what? what stereotype should I put in Mise en scene : gangs in movies ; La Mexicana ; Gardner and ”spicy” Latina
how? Pay attention to details like the clothes, the accessories, make-up, background, lights, the mood… to create the Mise en scene.
when? March
where? I want each photo to be a different story so for me it would be more suitable if I do each photo in a distinct location, They mostly be in house but I want to be spontaneous so anywhere that reminds of Mexico or I think is a perfect place for one of my stories would be great.
Cindy Sherman
Edit
For my project I wanted to do some research on the consequences of Latinos stereotypes. I watched a TED by Raquel Perez which is about the representation of Latinos in society. She talks about how frustrating it is when you are not Latina ”enough” because we don’t know the language enough, the colour of our skin is not tan enough. Because we don’t look like the Latino stereotype that we see on the TV therefore we must not be. I decided to edit one of my images and called it “who is your Latina”. The meaning behind the title is to question society how or who do we have to be to be considered Latina. To edit my image is use photoshop, I started by selecting my image. I copy, pasted my image to another white plain image. I had to cut it so it fit proportionally and paste the same image five times. I wanted to put the title at the top of my collage so I selected a rectangle above. I then used the eye dropper tool which helps you to have a sample of a colour of your image. Finally I wrote the title and flattened the image.
My initial aims for this Josef Sudek inspired photoshoot were to combine the technique I discovered while on my ‘Photoshoot 2 – Pictorialism’ , creating a dream-like bur, with Sudek’s iconic display of flowers in clear vases being captured on window sills. I wanted to combine these ideas to create a whimsical depiction of nature, however showing how it can adapt to its surroundings – as if these flowers are symbols of hope. I planned on capturing my shoot using the windows inside my home, however I found it difficult to replicate Sudek’s compositions due to my windows not having such a large space underneath for the flowers to sit. Therefore, I had the plan to use my grandparents home to capture my images, a place still close to my heart that held meanings in location as well as subject. I aimed to conduct my shoot during the afternoon as I wanted there to be enough light to illuminate the subject, but not too much so that it became a silhouette. I planned on using the downstairs bedroom window which looks out onto the garden as I knew there were netting curtains that I could experiment with across the windows, I wanted to see whether this background still allowed for the observer to ‘look through’ the image. I had the idea to use an array of either singular flowers or bunches of flowers in the vase, I wanted to use a selection of types of flowers, and also a set of flowers that were more wilted to compare the effects and atmospheres they created.
Initial Shoot Experiments
This first shoot was conducted at my grandparents house, using their curtains to create a set of images with an abstract background. I wanted to mirror Sudek’s use of the rain which lined his windows/background but to experiment with a different pattern to see whether this created a similar mood. The lighting of the room was very cold on my shoot day, the sun was behind clouds which actually made it easier to capture the flowers without risk of them becoming silhouettes, however this also meant the warm pink tones that I had captured in my Photoshoot 1 and Photoshoot 2 were not replicated. I knew that I would have to heavily edit the tones and hues of these photographs in order to mirror my fantasy/dream-like theme, nevertheless I captured several images with strong compositions that I knew could be of use when creating my final selection.
Second Shoot Experiments
I decided there was a need to do a sub-shoot using the same theme and ideas, however this time using a different location where I could better reflect Sudek’s work. I discussed my idea of shooting in front of a panelled window with my friends and was lucky enough to be able to use one of their bedroom windows to conduct my shoot, it was a subtle reflection of Sudek’s location and gave me the opportunity to experiment with compositions lined up with the window panels. I began my shoot without steaming up my camera lens for a few images so when editing I could experiment with how I could manipulate the image to seem blurred in a Pictorialism style, without manually doing it on the day. I then used my technique of creating a fog over the lens with my breath to take the rest of the images, nevertheless there was still a blue hue that washed over my photos. I also wanted to replicate Sudek’s capturing of rain in the background of his images, however on the day of this photoshoot there was no rain forecast, so I came up with the idea of pouring a glass of water over the outside of the glass to look like raindrops rolling down the window. This idea was very successful and allowed me to experiment with aperture to focus on either the flower or the raindrops – I wanted to create a set of images that were delicate and soft, breaking up the fantasy world from previous shoots with hints of reality breaking down.
