The first step to making a panoramic image is to select the photos which you would like to merge together. You then select merge and select the ‘panorama’ option. Once you have done that it will create a panoramic image and you can then move onto editing it.
2. Next I adjusted the settings and turned the photo into a black and white image by removing all saturation. I also increased the contrast slightly to make the darker areas and lighter areas more dramatic.
Finished product:
I like this photo however I feel it is slightly dull as there isn’t many bright areas especially in the foreground. However the panoramic itself has combined well and it looks as if it is one long photo rather than many combined.
Taking panoramas using a phone:
As well as making a panorama through adobe light room I also took one using my phone camera. I done this by using the panorama option when taking a photo.
2. I then applied the same settings I used in my other panorama edit to make the photo a highly contrasted black and white image.
3. Finally I cropped the image as I found that some areas looked off such as the curve of the railing in the foreground. I also wanted to crop out the people as I only wanted to capture the landscape.
Finished product:
I prefer this image which I took using my phone as I prefer the way the clouds look as they are extremely bright in contrast with the sky. This gives a romanticised feel as it looks very dramatic and strong, this effect is created by the extreme dark areas and the extreme light ones.
Panorama by hand:
To create this I used tape to tape three different landscape images together. I don’t like how it has turned out as all the images have a different brightness level, the middle one is too bright compared to the other two.
Virtual Gallery:
I added both the panoramic images into my virtual gallery collection (landscape gallery).
As an introduction to landscape photography I visited Havre De Pas to take photos of both natural and man-made landscapes such as buildings. I then went through all my photos and selected my best and worst ones. I also took photos to turn into a panoramic image which are highlighted in purple. I took some of these photos with a camera and some with my phone.
Best photos
I selected these photos as my best ones and I will improve some of them through editing.
Editing
Black and white:
I then made the photo black and white by removing the saturation. I also increased the texture as I wanted it to be detailed.
Comparing:
I prefer the black and white image as it looks more contrasted compared to the one with colour which sort of looks faded as the colours are dull.
More edits:
I chose to edit this photo as it links with the next theme of ‘Anthropocene’ (how humans have negatively impacted the earth). This photo is an example of that as it includes graffiti which is seen by many people as vandalism however it makes you think of the greater issues going on such as other things classed as vandalism such as littering which has a much larger impact. Littering has a huge impact on marine life and animals however people choose to frown upon things such as graffiti rather than the bigger problems. I like how this photo was taken as the graffiti stands out due to the viewpoint which the photo has been taken at. The graffiti takes up majority of the image however there is still a background which adds more details to the photo. However due to the photo being taken with a phone there is an area of light which makes the photo not as good.
Before and after:
This photo is overexposed which you can see due to it looking washed out and overly bright. I like the position in which the photo was taken from as it is not a straight on photo it is slightly from the side which creates an interesting composition.
I decreased the exposure using editing as it was overexposed. I then made it black and white through removing the saturation as by making it black and white the photo looks less dull and the individual details stand out more compared to the before.
For my final edit I chose this photo of buildings as it has a lot of detail which I believed would look good in black and white which is why I edited the photo into a black and white image. I like how there are many sharp details in this photo as it makes it stand out.
Robert Adams (born 1937) is a photographer best known for documenting both the beauty and commercialization of the American West. Born in Orange, NJ, he grew up in Colorado, and earned a PhD in English from the University of Southern California. While Adams was teaching English at Colorado College, he began taking pictures of nature and architecture with a 35 mm reflex camera, and learned photographic technique from the professional photographer Myron Wood. His earliest series The New West (1968–1971) depicts the uniform housing tracts that were part of suburban development in Colorado. The series Los Angeles Spring (1978–1983) focuses on the remains of citrus estates, which were transformed into housing developments during the 1950s. Although Adams seems to criticize the degradation of the natural landscape, he emphasizes that his work is primarily a study of light. The series of nocturnal landscapes Summer Nights Walking (1976–1982) depicts sidewalks, trees, and fields lit by moonlight and street lamps. Throughout his work, Adams challenges romanticized and idealized landscape photography, and seeks to create a new vision of landscape that encompasses untouched nature and human presence. Adams received a Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1973 and 1980, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1994, and the Hasselblad Award in 2009. In May of 2014, Adams was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He lives and works in Astoria, OR.
