held in Jersey. For this and other Humanitarian work he did during the occupation he was awarded an MBE, and was on the Queen’s birthday honours list in 2013. When Bob came in he had some great stories to tell about life in the occupation here are some of my favorites:
A Porky interruption: This story starts on the morning of July 1st Bob was awoken to the sound of German planes flying overhead and went to look out at them to see if they had doped bombs again, as they did a few days prior, but they hadn’t they dropped 2 parachutes which at first could be soldiers but were too small. They ended up being containers that held a message to the leader of the military of the island. The message said that if the island wasn’t to surrender within 24 hours it would be carpet bombed which would have almost wiped out the population of Jersey. The states were unsure of the best cause of action as they had heard false propaganda showing the germans as rapists and evil people. The only words of advice that would be given by the crown and the uk government was to ‘do the best for the population’. There was a crowd growing in the royal square in front of the states. To control the crowd a man named Capt. Bentley, who was an affluent businessman within the islands, went out to address the crowd and then started barking orders at them. Telling them to get into line and quiet down. In this moment of great tension as Bob described it a bird flew over top and then relieved itself all over the captains pork pie hat, the crowd then erupted with laughter. Bob says this was a heaven sent message to relax the people and break the tension.
The Slavic Soiree: For this story bob talked about a party that he was involved in. He didn’t say what it was specifically for but he said that they had them for everything from the last day of having a gas supply to people’s birthdays. Bob then enlightened us on the best way to make sure that everyone that comes to your party has a good time. He said “invite guests that haven’t eaten properly in months, cook a rabbit and then serve them calvados” which is a sort of distilled cider that had a higher proof than vodka. At this party there was one man who lived with them who was a Russian escapee. Before the party however this man had gotten into the calvados which meant that his Slavic side came out and then he started doing ‘Gopak’ dancing and singing slavic folk songs at the top of his lungs in the middle of town. As he was doing this a German patrol passed by but luckily they were singing their own chants so the Russian couldn’t be heard.
Bullet Bike: This story took place on liberation day. Bob, the Russian from the previous story, one of the people the Russian lived with and two girls were all together when they got the news that there was an American destroyer that had been spotted passing Normint point and at this point they all knew that there had been an armistice signed for the western war (Japan was still going at it). When they got this news they all got on their bikes and then went to cycle out to the end of Victoria pier. On the way however, some misfortune befell Bob, when he was going past the German tunnel entrance that was filled with weapons and guarded by two soldiers, which is located opposite the old lifeboat station or the rowing club, his bike tyre which was made of a hose pipe as there were no more tyres the clasp that held it together snapped. This sound was comparable to that of a gunshot which made the German guards anxious and could have almost gotten Bob killed but they saw what had happened and was ok. When he looked up to see if his friends had stopped for him they were almost gone already, he said this was fine though as they saved him a good spot to watch the destroyer come in to St Aubins bay.
Background information: During world war 2 the crown and the british government demilitarized the channel islands leaving it defenceless. The war tunnels were made by the nazis as a field hospital. The tunnel was carved in the hill by over 5,000 slaves and other forced labour workers. There are over 1,000 of tunnels and they go more than 50m deep underground. The tunnel is now a tourist attraction telling the stories of the people who lived in Jersey during the occupation both civilian and German. There are also other attractions on the site like an escape room and a cafe.
Planning: For this shoot I will need to be prepared for how dark it will be, if it was a private area and I had a large amount of time I would bring a lighting rig or atleast a speedlight but as it is a busy day and is open to the public I will just have to try my best to fix any lighting problems in camera. I am fortunate as I have a camera that is able to go to a high iso as a maximum and then the lower iso grades will be sharper where as other cameras may struggle more in the low light.
Editing:
From 116 images I then narrowed it down to this selection of 15 by looking at things like lighting, composition and other fine details.Then out of those 16 i selected my 6 final images. Was based on factors like if the subject was the same in two images which looked the best. I then edited those six coming out with 6 final images that are all in colour as I thought that they were already too dark and I didn’t want them to be mostly black.
For my final images they all have quite warm lighting, i think this fits the aesthetic I was going for because everything I photographed is quite old or is made to look old and then the older style of lighting is tungsten which gives off a very warm light.
This image shows the warm aesthetic that is synonymous with the wartime. It is also composed as a top down and was taken from just next to the light source, it also has the typewriter framed slightly to the bottom to show the details on the desk. There is also a natural vignette because of the way the light was shaped.
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