Juxtaposition Shoot Experiment
After going through my images from each photoshoot, I realized there were not enough nightmare style images to disrupt my photobook design, I wanted to have a book full of juxtapositions and disjointed hues of blue and peach that contrasted each other, conveying a sense of anxiety creeping in. Therefore, I decided on conducting a 4th photoshoot based on the idea of ‘nightmares’, bringing in the idea of Alice in Wonderland by photographing mirrors and clocks that could be placed next to images of foggy streams to link to the theme of escapism. I undertook this photoshoot around my home, capturing old photographs of my younger self/of family members using the blurry method, as well as capturing sharp images of them to contrast which looked better next to my other shoots. I wanted to focus some images on the idea of reflections, using a small mirror in my bedroom to act as symbol for clearing the mind, starting by capturing it fogged up and then capturing it from the same position once the mist disappeared. I used this photoshoot as an opportunity for experimentation, I knew that I would only choose a small selection of images to be presented in my final collection, however I still wanted to see how many ways I would portray the idea of ‘a nightmare’.
Editing
For the first flower experimental shoot I knew there would need to be a lot of manipulation in Lightroom to make the images fit my whimsical theme. I used this as an opportunity to use the different features of Lightroom that I had previously not used as much, such as turning down the clarity of the image and dehazing it to create an over-exposed style. I then saw how turning up the temperature and tint of the image would give it the same peach/pink filter that washed over my other shoots, creating this fantasy display similar to an old blurred photograph. After exploring how turning up or down the contrast/exposure/highlights of the image affected its atmosphere, I found the perfect balance of editing which created my final image. For the second flower shoot, there was still a blue hue that washed over the images due to the artificial indoor lighting being cold, therefore during the editing process I had to, again, turn up the temperature and tint of my images to fit my theme. Even though I had steamed up my lens for most of this shoot, I still used the dehaze and clarity feature to create more of a dreamlike blur over the photos, I believe this successfully replicated Sudek’s work while also bringing in my own personal fantasy style. The nightmare shoot images were mostly cold and lacked in vibrancy, however when editing the two images of my mirror I wanted to experiment with how increasing the blue hue created a mystical and dark atmosphere. All of my images have a fantasy theme, may it be soft positive dreams of childhood or mysterious dark memories rooted in anxiety – this shoot let me edit in an abstract style to separate my subjects from reality. I increased the contrast of this shoot to create sharp edges underneath the blur as there was a lot of shadows and darker tones that I could draw focus to – the circular composition of my mirror image is inviting and unsettling, which were the main ideas I wanted to convey during this shoot.
Final Sudek Inspired Images
Final Juxtaposition Images
Comparison to Sudek:
Josef Sudek | The Window of my Studio 1941-1954 | Comparison
Josef Sudek | The Window of my Studio 1941-1954 | Comparison
Sudek’s images are dark, they have a sense of mystery to them, and a sense of loss. Nevertheless, when I look at Sudek’s work, though there is loss, there is also hope – flowers are symbolic of life, it is as if Sudek (even in his confinement to his studio) is telling his observer there is still life wroth living – possibly he is trying to convince himself of this fact also. Comparing my work to Sudek’s, there is a clear link in subject and location – I have tried to replicate his surroundings as best I could with the weather circumstances etc – yet there is a contrast in atmosphere. My images are soft focused and bright, there is a content and calming mood within them as if the over-exposed highlights are beams of sunlight bringing joy and hope. Contrastingly, Sudek’s images are cold and dark – even without saturation it is clear that there is a gloomy atmosphere surrounding his subjects – hinting towards his own isolation. I wanted to create this difference to convey a sense of optimism, even though Sudek may be documenting a difficult time in his life there is still faith in nature and finding a way to adapt – this faith and hope is what I wanted to draw the most focus to in my images, they still give an impression of isolation, however this loneliness is surrounded by warmth and brightness as if its optimism for the future. Additionally, Sudek’s use of soft focus is replicated in my work, yet I have taken it to the extreme using my Pictorialism inspired technique – there is an impression of reality breaking down in both mine and Sudek’s work, with abstract shapes in the background creating an eerie atmosphere. Overall, I am really happy with how my Josef Sudek inspired photoshoot turned out, I have been able to experiment with different editing techniques and compositions, having to explore different ways of conveying a theme of anxiety, escapism and safety.
