Light – The light in all of these photographs is artificial as it is coming from the torch feature on a phone. I wanted the lighting to be harsh so that you could see the clear lines in the paper made by the folding. I also wanted to include some shadows so that the white paper would appear to contrast it. I wanted the brightest part of the photograph to be the closet part to the camera, so I directed the light onto that specific place.
Line – I made the lines in the paper by folding and scrunching. I wanted there to be a mixture of both straight, harsh lines and soft, curved lines.
Repetition – In some of my photographs, there are lines and shapes that are repeated, as I folded the paper symmetrically several times.
Shape – There are a lot of geometric shapes in my photographs. For example, in the fourth picture, you can see several triangle shapes made by the straight edges of my folding.
Space – In the last three photographs, they appear shallow as the paper is very close to the camera. However in the first photograph, the paper is sat at a distance, creating a deeper look with the shadows behind it. There is also a lot of negative space in the background which has been left empty and bare.
Texture – The scrunched and folded paper would create a rough and coarse feeling.
Value/Tone – The paper is the brightest part of all my photographs, as the artificial light from the phone illuminates it against the black background. For the first picture, although the background is white, it isn’t as bright as the paper itself.
Colour – I chose to keep my photographs in simple black and white because I think that it shows the contrast between light and dark more clearly. I also think that if I had introduced any sort of colour, the creases in the paper wouldn’t be as apparent.
Composition – I placed the object mostly in the centre of my photographs so that it would appear even and balanced.
In this photograph, i shot a folded and ripped piece of paper.
Originally in the raw image the paper was only on the right hand side of the image, with unused, black space to the right of the image. In Photoshop i cut out the paper, duplicated it and flipped it over to create an upside down mirror image overlapping the original on the other side of the image to fill up the empty space. This also adds more layers and depth to the image.
I made the image black and white to further show the black and white tones and shadows.
I decreased to the exposure of the image and increased the shadows to even out the whites and the darks, and to emphasize the shadows created by the creases and folds in the paper. I changed the curves to darken the overall image without losing quality and details. These changes also bring out the rough texture of where the paper has been ripped.
The edges of the image have more shadows and darkness than the rest of the image, drawing the viewer to the center of the image where the pieces of paper are no longer overlapping and there is black negative space, which contrasts to the busy outer parts of the image.
In this image i shot multiple small ripped up pieces of paper.
The original composition of this image was a small pile of strips of ripped paper. In Photoshop i cut out this group of paper and duplicated it multiple times behind the original pile, at different sizes and orientations. This is to add depth to the image and to take up negative space.
I also converted the photo to black and white to focus on the shadows and textures created by the multiple layers of paper.
I decreased the exposure, increased the darks and decreased the lights to make sure there was no over exposed parts of the photo. The darkened shadows also add depth as well as give emphasis to the rough textures where the paper had been ripped.
There is repetition of the same shapes and shadows where i have duplicated the paper to add depth and layers.
I used the curves feature in Photoshop to further bring out the darks and shadows whilst retaining detail and texture of the paper.
There are seven formal elements of photography which consist of: Line, Shape, Light, Repetition, Space, Texture, Value/Tone, Colour and composition. However in every photograph sometimes it can be challenging to find all seven elements. For example Martin Creed is a very well known artist for using light in several ways. To get inspiration for my photos I started off by looking at Martin Creed’s photograph of his paper ball, which personally I found very peculiar as it’s such a basic photograph but has several formal elements. However as it’s in black and white it allows more contrast to be shown which enhances the photo in several other ways. I then went on to try to recreate his photo which I feel worked to a certain extent.
PAPER SHOOT
BEST IMAGES
Light- The light in these photos are artificial as we used a torch to add harsh lighting to these photos rather than a soft natural lighting, which I feel enhances the texture of the paper. We can also chose the angle in which the light is coming from therefore we can adapt where the shadows are.
Line- I adapted the lines of the paper in different ways such as folding the paper in vertical lines as well as scrunching the paper up and then unfolding it to make a pattern of unorganised lines.
Repetition- In several of my photographs the lines and shapes are repeated this is due to the way I chose to fold them.
Shape- The shape of the paper is adapted throughout the photos as I decided to keep the paper flat whereas sometimes i decided to keep the paper scrunched up.
Space- As you can see I have rarely left space between the angle of the camera and the paper its self as I chose to take macro photos rather than distant photos.
Texture- The texture of my photos look very rough and uneven.
