camera and studio setup

aperture

the aperture decides how much light is let into the photo you take. how it work? well as you make the lens smaller the less light it let in and vice versa. it can also blur the foreground and background to focus on that bracket the object your taking a photo of.

shutter

the shutter speed is what it sounds like it is, it dictates how long the shutter takes to close when you takes a photo (it shows the movement of an object)

Iso

Iso controls how much light is let in to the camera, it dictates how light or dark your photo is going to be.

exposure

exposure is when the amount of light that reaches your camera creating visual data.

exposure metre

exposure meter, also called light meter, photographic auxiliary device that measures the intensity of light and indicates proper exposure

white balance

white balance helps make the colours on a photo more realistic (more intense)

auto focus

auto focus is exactually what it sounds like it automatically focus’s on the subject of the photo.

manual focus

adjusting the focus by yourself with out an aid from the camera

this is the set up i used for one of my objects photo shoots. this set up matches the settings above i have presented.

Single Object Photoshoot

These are photos I took of every day single objects that have been inspired by Walker Evans.

after taking these photos I flagged the ones I liked an decided which ones to edit, etc. Here are some of my favourites from the ones I took before edited.

I liked this one because I think it really resembled Walker Evans, I liked the shadowing on the left side and detail of the tool. I took this photo by having the camera on a with a birds eye view, then turned the light on the left side off to show clearer shadowing. In this photo I don’t like the purple tint, not sure how that happened and will hopefully be able to fic it in editing.

I also like this photo because the fact that its not a perfect circle gives character and tells a story, unfortunately there is the purple tint once again.

I also liked this photo, instead of taking it from the birds eye view I took it facing forward, I like having the reflection and the shadow show different stories.

This was how I completed the bird eye view and had the lighting facing down, I was able to create different shadow affects and changed the angles.

Still life Evaluation – George Blake

For my first topic into the theme of nostalgia, i believe my outcomes for Still Life, match similarly to the works of Darren Harvey-Regan and Walker Evans.

From this topic I have also learnt a better understanding on my camera handling skills and how to better critique and understand my work by analysis of mine and other photographers work.

Final outcomes:

I have selected these as my final outcomes as I believe they have the same visual qualities of composition and photography elements that where used to make the outcomes of Walker Evans and Darren Harvey-Regan’s Still life images.

Single Object Photos

My Photos

I took pictures in the studio using a DSLR camera and a studio light. I used artificial lighting for this photoshoot because this meant I could change the tone of the light to either a cool tone or a warm tone. I used different types of tools because I was inspired by Walker Evans and Darren Harvey-Regan. I used a hammer and clamp to achieve my inspired pictures. I also used book to experiment with a different composition.

I changed the aperture to create different levels of light during my photoshoot because my inspired artists’ used dull lighting and that’s what I was aiming to achieve when taking these photos.

I made sure there was a big white space around the tools as that is how Darren Harvey – Regan and Walker Evans framed their objects.

Walker Evans and Daren Harvey-Regan

Walker Evans

About him

Walker Evans was an American photographer and photojournalist born in 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri. He had a happy childhood and developed an interest in the works of American writer, Mark Twain, and artists who shared a passion for exploring the unknown. He studied French literature and Paris before discovering the works of French photographer, Eugene Atget and became interested in photography. Evans worked for various magazines and was hired by the Farm Security Administration to document the effects of the Great Depression on rural America. He taught photography at Yale University and died in 1975 at the age of 72. Today, he is considered one of America’s most influential photographers.

His most famous piece

His iconic portrait of Allie Mae Burroughs – a farmer’s wife, and mother of four – whose unforgettable eyes seem to stare right through us 

Walker Evans

Other pieces of his

Why did he take photos like this?

Walker Evans took the photos he did because he was interested in documenting American society and culture, particularly during the Great Depression. He felt that the camera allowed him to capture and represent the essence of a people and place. His photographs often focused on the everyday lives of ordinary people, particularly those who were struggling with poverty and hardship. Through his work, Evans sought to shed light on the social and economic inequality that existed in America and to give a voice to those who were often overlooked and marginalized.