I wanted to create a set of images that combined the work of Robert Darch and Josef Sudek, mirroring techniques and themes used in Pictorialism photography. I plan on using the main location of Reg’s Garden, a community garden that I used to visit as a child with my grandparents, capturing areas where I would escape into imaginary worlds. I also plan on using my grandparents home for several images, using locations such as the kitchen, hallway and spare bedroom. In these rooms I hope to capture a sense of memory, past and nostalgia by photographing mirrors and doorways, windows that look into the past and provide a view to the future. The theme of safety is one I want to focus on in this shoot, the Pictorialist style will hopefully create a mystical yet welcoming atmosphere, using a soft blurred focus to distort any harsh textures or shadows in each image. I plan on conducting this photoshoot during the mid-afternoon, I want to take full advantage of the bright weather to create exaggerated highlights in my images. Experimenting with the Pictorialism technique is something I really want to explore in this shoot, I plan to bring Vaseline with me on the day to smear over the camera lens, however I would like to try using different materials to create the staple blurred filter over my images. This shoot will serve as an exploration of childhood imagination, physically capturing the Wonderland-like world I escaped to, whether I was happy, sad, confused or anxious – I want to display the dream-like state of ‘playing make believe’.
Editing:
I began editing in Adobe Lightroom, going through each image and flagging it if it portrayed the right atmosphere and theme I wanted to put across. Aesthetics was a feature that had importance in this shoot, I wanted my images to have a whimsical fantasy style that gave the impression of an almost ‘too perfect’ world. I looked for warm tones and orange hues when flagging my images, I found they were more successful when resembling colours of late evening sunsets as it created a cosy and welcoming atmosphere. After flagging my favourite images, I went through them again rating them from 1 -5 and focused on finding the meaning behind each image, when I took this image what did I have in mind? Does that message/idea come across successfully? Additionally, I wanted several images to hold a sort-of ‘escape route’ within them, may it be a door or a window, a clearing in the trees or a bridge to walk across – anything that could lead to this mystical world. Negative space that I captured in my images sometimes served as this ‘escape’, when sorting through and choosing which would be my final images to edit it was clear that keeping this fanciful narrative helped create my desired effect. Below is my selection of 5 star images, I considered colour, composition, meaning and light to create this selection and give the impression of an idyllic world full of imagination.
How I replicated Pictorialism:
I had planned on using Vaseline smeared over the camera lens to mimic that of Pictorialism, nevertheless when I began setting up for this shoot I though of a different idea and technique to create this imagery style. I wanted to create a gradual blur, some images slightly misty and foggy and others completely distorted, to compare how much I wanted to change the atmosphere of my surroundings in each image. Using Vaseline, although effective, was not the most practical material to create this gradual effect, as I would need to keep removing and reapplying the gel to the lens when I wanted less or more blur. Therefore, I thought of using my breath to steam up the lens, as the effect would ware off after a few seconds and I could take multiple shots of the same location as it gradually loses its blur. This allowed me to experiment with how much the lens should be steamed up when photographing to create enough blur to be distorted and dream-like, however not so much that the subject cannot be recognised as a bench or statue. As this project has such a personal connection to me, it was as if I was breathing life into these images to create this other-worldly effect – experimenting with how an image can be manipulated without editing it harshly in Photoshop or Lightroom was something I really wanted to explore. This Pictorialism imagery gives the impression of memories, foggy and blurred but still remembered as happy and content – there is a calmness to this shoot that when mixed with the oil-painting-style imagery portrays an imaginary world where anxiety disappears and childhood can live on.
