Tag Archives: ISO

Surface and Colour

For this project I will be exploring the different ways I can capture varying textures and colour schemes in an expressionistic consuetude. I will also be focusing on using ISO and white balance in an unconventional and creative manner.

Luigi Ghirri

Luigi was an Italian photographer born 1943. He was a pioneer in his field and he focused on the contrast between fiction and reality.

He creates minimalist compositions which focus on a consistent colour temperature and texture. The unique attitude in his work consists of very interesting textures created by a flat contrast. He experiments with the light sensitivity of his film which creates a fine grain on his images which also adds to the unique unprecedented texture of his compositions. He shoots untarnished, condensed backgrounds to accentuate the surface texture of the image. The flat contrast adds a faded look to his images.

In the above image we can see Luigi also experiments with reflective surfaces to further the idea of the unprecedented surface texture present in his images. In the above image Luigi uses a specific white balance to create a cold colour temperature in the image. This temperature, combined with the puddle which is associated with rain, gives the image a bleak feeling. He also uses a flat contrast to add a faded look and texture to the image. He uses the puddle to create depth in his image and add a unique perspective to how we view the world and its textures. He also experiments with ISO to great a grain in the image to again boost the idea of unconventional surface textures. He uses natural lighting which is not too harsh to maintain the flat contrast in his works.

Aaron Siskind and the Boyle Family

Aaron Siskind was an American photographer born 1903. Looking at Aarons work in the context of Texture and colour, his pieces relate very well. He creates compositions that focus on the detail of things and he brings their texture into light. and creating

Aaron siskind – volcano

The Boyle family is a group of collaborative artists based in London who where popular in the 60s for their minimalistic macro photography. They created work with the focus point of flat surface texture based images.

Photo Shoot Plan

Shoot puddles, road imperfections/markings and minimal style objects around my countryside neighbourhood and in urban built-up areas. Use ISO in a creative way – use extremely high ISO to give my images grainy texture. Use white-balance creatively – give the images gloomy cold tonal temperature. Focus on surface texture.

Contact Sheets

My Compositions Focused on Surface Texture and Flat Tonal Range/Colour Schemes

Taking inspiration from Luigi, when shooting my images I focused on using ISO in an unconventional way to create a grainy surface texture. I also used white balance to create a flat colour contrast.

I also took inspiration from my second reference and created detailed compositions highlighting texture in our world and creating a sense that one could rub their hand over my images and feel the road imperfections.

surface and colour

These resources are designed to encourage you to explore your use of the camera and it’s functions. The more you experiment and discover, the more control you will have and this will lead to more creative outcomes…

CAMERA CRAFT – exploring exposure settings

ISO – experiment with different ISO values to enhance your exposures…be wary of “noise” in your images with high ISO

Photography : ISO, Aperture, Shutter speed, and Exposure for Newbies
Image result for canon camera control dial

White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Proper camera white balance has to take into account the “color temperature” of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light.

Cheat sheet: White balance presets | Digital Camera World
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Homework | Practical / photoshoot

Due in WEDNESDAY 7th October

Minimum Expected frames/ exposures = 150-200 images

Choose from a range of camera skills that you have learned in Week 3 and 4 and 5 to complete a new photo-shoot…

We want to see that you can explore and extend your handling of

  • colour (try limiting your palette of colours to : primary colours, colour harmonies, contrasting or complimentary colours if possible)
  • texture and surface quality (aim for contrasts : rough v smooth etc)
  • Show that you can adapt and control both ISO and White Balance (WB)…and even use it creatively too
  • exposure control
What is Metering, Metering Modes and How to Use it? – Camera Harmony
Red box shows exposure meter – the centre indicates a balanced exposure

Picture

Follow the highlighted sections of The 10 Step Process and create a blog post that clearly articulates your process and tackles these Assessment Objectives thoroughly :

  1. Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
  2. Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
  3. Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
  4. Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
  5. Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
  6. Image Selection, sub selection, review and refine ideas (AO2)
  7. Image Editing/ manipulation / experimentation (AO2)
  8. Presentation of final outcomes (AO4)
  9. Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
  10. Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)