These photos by Robert Adams remind me of the deadpan aesthetic as they are taken straight onwards and have little to no emotion within them.
Analysing:
I like Robert Adam’s style of work as it has high contrast which is shown in this photo. This photo appears to be of a fairground ride at night time where the lights are bright. There is a lot going on in the foreground of the image whereas in the upper half there is hardly anything going on which balances out the photo nicely. I like how bright the lights are as it causes the image to stand out and almost glow. I think the photo captures the movement of the ride due to it being taken at the time where the live was active.
‘New topographics’ was a term invented by William Jenkins during 1975 which was used to describe a group of American Photographers, for example Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz, whose photos all had a similar theme, they were all formal, mainly black and white, and were based on urban landscapes.
What are New Topographics?
New Topographics is a technique in which a scene, usually a landscape, is photographed as if it were being surveyed from afar.
Landscape photography is used to show spaces in the world, sometimes vast and unending but other times microscopic. Landscape photos typically capture the presence of nature however they also capture human-made features which have disturbed the natural landscapes. The four things which make a good landscape photo are fantastic lighting, strong composition, appropriate sharpness and optimum exposure. One of the downsides of landscape photography is that you have no control over the weather, for example you may want to take a photo of the sunset however it is rainy and there is no sun visible. Landscape photography is done for many different reasons. One of the most common reasons for landscape photography is to be able to hold on to a memory of what you seen whilst being outdoors, especially when travelling. Others choose to pursue it as an outdoor lifestyle to feel involved with nature often to escape the artificial world. Majority of landscape photography has little no to human activity and are created to show the pure, undisrupted image of nature. Landscape photography commonly involves daylight photography of natural features of land, sky, and waters, usually these photos are taken from a distance. However some landscape photographs may involve subjects in a scenic setting nearby, or even close-up, and sometimes at night. Photographs of unnatural scenery such as farm fields, orchards, gardens and architecture may also be considered as ‘landscape’ photography as well. Even with the presence of man-made structures, such as buildings, or art, for example a sculpture, may also be considered as landscape if presented in an artistic setting or appearing in an artistic style. Landscape is arguably a form of ‘still life’ due to its relatively still subjects. A positive of landscape photography is that it has contributed to tourism and became a large part of local economies throughout the world. Countries such as Scotland and Canada are very popular with the photography tourists and welcome many people from all over the world. Due to this, landscape photography workshops have became a large business technique in these countries.
Examples of landscape photography:
There are many different types of Landscape Photography however these are some of the ones which people mainly focus on:
Cliff path photography:
Cliff path photography tends to consist of leading lines which bring the viewers attention to certain areas of the photo. They also more often than not include greenery, like many other landscape photography.
Beaches:
I particularly like beach photography due to the sunset/ sunrise photos and the way the sky changes to a warm tone. They often also include photos of the ocean making contact with the sand whilst the tide comes in. This will be a good thing to photograph especially in Jersey due to its many beaches.
Sand dunes:
Sand dune photography is full of texture and movement due to the ripples in the sand. They also tend to have warm tones. This will also be good to photograph in Jersey due to the large area with sand dunes.
Fields:
Photography of fields is full of vibrant flowers and greenery as well as some wildlife and animals.
Country lanes and paths:
Country lane photography consists of many leading lines which almost makes the viewer feel as if they are there due to the viewpoint at which the photograph is taken at. Martin Fry is a photographer which is particularly good at this type of photography.
Woods:
Woodland photography often has a dark tone to it as well as different viewpoints such as the tree tops. The interesting shaped trees make interesting photos in woodland photography as they are unique every time.
Valleys:
Valley photography often have rivers or streams along with many different types of greenery such as trees, grass and even flowers. Some are dryer valleys which is shown by the lack of greenery and water.
The origins of Landscape Photography
The first landscape photography was created by a French man named Joseph Nicephore Niepce between the years of 1826 and 1827. This photo was not only the first landscape photograph but also the first ever permanent photographic image. Niepce is now considered as one of the most important figures within the invention of photography. Niepce was born in France in 1765, he was an amateur scientist, inventor and artist.
Since this landscape has evolved into a widely used genre of photography due to its beauty yet simplicity, with many people sharing these photos using social media. The photos have also gotten much clearer and sharper over time and they even have colour.