Experimentation:
The images above and below were both taken in my grandparents home, it was the secondary location to Reg’s garden, holding memories of childhood and happiness. However, during the time of this shoot the lighting and weather was dull and cloudy, blue undertones and shadows made the images seem desolate and forgotten – which was no the atmosphere I wanted to create. When photographing I though of changing the ISO and white balance to create a warmer tone, however I was undecided as to whether the images would make it into my final selection, so did not make the changes. This gave me opportunity while editing to manipulate the highlights, temperature and tint of these photos in order for their colour pallet to match the rest of the blurred images. Instead of keeping the cold blues and putting these images with the ‘nightmare-style’ shoot, it made no sense to take a photo of a happy, loving place and change its whole meaning – therefore slightly warming the temperature and tones helped create my desired mood of welcoming. My grandparents home has always been a place where I have felt safe, as a child I would create stories in every room and escape from the outside world, using props such as cutting boards for boats or shields and curtains to keep the ‘monsters outside’ – all of these memories are now foggy yet still so clear, I wanted to use a Pictorialist style to show this.
Final Edited Images
Overall I am very pleased with how the final edits of this shoot turned out, using breath to manipulate the camera lens and capture a distorted scene allowed me to experiment with how a Pictorialist style can represent a fantasy world. Themes of serenity, perfection, calmness and persuasion were all ideas I wanted to keep in mind during the shoot. Using the style of Robert Darch by capturing nature in all of its beauty, and of Josef Sudek by taking his use of misty blurred surroundings, altogether created this display of fantasy. Using pink and orange tones that replicated a sunset throughout created this warm welcoming atmosphere, which will be disrupted by the harsh ‘nightmare’ shoot images which will break up my photobook. I am using Darch’s technique of progressing narrative through colours and tones, in The Vale of Despond by Dan Cox he describes this in Darch’s work; “A change in the palette of the images, another influence from the cinematic, signals this move, with cooler blues and yellows fading into greys, as the space becomes increasingly hostile.” I plan on creating a third photoshoot delving more into the world of Josef Sudek, being influenced by his study of flowers on a window sill and linking it to themes of adapting to my surroundings and to change. I want to progress these ideas further by experimenting more with the Pictorialism blur and using it to capture scenes in Sudek’s style.
During my initial planning for this photoshoot I aimed to create images focused solely on nature and the environment, I wanted to capture specific areas around the island where nature has felt both comforting and unnerving to me- juxtaposing ideas of contentment and anxiety. I planned on keeping to locations where memories of childhood lay, such as St Catherine’s Woods and Le Creux Woods – I knew there were possible photographic spots full of twisted trees that I wanted to capture so I made sure to shoot on a bright sunny day to take full advantage of the shadows that would be created. I wanted to reflect the work of Robert Darch using natural sunlight to create a sense of optimism and hope in my images, I planned on beginning my shoot early in the morning to capture some more golden tones around the landscapes. Similar to Darch’s style, I will use an aperture setting of about F/16 to create a balance between depth of field and sharpness ensuring that each element of the image is in focus. Nevertheless, to contrast this and provide a break in the synchronicity, I plan on capturing several ‘nightmare-style’ images with cold blue hues and darker tones throughout. In these images I will experiment with using a wider aperture of F/2.8 to focus on a specific branch or leaf, then using a very narrow aperture to compare which style creates a more eerie atmosphere.
Editing:
I began editing my images in Adobe Lightroom, flagging the images I liked best due to composition, lighting, atmosphere and repetition. I found that the images I captured at St Catherine’s Woods were more successful then those taken at Le Creux due to the location holding more expansive landscapes that related to Darch’s work greater. After flagging my images, I rated them from a score of 1 to 5 to create a final selection of the strongest ‘unedited’ images – then I went in and touched up exposure, vibrancy and contrast to enhance the comforting ‘dream-like’ atmosphere I wanted to create. The theme and intertextual idea of Alice in Wonderland came to me during this shoot, I thought of combining a series of the whimsical Josef Sudek photos with vibrant Darch inspired landscapes to create this fantasy ‘Wonderland’ influenced world where one could escape to in times of panic. It was always an idea I wanted to portray however I didn’t yet know how ‘make’ this world, throughout this photoshoot I tried to capture areas that seemed a little too perfect to stay compatible with ideas of Wonderland and dreams.
