I chose these images as my ‘best’ ones because the quality of the photography is high and, in most of the images, I like the way the texture of the background contrasts with the smoothness of the objects. In the other ones, I like how the background looks so smooth so the focus is mainly on the objects.

Single:

I like these images because they all have a similar warm tone which gives off a feeling of nostalgia and could be categorised as ‘vintage’, as if these images were taken a long time ago.

Comparison:

before vs after

I chose to edit this image because out of all of my still life images, this was the best one and also my favourite. I edited this image using Adobe Lightroom Classic. I found that increasing the colours made a huge impact on the detail of the photograph. I decreased the whites to make the background seem a bit darker than it was. I also increased the vibrancy and saturation so the light shining on the objects came across as a warmer tone.

Experimentation on presentation:

Triptych:

A triptych is when you present a group of three images. So finally, I decided to use triptych as a way to present these images because I like the layout and it is therefore easier to compare them. I chose to use these 3 photos because I found that they stood out to me the most, as they all are higher quality and are similar in a way as they all represent a warm tone.

Formalism is the study of art based on analysis of its form, the way it is made and what it looks like. Formalism photography is where the design, composition and lighting are dominant over the subject matter, and concentrates on the desired subject while eliminating everything else, to make the subject the main focus. Paying attention to the formal elements will help you emphasise the most critical aspects of the shot.

The seven formal elements are commonly known as:
– Line
– Shape & Form
– Pattern
– Tone
– Colour
– Texture
– Space

Walker Evans:

Walker Evans is a self-taught, American photographer who is best known for his black and white images. Black and white photography removes any distraction of colour and helps the viewer focus on other aspects of the photo, such as the subject, the textures, shapes and patterns. Therefore, as Walker Evans aimed to capture daily life events and objects, this makes the photographs have more feeling to them due to the lack of colour. This is an example of Walker Evan’s photography where he took photos of tools from everyday life.

Before Vs After editing

In all of these images I increased the texture and clarity to sharpen the objects and background, so the objects are more in focus and the detail is precise.

These particular images are all unedited but I really like how in the warmer tone images the background looks really glossy rather than textured, so we can therefore see the reflection of the objects. But as we can see on the left hand side, in the cooler toned photos, the cloth which is used as a backdrop is textured to show the objects in a clearer perspective to focus on them.

In this photo we can see that the objects in the background is blurry, this is because the aperture is low meaning the depth of field is shallow. This makes the main subject of the photo (i.e. the plane) a lot sharper and easier to focus on. The faster the shutter speed, the faster the photo takes which means that the motion of the plane has been frozen as it is spinning.

Whereas, in this photo there is a wide depth of field because the aperture is higher than the first photo. This means everything is in focus, including the background and the objects that are further away. Using a slower shutter speed means that any moving object will be blurred, which is shown here.

 

 

Q1: What is the etymology (origin & history) of the word photography?  

Writing with light.  

Q2: What year was the first photograph made in camera?  

1826 (Joseph Nicéphore Niépce) 

Q3: When did the first photograph of a human appear?  

1838 (Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre)  

Q4: Who made the first ‘selfie’  

  

Robert Cornelius (1839)  

Q5: When did the first colour photograph appear?

1861 (James Clerk Maxwell)  

Q6: What do we mean by the word genre?  

A style or category of art  

Q7: What do we mean by the genre of still-life?  

An image that shows inanimate objects from the natural or man-made world.  

Q8: What was the main purpose of the Pictorialist movement?  

To affirm photography as an art form  

Q9: How do we describe the term documentary photography?  

Capture images that truthfully portray people, places and events.  

Q10: What is exposure in photography?  

To capture bright light.  

Q11: What controls exposure on your camera?  

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO.  

Q12: What control on our camera records moving objects?  

Shutter  

Q13: How do we explain depth of field?  

How much of your image is in focus.  

Q14: What factors affect Depth of Field?  

Lens aperture, distance from camera to subject, and lens focal length.    

Q15: What is composition in photography?  

The arrangement of visual elements within the frame.  

Q16: What is your understanding of aesthetics in art?  

Aesthetic qualities refer to the way and artwork looks and feels.  

Q17: What are contextual studies in photography?  

To provide historial, cultural and theoterical understanding of images.  

Q18: How many images are captured on average every day worldwide?  

4.7 billion  

Q19: Which portrait is the most reproduced in the world?  

The Queen (Elizabeth II)