For my single object photoshoot I used a train ticket, candle, pair of scissors and a jar of chillies. I took the most images of the train ticket because it is sentimental to me as it’s from the first woman’s football game I went to see. Some of my favourite images from the shoot are the candle ones with the blue and purple effect on them because it creates a nice blue shadow. I also favour the images with the bright white background with the train ticket as it brings the orange out in the ticket which could catch the audiences eye. I think the arrangement of the chillis make those photos interesting as it will draw the audience to the image.
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Home Object photoshoot
This photoshoot consists of many different objects put together which can be seen in the photos. When arraigning the objects I tried to arrange them so the images would appeal and draw the audience in so they don’t see the images as ‘some random objects thrown together’. In this shoot I experimented with different lightings such as coloured sheets placed over the lights to give the blue and purple effect on the objects.
New Objectivity
What is new objectivity in photography?
New objectivity is a German style of photography that started in the 1920s to challenge and go against expressionism. New objectivity often focused on the objective world rather than the more romanised and abstract ideas of expressionism. This can be seen through photographs such as Albert Renger-Patzsch and Karl Blossfeldt.
Albert Renger-Patzsch
Albert Renger-Patzsch was a German photographer who is one of new objectivities well know photographers. In his books he focuses on new objectivity showing ‘the secret of a good photograph.
Examples of his work:
Karl Blossfeldt
I have done a photoshoot taking photos in the style of Albert Renger-Patzsvh’s work.
Albert Renger-Patzsch contact sheet and Mary Ellen Bartley:
My top images:
Formalism
Formalist photography is when the photographer becomes the visual designer whenever the a frame is captured. It also, shows the most important aspect of photography is form, the way you see the image, and its visual aspects
What is visual language?
Visual language in photography implies a pictorial communication media in telling a story or a particular event. Visual elements are the information that we see within an image.
Visual elements:
- Colour
- Tone (light and dark)
- Texture (surface)
- Shape (2D, flat)
- Form (3D)
- Pattern (repetition)
- Line
- Space (3D concept)
Here is an annotation I did on an image using ‘photo literacy.’ When annotating I looked at the lines, light, texture, colour/tone, the focal point and the rule of thirds.
Examples of formalist photography:
The images mainly have no colour and are in black and white. You can see that there are toned areas on both of these images which show a contrast. There is a clear use of leading lines in the second image as the lines draw you to the subject of the image. The first image does have a lot of lines however, they don’t lead anywhere they just add to the texture of the image. In both images there’s pattern and repetition used. In my opinion the second image has only used the rule of thirds because the first image doesn’t really have a subject or focal point in it’s image.
Lines and Light:
Both these images have a strong use of lines and light as you can see the contrast in tone. The line can be a variety of strong harsh straight lines or softer curved lines.
Repetition and Texture :
You can see in the images above that there is clear repetition used whether it be how the bottles are aligned or the spiral lines. Repetition van be shown clearly or hidden in formalism photography which can be seen in these two images. These images both have show how texture can vary. In the first image the texture looks very hard and harsh. It also looks as if the shapes are made out of metal. However, the texture in the second image is distinctively different as it looks smooth and thinner than the metal shapes shown in the first image.
Aperture
Aperture is used to control the exposure (how much light is let in the camera) of an image. It controls the exposure by expanding and shrinking. The larger the hole, the more light is let in, meaning the image will have a small depth of field and be blurry. However, the smaller the hole, the less light is let in – resulting in a large depth of field and a sharp in focus image.
When using aperture it can be confusing because a small aperture actually means the aperture hole is wide, and vice versa for a large aperture. A large aperture means the aperture hole is narrow. This can be seen on the image below.
Images taken with a wide aperture:
Images taken with a narrow aperture:
My photos taken with different apertures:
When comparing these images as you can see how the aperture can affect how in focus the image is. The image on the left is all out of focus and blurry suggesting the image was take with a aperture of around f2.8. The middle image is also blurred and out of focus but less than the first image this suggests that the image was taken with a small aperture around f4. The final image is the one which is most in focus but was still taken with a small aperture of f5.6.
Still Life Final Images
Evaluation:
I chose these to be my final images because I liked the arrangement of the objects and the range of colours that I used.
Still Life Photoshoot
studio lighting
Continuous Lighting vs Flash lighting.
Continuous lighting: Continuous lighting is when they lights stay constantly light almost acting as a torch.