When undertaking the 1-5 rating of my images I focused on selecting those that best gave the impression of escaping into another world, may it be over a bridge or through a gap in the trees – I wanted each image to have a sort-of ‘clearing for an escape’. Composition wise, I looked for geometric shapes within my images, many had hints of circles that opened out into an expanse of sky, or distant trees. I was really drawn to these photographs as I believe they tell a greater story for the observer, like there if still more to be seen beyond the image – yet it also allows them to come up with the end of this story themselves. I also aimed to include images with lots of repetition, to keep with this ‘too perfect’ idea, like this magical world is not all it seems to be. Images with repetitive trees contorted around each other that seem to just keep going and going into the background of the image always fascinated me and made me think of fantasy worlds – I wanted to include the themes of escapism, but through natures captivating features. Hues and colour pallets in each image we mostly warm and vibrant, I did minimal editing to keep a cohesive pallet throughout of oranges, greens and yellows. However, when shooting the more ‘nightmare-style’ photos I wanted to use colder, more blue hues. I edited my images, which were taken late evening, by turning down the temperature and adjusting the amount of shadows and highlights to create a more mysterious brooding atmosphere. I aim for this contrast to confuse the observer, making them think of why such warm and welcoming images have been disrupted by these dark reminders of reality and fear creeping in.
Experimentation:
This was one of the first images I captured for my project, on a walk through a familiar woodland one evening I found this branch covered in raindrops. At first I was focused on its beauty, I tried capturing it from different angles and using a wide aperture to blur the background, however when it came to editing I couldn’t decide which atmosphere it created more. Looking at the image it made me feel quite unnerved, the branches closing in from the right have an almost claustrophobic feel to them, I saw a more ‘nightmare-inspired’ atmosphere than a calming one. Nevertheless, this meant editing had to be more thorough to fit with my idea of harsh blue tones breaking up the warmth of other images. I began by decreasing the temperature to -68 so I was able to work with the blue tones, I then increased the contrast to create a sharper image and decreased the exposure slightly however the image had too many purple undertones from the original sunset haze. Therefore I slightly decreased the tint of the image to create more green undertones so the image wouldn’t look too unnatural. After touching up the dark and light tones in the image I was really happy with how it turned out, from beginning my edit with a pink, soft image which I had edited to fit with the ‘dreamlike’ photographs, it was interesting to then completely try to change the mood by using a colder palette.
Final Edited Images:
So much inspiration was taken from Darch’s photobook ‘Vale’, I wanted to create that same welcoming but also disconcerting atmosphere. Some quotes that inspired me, from critics discussing ‘Vale’; “Vale is the latest photobook by the artist, which he has self-published. Images of old trees, verdant valleys and hot summer hazes denote an archetypal British countryside and typify the narrative. Alongside this, disconcerting elements peek from behind; something can be felt amongst the trees. The beauty of nature faces a ghostlike, fractured, and melancholic stillness. There is more at play under the surface of this pastoral landscape.” “The work draws from the lived experiences of ill-health. Darch found comfort in fictional worlds, domestic interiors, and the natural landscapes around him. Vale is a compilation of these multiple worlds, allowing the realities, dreams, fictions and memories to blend together in a space of escapism and meditation. Vale cannot be found on a map. It is not a topographical reality, but a semi-fictional one Darch has lived in for the last decade.” – Isaac Huxtable – 2021. It is these fictional worlds that I wish to continue creating in each photoshoot, I plan on undertaking my second shoot by focusing on this theme of ‘dreams’ and using a pictorialism influence to make some Robert Darch inspired images seem even more mystical and unreal.
The main reason I wanted to create another photo shoot was because I needed a strong image for the front cover. My plan was to get a wide drone shot of the whole bay mainly focusing on the L’Islet.
This is a contact sheet of all the images I got for the shoot:
These are my favourite images after images after editing:
The first image has the most potential for a front cover. Whereas, the panoramic photos would be good for a double page spread. There was a panoramic setting on the drone which I utilised. I add to merge them together in Photoshop using the merge feature to create one image. After, I used my normal editing techniques, which includes a camera-raw filter.