Colour- In my photographs I have chosen to adjust them to black and white as I feel that it enhances the photos and shows more details.
Composition- I decided to place the paper in the center so the photos didn’t look uneven.
Photographs consist of formal and visual elements and have their own ‘grammar’. These formal and visual elements (such as line, shape, repetition, rhythm, balance etc.) are shared with other works of art. But photographs also have a specific grammar – flatness, frame, time, focus etc. ‘Mistakes’ in photography are often associated with (breaking) the ‘rules’ and expectations of this grammar e.g. out of focus, subject cropped, blur etc. Some photographers enjoy making beautiful images but others are more critical of what beauty means in today’s world.Photographers have to impose order, bring structure to what they photograph. It is inevitable. A photograph without structure is like a sentence without grammar—it is incomprehensible, even inconceivable. — Stephen Shore
This way of thinking about photographs has come to seem a bit old fashioned due to competing theories of photographic meaning, Postmodernism and digital culture. It is certainly true that formalist readings of photographs alone can never do full justice to the complex webs of meaning generated by photographic images. Photographs aren’t neutral. They don’t show us things as they are, although they’re pretty good at pretending they do. Photographs are ideological constructs, a fancy way of saying that they don’t simply show us what is ‘true’ or ‘real’.
However, one might argue that photo literacy in part depends on an understanding of the formal or visual elements, some of which are borrowed from the visual arts, with others appearing to be specific to photography. As in any language, ‘grammar’ gets you so far, helps you appreciate the structure and ‘rules’ governing particular modes of expression. A knowledge of the ‘grammar’ of photography is therefore part of the analytical and creative toolkit of any photography student.
The photograph below is by Paul Strand. It is entitled ‘Abstraction, Twin Lakes, Connecticut’ and was made in 1916. You can read more about the image here. The photographer created a picture that draws attention to the Formal Elements. Spending some time really exploring photographs in terms of the formal elements is an important process in the development of visual literacy.
Light: A triangular slash of bright sunlight appears in the middle of the image. This is accompanied by bands of light running diagonally across the upper portion of the image. These appear to be gaps in another object out of shot, a fence perhaps. Line & Shape: There are number of strong lines, mostly straight, although these are complemented by the sweeping curve of the main object which runs from the top right of the image to the bottom right. All of the lines have the geometric quality of man made objects. Repetition: The shafts of sunlight running across two surfaces create a dramatic rhythm. A number of straight parallel lines punctuate the composition, like repeated notes or beats in a piece of music. Space: The space in the image appears quite shallow, tightly constrained by the framing. We don’t see the whole of any of the objects and the photographer appears to have been quite close to the subject. Texture: All of the objects in the image appear smooth. The drama comes from the jagged bursts of light across their surfaces. Value/Tone: The image contains a range of tones from very dark to very light. There are deep shadows but also mid tones. The photograph is monochrome but has a brownish tint, perhaps caused by the paper the artist has used. Composition: A sense of drama is created by the diagonal lines and the objects seeming to tilt towards the bottom left of the picture.
A guide to evaluating a Photograph: Key Themes, Content, Formal Elements, Process & Mood.
Key Themes – brief background information about the photographer or genre Gain insight from title of image, date of image etc. Background research etc.
Content – Describe what you see! Look at the subject of the photograph.
What is it? What is it about? What is happening? What is in the foreground, midground, background? Where and when was it taken? What do you think the relationship is between the photographer and the subject/s is? What has the photographer titled the image and why? Does the title change the way we see the image? Is it staged? Is it real?
Is it a realistic depiction? Has it been manipulated in anyway? If so, where and why? What is the theme of the photograph? What message does the photograph communicate?
Formal Elements – break the image down into the elements that make it up.
Colour, lighting, composition, structure, mood etc.
Colour – Is the photograph colour or black and white? Is there a reason for this? How does this affect the mood? What colours are depicted?
Lighting – is it photographed in a studio? Is it using studio lighting? Natural lighting? Has the photographer waited for the right natural light? Has the photographer positioned themselves? Vantage point. Is the lighting subtle? Is it strong? If so why and who has the lighting been used? Effectively or not? Does the lighting help the image? Why? Create mood/atmosphere? Dark, light? Tone – Is the photograph high or low contrast? How and why? What tonal values. Line/Composition – What sort of lines are there in the image? Leading lines? How have they been positioned in relation to the rest of the image? Is this on purpose? (the viewfinder or cropped afterwards?) What effect does this have?
