For this first photoshoot, I would like to mainly aim to capture the setting of Germany, especially the portion that is Berlin. Berlin is known for containing a vast selection of historical architecture and structures that link towards its relationship with wars, especially WWII. The Berlin Wall was a main historical monument that was included within the city itself and played a vital role within the division of areas within Germany.

Contact sheets:

Here I have the entirety of my Berlin photoshoot. I have flagged and rejected all my images so that I can categorise them into ones I would like to use and ones I don’t want to use. I rejected the ones I don’t like by pressing X in lightroom and flagged the ones I would like to use by pressing P in lightroom.

I wanted to make sure I was making a strict choice with which I wanted to use and to reject as I wanted the photographs to fit the theme of “complex” nicely.

Colour coded and star rated:

Here I have a range of flagged photographs which I then categorised into green, yellow and red. Green being ones I wanted to definitely use, yellow being ones I was unsure of using, and red being ones I definitely don’t want to use. After colour coding my images, I then went in by adding a star rating to each out of 5. 5 and 4 being definites, 3 being ones that I might be using and 2-1 being ones I won’t be using for this project.

Green:

Yellow:

Red:

Images before editing

— Editing —

Below I have a few examples of images that I have edited after selecting my best images out of the range I have taken during my photoshoot. I particularly like these images as I feel they express the theme of Germany’s history and the aftermath of massive events that occurred during the time of WWII. I especially like the first edited image which is of the Berlin Wall, I believe this to be a very significant image as it display the very monument that separate Berlin as to keep so-called Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state.

I really like how these images turned out as I believe they fit within the theme of complex. They display momentous structures that are full of complex meanings and also portray a complex exterior to themselves as well.

I thought it would be a good plan for me to enhance the exposure of the above image due to it being difficult to see at first glance. I wanted both the ceiling light and the figure to be the main focal points of the image so I edited it so that both aspects were highlighted more obviously. After enhancing the exposure and other aspects such as contrast, highlights and shadows, I went about changing the colour to black and white to really enhance the brightness of the lighting and make the statue more obvious.

Final Images

Analysis and Critique

I feel as if the images above work well together as they both provide quite complex-looking imagery, with the many tram wires in the first one to the solid and intricate blocks within the second image. The second image displays Jewish victims in the form of an art form which is an almost never ending maze. It was used to impact the public as you walk through the labyrinth alone, just to showcase how many deaths had occurred during these dark times.

I particularly like this image above as well as I feel it displays one of the complex structures within Germany. In colour it showcases that the building itself is incredibly old due to the deterioration in colour. The roof has gone from a copper to a somewhat greenish colour due to the metal oxidising. Even though the colours from the monument are indeed intrancing in itself, I still preferred the aesthetic it gave off whilst in black and white as I feel it highlights the details of the building and creates a looming and ominous sense to it.

I took images for my second photoshoot at a friends house in St. Brelades. The photoshoot was spontaneous and unplanned as I saw sun was setting and I noticed the colours in the lighting that reflected into the house and thought it would be perfect for my project as I want to show a variety of different types of lighting and how it affects a photo – As my last photoshoot relied on artificial lighting to create an atmosphere, this one focused on the natural lighting from the sun and how it was cast. Taking my images spontaneously added to the candid factor I made sure to stick to in my project. This was a smaller photoshoot, as I had limited time to capture images due to the sun setting, so I took around 50-60 photos.

BEST IMAGES

I feel this is the best image created from this photoshoot as it to me has the perfect combination of lighting, colour and shadow that creates multiple viewpoints that provides a fresh and unique perspective on the image. For example one viewer’s eye may be drawn to the warm orange tones reflected onto the faces of the models, however some may look at the silhouettes in the background and the yellow lighting that surrounds them.

Comparison to Vinca Petersen’s work

Much like the red & orange images in my first photoshoot I wanted to generate a response based off the warm colours in this photoshoot – orange & yellow tones typically create a feeling of energy, joy and is symbollic of optimism and connection. I wanted to emphasize on the feeling of connection in particular during this shoot but still keep my images candid – Since the sun was setting I had no control over where the rays would cast so I moved my friends towards an area that had the most vibrant lighting and captured them in conversation with each other. The use of two people in the majority of my photos alludes to my chosen theme of insider vs.outsider as i personally feel these photos establish a sense of connection with the viewer as the relaxed behaviour of the models combined with the warm tones and open space create a welcoming atmosphere. I feel this photoshoot is particularly reflective of Nan Goldin’s work and my influences in photography are clearly shown through the lighting especially in this photoshoot. However i felt this photoshoot didn’t reflect Zielonys influence on my work as these images were all taken with natural lighting, something which Zielony doesn’t often incorporate in his works. My images create a different atmosphere to his, as Zielonys work is taken from an outsider perspective whereas Nan Goldins images are captured in more relaxed environments which create the feeling of insider.