Flash lighting: Flash lighting is intermittent light. The light flashes when the shutter is pressed and lights up the objects your photographing.
Example of a continuous lighting image I took:
Example a of flash lighting image I took:
What is photography?
Photography is form of art which involves taking and processing photos. Photography gives people a chance to relate to images and have their view on the image. It also, gives people a chance to look back on memories they may have forgotten about. To me photography is a way of showing how you see the world to others. For example some people may not have the same vision as you when taking their photos. I also think there’s a deeper meaning in many photos it’s just how you view and interpret the photo.
‘Photographs confuse as much as fascinate, conceal as much as reveal, distract as much as compel. They are unpredictable communicators’-David Campany
I agree with the statement ‘Photographs confuse as much as fascinate, conceal as much as reveal, distract as much as compel. They are unpredictable communicators’ because photos can be interpreted by the audience how they want to view it and they can take their own interpretation on the photo. Photographs ‘confuse as much as they fascinate’ this means that when the audience is looking at the photograph they can be drawn in because there’s something about the image that captivates them whether that be confusing or fascinating, they see something in the image that keeps them from looking away.
Photographers are meant to show the world the truth with the photos they take but their images can be misinterpreted as they only capture the moment. Campany states that photographs ‘conceal as much as reveal.’ In my opinion I think this is true because photos only capture a single moment so it conceals and hides an element of truth. An example of this is Kevin Carter’s photo of the starving Sudanese girl. It concealed how there was actually a feeding centre around the corner but also revealed how bad the people were suffering in Sudanese. However, some photos do show the truth and reveal peoples feelings in the moment the image was taken.
Within Campany’s quote he states that photographs ‘distract as much as they compel’ This may suggest that photos can distract people from the real world and let their mind wonder. Furthermore, photos can also compel people and force them to look at what is happening in the world because something in the image has caught their attention.
Finally, photographs are ‘unpredictable communicators’ because you never know what you’re going to see or what to expect. Photographs are ‘communicators’ in the way that they send a message to the audience and everyone will have their own thoughts and opinions on the photo. They can also show us what’s happening around the world and the truth that the media may be hiding from us. In my opinion a photo is the best communicator because it can be shared all around the world
David Campany also speaks about when we look back at a photo our second or third response will be different to our first one. This could be because when we look back at an image we may see it in a different light as we could relate to it in a different way than the first time we saw it.
My initial thoughts on this photo was that it was an abstract photo of fire or a flame. However, that change when I found out it was taken from the war zone in Afghanistan. This image links back to David Campanys quote as this photo will confuse and fascinate people.
This photo links back to Campanys quote because the final image conceals how they made the final image as he put two different photos together. Campany didn’t reveal how he took the photo which left the audience with a lot of questions, wondering what happened after the photo had been taken or if the photo was even real.
Still life photography
What is still life photography?
Still life photography is a form photography that shows life less objects. Still life photography originated from still life paintings as they were immensely popular throughout Europe. When taking still life photos you have to find a way to make your images interesting and unique. This could be done by changing the lighting, background or the arrangement of the objects your photographing.
Examples of still life photography:
These examples show how still photography can vary from simple images with little props in the photo or to a complicated image with quite a lot to focus on in the image. They also show how different lighting and backgrounds can be used to bring out different elements in the image such as how dramatic the image is.
Examples of still life paintings:
Still life Photography Timeline:
Still life photography started after still life paintings got popular in Europe in the 17th Century. It started off with photos being taken of famous sculpture. For example in the late 1830s, Baron Armand-Pierre Séguier, created a photo that features small-scale copies of famous sculptures in the Louvre and Uffizi museum collections.
In the mid 1800s still life photos of plants started to be taken. Charles Aubry formed a company that would manufacture plaster casts and make photographs of plants and flowers.
As we got into the 20th century photographers started to show surrealism and mystery to their images. For example this image taken by Man Ray
What is Vanitas?
Vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the short lasting of life, the pointlessness of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Vanitas often contrasts symbols of wealth and symbols of and death.
What is Memento Mori?
Memento mori is an artistic or symbolic expression acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death. Memento mori originated from the philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity and mainly appeared in art.
What kind of metaphors and symbols are used in still life?
The top 5 symbols used in still life were:
Fruits– Varying Symbolism In Still Life Paintings
Skulls– The Certainty Of Mortality
Candles– The Passing Of Time
Flowers– Symbols Of Life And Growth
Seashells– Birth, Purity, And Fertility