Daren Harvey-Regan

About him

Daren Harvey-Regan is a British photographer who was born in 1972. He is known for his work in fashion and beauty photography, as well as fine art and portraiture. Harvey-Regan began his career in the arts as a graphic designer before transitioning to photography. Harvey-Regan’s work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper’s Bazaar, and he has worked with clients including Givenchy, YSL, and Dior. He has also exhibited his fine art photography in galleries across the globe, including New York, Paris, and London. In his work, Harvey-Regan often plays with the boundaries between reality and fantasy, creating surreal and dreamlike images. He describes his photography as a way to explore emotions and the human experience.

His work

Why did he take photos like this?

Daren Harvey-Regan’s photographic style is influenced by his fascination with emotions and the human form. He strives to capture unique and dreamlike images that explore the human experience. His photographs often blur the boundary between reality and fantasy, incorporating surreal elements and exaggerating the natural form to create a sense of other worldliness. Harvey-Regan has a background in graphic design, so his photographic style also draws inspiration from graphic design and art. He often plays with the composition of his images and uses color and lighting to create a specific mood or effect.

How do Darren Harvey-Regan and Walker Evans compare?

Daren Harvey-Regan and Walker Evans are both renowned photographers, but they have very different styles and approaches to their craft. Walker Evans was a documentary photographer known for his vivid depictions of American life during the Great Depression. His approach was to capture ordinary people and places, often in black and white, with a focus on realism and social commentary. On the other hand, Daren Harvey-Regan is a contemporary fine art photographer who specializes in portrait and fashion photography. His images have an otherworldly quality, often characterized by dramatic use of color, distortion, and surreal elements. Rather than capturing reality, Harvey-Regan’s work is more about exploring the human experience and emotions. While their styles and subject matter differ significantly, both Harvey-Regan and Evans share a deep passion for photography and a desire to capture the world around them in their own unique way.

How do Darren Harvey-Regan and Walker Evans Contrast?

Daren Harvey-Regan and Walker Evans contrast in various ways:

1. Time period: Walker Evans was a photographer in the mid-20th century during the Great Depression, while Darren Harvey-Regan is a contemporary photographer who produces work primarily in the 21st century.

2. Subject matter: Walker Evans primarily focused on documentary photography and captured images of American life and culture during the Great Depression and the post-World War II era. In contrast, Harvey-Regan’s work is more focused on fashion and portrait photography and aims to evoke emotions and a sense of otherworldliness.

3. Style: Walker Evans’ style is characterized by his focus on realism, using black and white photography to capture everyday people and places while highlighting social commentary. In contrast, Harvey-Regan’s style is more dramatic with the use of color, lighting, and a degree of surrealism to create ethereal, dreamlike images.

4. Techniques: The techniques used by Evans and Harvey-Regan also differ significantly. While Evans used traditional photographic methods of his time such as black and white film, Harvey-Regan uses digital manipulation and lighting techniques to bring out ethereal qualities in his subjects.

Overall, while Harvey-Regan and Evans are both renowned photographers, their styles, subject matter, and techniques differ markedly, highlighting their unique approaches to the art form.

Camera handling skills and camera simulator

Exposure- refers to the amount of light that reaches the cameras image and sensor. Exposure is determined off ISO and Shutter speed.

Aperture- is the opening in the lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera, it is represented by an f-number.

Shutter speed– refers to the length of the time that the cameras shutter remains open when capturing a photo.it controls the amount of light that reaches the cameras image sensor.

ISO- refers to the sensitivity of the cameras image sensor to light. A higher ISO setting makes the sensor mire sensitive to light, allowing to capture photos in light condition.

Exposure meter- is a tool that helps you determine the correct exposure settings for your photos, it measures the amount of light in the scene and provides feedback on whether the image will be overexposed.

White balance- is a setting that helps you adjust the colour temperature of your photos

Auto focus- is a feature that automatically adjusts the focus of the lens to ensure that the subject in your photo appears sharp and clear.

Manuel focus- is a feature that allows you to manually adjust the focus of the lens. it gives you more control over the focus point.