I edited all my images in Photoshoot after choosing what images I wanted to use by marking them with tags on my laptop. This image was a landscape, however I cropped it to make a more interesting composition and remove all of the distractions. Then a used a Camera-RAW filter to colour grade the image and do basic adjustments to contrast, temperature, and shadows. I also used 2 gradual filters to emphasis the orange form the sun and, blue for the water. I used a radial filter on the L’Islet to increase the shadows to that the L’Islet is more prominent.
Overall, this photoshoot was successful, as I got a good front cover image, however it can’t be a full wrap image only a front cover image. Although by doing this extra photoshoot I was able to produce an extra page in my photo-book. The final outcome was different to what I imagined in my head. I planned to go when it was high tide, sunny, and not windy or rainy. However after waiting a few weeks the conditions were never prefect so I decided to go during a mid tide and at sunset. This actually worked out better than I expected, as the orange and blue contrast is really strong and one of my favourite colour combinations.
This blog post is for the images that I took whilst on other photoshoots that don’t fit into the category of the shoot, and general images of Bouley Bay.
I think these two images fit in with the project, I really like how the right image shows the playful, fun aspect of the bay. Plus, the composition works well as the rocks create a good “frame” around the paddle boarders.
Bouley Bay Hill Climb
For these photos I used a 100-300mm telephoto lens to allow me to fill the frame with the subject. I used a technique called panning to create motion blur.
These are the best edited images that I produced during the photoshoot. I made this extra photoshoot so that I could introduce character of the are into the photo-book, as Bouley Bay Hill Climb is an event which most people in Jersey know about.
Overall, this photoshoot was very successful. I was able to produce strong images and I managed to capture a panning image, which I had to match the shutter speed to the speed of the bike, whilst doing a panning motion.
what? First shoot: what stereotype do I often see on the media, My Mise en scene : First shoot – Mexican Drunk ; Second- Mango ; Third shoot- Angry Mother and final shoot – Luchador.
how? Mimic those stereotypes like Cindy Sherman or Martine Gutierrez. Pay attention to details like the clothes, the accessories, make-up, background, lights, the mood… to create the Mise en scene.
when? I’ll start to do my shoots during Christmas holidays.
where? I want each photo to be a different story so for me it would be more suitable if I do each photo in a distinct location, They mostly be in house but I want to be spontaneous so anywhere that reminds of Mexico or I think is a perfect place for one of my stories would be great.
First selection:
Editing test
The challenge for my shoot was to create an advertisement poster, I used the Mango to aid in this process and therefore mimic the work of Martine Gutierrez, who uses this technique to convey the numerous messages in her work: (white wash, cover girl, go go boots). I began the poster by experimenting with various shades of brightness and contrast. I decided to do to make it darker. I played with the vibrancy/saturation. To create texture on the image you must first unlock the image, then you have to press the blend option. You then press the option texture, I chose grass effect for image. I then looked for an old Mexican fruit brand to put on my image. After having chosen my brand, I use the quick selection tool that helps you select what you want more easily. Copy, paste on my image and I repeated the same process that I did to create texture on my image. Finally I decided to name the brand ”Rico Mango” which means delicious mango. I’m wearing a sombrero and a poncho which is stereotypical items of clothing of Mexico. The outfit is very colourful, that’s what you notice first on the picture. The photo is staged the light is also artificial.
Hone in on the identity of a rugby player a part of a team and explore more intimate sides of his life overall telling the story of how identity shifts and how true personality is hard to find.
Begins with introducing a rugby team and sets the scene in terms of the aesthetic qualities of the individuals that belong to this community. The narrative then begins to explore one person in this community acting as a part of this setting. After the introduction of this character the story begins to reveal more about this character such as what car he drives, where he lives, and his other interests. It then begins to tell the story about an emotional side of the character. This will begin by delving into the idea of a façade that the character has adopted. It will break into ideas of a hidden sadness and forced masculinity. The story will conclude with this façade being emphasised as the character is seen back in the original setting.