The exam theme simple or complex initially drove me to look towards visually interesting films by directors such as Wes Anderson, Wong Kar-Wai, Quentin Tarantino and Jean-Luc Godard. Through looking into the processes of how these directors created such beautiful, visually striking films I realised the process was more difficult and complex than I had thought- for example Wes Anderson’s scenes run on a metronome with the camera panning/something happening at every beat, many of his scenes (as seen in the screen grabs of “Moonrise Kingdom“ below) have complete symmetry.

I was drawn to Wong Kar-Wai’s “Fallen Angels”, especially to its aesthetic of bright lights, dramatically emotive cinematic frames, unusual perspectives and grainy quality. From researching this film I came across the photographer Wing Shya who had worked with Wong Kar-Wai as a photographer on numerous film sets.

From first reading the theme simple v complex, I wanted to explore cinematic images as I am particularly interested in films and directors which have a specific style- making this project one that matters to me as I have been interested in this style of images since starting the course. When looking at artist references I eventually settled on Wing Shya and Claudia Andujar as while researching them I found out they specialise in documentary style images which look staged and cinematic. I intend to start this project by just taking images- starting at football matches which my friends play in working on making the images look cinematic and getting the settings of the camera correct and then moving on to different types of lighting and settings- possibly experimenting with staged images. For my presentation of images I am planning to put them on foamboard with no boarder- if my images are cinematic style enough then a frame for the images may take away from the image itself- this will add to the “simple” theme of simple v complex. I may also create a CD or DVD case with my images in it: as my images are going to be in a cinematic style then I would like to display them as a professional, formal outcome which is related to the idea of cinema or just media in general- therefore a CD cover may be the best option for this as it is accessible to do as many DVD covers have the design imprinted on them but plain CD covers are accessible to me (and films obviously have soundtracks) so I feel as this may be the best option for me.

I am planning to do at least 4 photoshoots in different settings, each concentrating on different lightings and atmospheres- showcasing different emotions. As my main intent is to capture cinematic images which (like Wing Shya and Claudia Andujar) are documentary style however look staged. I also intent to stage some images in certain lighting/scenes- namely purposely using coloured lighting and staging subjects in monochrome rooms if I can find any.

PHOTOSHOOT #1

For my first photoshoot I plan to take photos at football matches- making use of the bright white flood lights surrounding the pitch. These football matches take place every Monday so I am going to bring my camera and take images every week as it will be particularly difficult to get my camera settings correct on the first try due to the darkness and motion attempted to be captured- I want clear, bright, focused images with no blur. There may be a slight grain to the images due to the darkness of the setting as the floodlights are concentrated on the pitch- not on the side lines.

PHOTOSHOOT #2

For my second photoshoot I plan to take images using cars; emphasising on using windows as frames for the images, concentrating on lights both inside and outside of the car, and playing with unusual perspectives. I want to make use of coloured lights to make the images more interesting instead of them just being pictures in a car- this will also help with me configuring the ISO and shutter speed on the camera as I do not want to use flash however I still would like sharp, clear images.

PHOTOSHOOT #3

For my third photoshoot I plan to find rooms with interesting atmospheres- such as monochromatic rooms and rooms with interesting walls etc. Using monochromatic settings means I would like to place an emphasis on stark lighting including creating distinct, bold shadow while with busy rooms I would like to place an emphasis on a narrative within the subject- similarly to Wing Shya’s on set photography where he captures images which display the breakdown of an actor where they transition from a film character to their authentic self.

PHOTOSHOOT #4

Some of my best images have came from me just bringing my camera around with me and just taking images of whatever catches my eye- I am considering using this strategy as a separate photoshoot as it was have no distinct timeframe however it will still be generating images that I may be able to use and edit in lightroom- as both of my artist references are documentary photographers (with a mix of staged however the style of documentary makes the images look staged) I feel as if this may be a good strategy to create images in the style I want.