Shape/Composition – What sort of shapes are there in the image? Do they remind you of anything? Do you think the photographer meant this? Is there symmetry? Is it structured in anyway? Rule of thirds? ‘S’ shape? ‘J’ shape. Golden Spiral, Golden Ratio, Fibonacci? Is it minimal? Simple? Complex? Confused?
Process – how the photograph has been taken, developed, manipulated and printed
Was the image taken inside or out? What time of day? Light sources? Evidence. Materials or tools used (props, objects, studio etc) Has the image been manipulation post production? How and why? B&W or colour? Plate, C print, large format, medium format, pin hole, slide, digital print, projection etc. Date may help.
Mood – look at the mood and feeling of the image
Is the photographer attempting to capture a moment/atmosphere/emotion? Explain why you think this. Is there a narrative/story? How does the image make you feel? Why do you feel like this? How and why?
USEFUL VOCABULARY
Colour
Intense Saturated Bright Luminous Secondary Clash Mixed Soft Cold Opaque Tint Deep Pale Translucent Dull Pastel Transparent Glowing Primary Vibrant
Please refer to this resource to help you navigate your camera’s function and settings. You will learn how to apply these skills learning to various photo-shoots over the next few months…and you should aim to provide evidence of these skills throughout your coursework.
Remember to practice and experiment. Use your eyes and look. The more you look, the more you will see. How you see the world will determine what kind of photographer you will become.
A camera is only a tool, and it is down to you to get the best out of your equipment by becoming confident and comfortable
Camera Skills
You must experiment with each of these skill areas as we move through our sequence of photo-shoots. Remember to include / produce a blog post on each that includes evidence of your experiments and successes…
Remember to use What / How / Why / When when describing and explaining what you are experiencing and achieving with each of these…
Using Auto-Focus
Using Manual Focus
White Balance
ISO
Aperture
Focal Length : wide, standard and telephoto lenses
Depth of Field
Show / fast Shutter Speed
Exposure and exposure compensation
Exposure bracketing
Ansel Adams and the visualisation of an image
Exposure Triangle : ISO – Shutter Speed- Aperture
Depth of Field
Camera function layout
Camera function layout
Ensure you are using technical vocab too…use the helpsheet to guide your literacy
Exposure Bracketing
Many digital cameras include an Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) option. When AEB is selected, the camera automatically takes three or more shots, each at a different exposure. Auto Exposure Bracketing is very useful for capturing high contrast scenes for HDR like this…
…by taking the same photograph with a range of different exposure settings
You can use Exposure Compensation to quickly adjust how light or how dark your exposure will be using these controls…
Or set the amount of “bracketing” like this…
Then you can create your High Dynamic Range images by using this process in Adobe Photoshop…
Understanding Composition
The Rule of Thirds
One of the fundamentals of painting and photography, the Rule of Thirds is a technique designed to help artists and photographers build drama and interest in a piece. The rule states that a piece should be divided into nine squares of equal size, with two horizontal lines intersecting two vertical lines.
Linear Perspective (some examples may include a vanishing point)
Atmospheric Perspective
Photo Shoot Plan
File Handling and printing...
Remember when EXPORTING from Lightroom you must adjust the file size to 1000 pixels on the Short edge for “blog-friendly” images (JPEGS)
BUT…for editing and printing when EXPORTING from Lightroom you must adjust the file size to Short edge for “high resolution” images (JPEGS) like this…
A5 Short Edge = 14.8 cm
A4 Short Edge = 21.0 cm
A3 Short Edge =29.7 cm
This will ensure you have the correct ASPECT RATIO
Ensure you label and save your file in you M :Drive and then copy across to the PRINT FOLDER / IMAGE TRANSFER
For a combination of images, or square format images you use the ADOBE PHOTOSHOP > NEW DOCUMENT + PRINT PRESETS on to help arrange images on the correct size page (A3, A4, A5)
You can do this using Photoshop, Set up the page sizes as templates and import images into each template, then you can see for themselves how well they fit… but remember to add an extra 6mm for bleed (3mm on each side of the page) to the original templates. i.e. A4 = 297mm x 210 but the template size for this would be 303mm x 216mm.
Making a Virtual Gallery in Photoshop
Download an empty gallery file…then insert your images and palce them on the walls. Adjust the persepctive, size and shape using CTRL T (free transform) You can also add things like a drop shadow to make the image look more realistic…