The story will be told through sequentially ordered and aesthetically thought out images along with the addition of captions and an essay that responds to a question this narrative poses.
Shoot 1:
What – Rugby team, individual player as pert of a team environment
Where – Jersey Reds Rugby Club
Why – To introduce the main subject of the project and give vewier insight into his identity as a part of a rugby team
How – Close focus, high detail, fast shutter speed
When – at a evening training session
Shoot 2 :
What – Shoot the subject in a more intimate way to explore his individual identity away from other people. Shoot his house, his car, his family etc
When – During the whole day, a Sunday where he is at home
How – interrogate the subject by his use of central framing and and neutrally arranged compositions. crisp detail while laying down a blanket of warm hues used to accentuate gestural echoes, emotion, plays of light and texture.
Why – It then begins to tell the story about an emotional side of the character. This will begin by delving into the idea of a façade that the character has adopted.
Where – Subject house
Shoot 3
What – The subject back in a social environment at the pub with his teammates
When – during a social event
Why – façade being emphasised as the character is seen back in the original setting.
How – interrogate the subject by his use of central framing and and neutrally arranged compositions. crisp detail while laying down a blanket of warm hues used to accentuate gestural echoes, emotion, plays of light and texture.
I went on a walk and collected stones, cuttle fish, shells, and sticks that I found on the beach, whilst I was taking long exposure photos in the evening. I put all the different objects in a bag so that I could photograph them under proper lighting.
Then at home I made a mini studio using a 2 or 4 point lighting setup depending on what I thought looked best, as it varied on the object.
I mostly shot under white light, however I also experimented with different coloured light, for example, red. This helps show texture and surface structure.
This is a small contact sheet form the shoot:
Editing
I edited all of the images in Photoshop, after choosing all of the good images by placing tags on a MAC.
I used 4 images of the shells which I took on a black background in the dark, and I placed the shells on top of my phone torch. Then in a portrait document in Photoshop I drew 4 rectangles all the same size, which I aligned with the guides, then I used clipping masks to insert the images into different rectangles. After all the images were in the correct places I used a camera-raw filter to make small adjustments to the colours and tones in the images. I had to use a radial filter on the bottom left shell as it had more extreme shadows.
These images are of the same shells but from a different angle. Since I used a macro lens, I took 2 images, the first image the top of the shell was in focus, the second image the bottom of the shell was in focus. I aligned both images on top of each other then, I used clipping masks to erase the unfocused parts of the image. I used clipping masks so that I can recover anything I erased at anytime, instead of using CTRL Z. After the shell looked good I used a black brush with 50% hardness to brush over areas were the light was escaping, this allowed metro create a minimalistic effect and cleaning up the overall look of the image. Finally, after the image was done I added a camera-raw filter to make final colour adjustments.
For the majority of the images I just loaded them into Photoshop and by default they would open in a camera-raw filter since I shot in RAW. Here I would make all the adjustments that I need to.
Final/Best Images
These are all of the images that I edited and think are the best from this photoshoot.
Overall, I love how simple the images look, and they would work so well to juxtapose other images that I’ve taken. They look like they have been taken in a professional studio, as the lighting and background is setup properly.
I put a GoPro dome attachment on the front of a GoPro, so that I could get a 50/50 shot. Half underwater, half above the water. I couldn’t see what I was shooting as there isn’t a screen on the back of the GoPro, as it is an older version. So I had to point and guess that the subject was in frame and that it was a good composition.
Overall, looking at the photos there were some good images that have a potential after post-production in Photoshop. Due to the water being “foggy” the clarity and dehaze slider will be extremely useful. However, since I shot during midday the water was lighter which allowed me to capture the underwater subject in more detail.
Final/Best Images
These are the best image from the photoshoot, after editing them Photoshop. There was no complicated edits involved, all that I did was make adjustments in a camera-raw filter, and occasionally use gradual and radial filter to emphasis the subject better.
Overall, these are my favourite images, especially the last three. They have a good composition compared to some of the photos that were produced on this shoot. They have great colours that give off summer vibes. The subject fills most of the underwater space in most of the images.