I decided to take my photos in a home environment using natural lighting. I used makeup for props as that is one of the main focuses of Angela Marklew’s work.
Photoshoot 1
In this photoshoot I used a female model to represent femininity. I used props such as mascara, lip gloss, and lipstick to recreate photos in a similar way to Marklew.
Best photos:
These are my best photos ,which I have labelled with a 5 star rating, which I will be editing to improve.
Editing in the style of Angela Marklew
Original photo before editing:
I chose to attempt to recreate this photo of Marklew’s as it has a feminine feel to it due to the use of lipstick as a prop. This is because lipstick is widely associated with women.
I added warmth to the photo as Angela Marklew’s photo has a warm tone to it. I also increased the highlights to make them stand out more in a similar way to her work. By using the dehaze tool the photo turned more softer rather than sharp.
I decided to rotate the photo to make it similar to the angle in Marklew’s photo.
Final photo
To make the colours more pigmented I increased the saturation and to finish I cropped the photo slightly in a similar way to Marklew’s photo. I think it is similar however the models lips are not in the same position as Angela Marklew’s as in my photo there are no teeth visible however in Marklew’s you can see the model’s teeth. I like the way it has turned out as the highlights look sharp and well defined and the shine on the lipstick casing is similar to Marklew’s.
Angela Marklew is a photographer who mainly focuses on portraiture, in particular the headshots area of it. Marklew was born in Canada however she now takes residence in Los Angeles. Besides portraiture, Marklew also takes beauty photographs and photos for advertisement. Marklew has a feminine look to her photographs which is created by the soft colours and the way in which her subjects are posed in her photographs. One of Marklew’s collections called ‘skin in the game’ really represents femininity as it shows how women feel the need to fit into society standards even though the process of it is painful.
Marklew’s work is also just based on women models, often wearing brightly coloured makeup, mainly eyeshadows, which adds to the aspect of femininity that is displayed throughout her work.
Skin in the game
I am choosing to base my response to Angela Marklew’s work on her collection ‘skin in the game’. This is because I feel that it truly shows how difficult it is for women to feel the need to use cosmetic surgery to look good in today’s society. In the photo above you can see clips and tape pulling on the models face to create a lifted look, however this is only one side of the photo. This shows how easy it is to create a false look when taking photos for things such as magazines and social media. Many women are unaware of the fact most of these images are altered whether its using photoshop or other things which makes them feel like they need to look that way too.
Analysis
The photo above is a portrait of a woman with a syringe on her cheekbone with blood pouring down her cheek. The expression on the woman’s face suggests that she is in pain however the hand on her chin is keeping her in that state. The gloved hand makes me think of plastic surgery and fillers, the needle also supports the idea that the photographer was trying to give the viewer the impression that the model is getting some sort of cosmetic surgery done. The blood dripping down the models cheek suggests that the injection is painful and reminds me of the expression ‘beauty is pain’. The photo shows how many women feel that they must look a certain way to fit the social standards that are set from things such as magazines and social media which all tend to be extremely unrealistic versions of people. This photo is from Marklew’s collection ‘skin in the game’ which represents that beauty comes with a painful price.
In this photo the model is raising her arm to clean the window. I chose to use this pose as it signifies the stereotypical view that women are meant to clean however with the models arm raised in that way it gives a sense of power as it looks like she is putting her fist in the air.
In this photo the model is demonstrating changing a lightbulb which can be viewed as a more manly task to do. I chose this pose to challenge those views and show women can also do the same things as a man.
Here the model is shaking a cloth outside of the window which suggests she has just been cleaning. I like the window in this photo as it creates interesting shapes and details.
In this photo the model is making the bed, again demonstrating stereotypical women jobs such as taking care of the house.
I took this photo at an angle to create the look that it had been taken without the models knowledge or as if it was from a film rather than just a photo. This fits in which my artists work ‘untitled film stills’. I chose this pose to demonstrate cleaning again.
The model is cooking in this photo which shows the old views that women are meant to be the ones who cook and stay at home.
I again took this photo at an angle similarly to the other angled photo. I did this to create an interesting viewpoint rather than just a regular angled photo.
I specifically chose this pose due to the flowers being shown and the female model. I did this because flowers are often linked to femininity and women due to their beauty.
During this photoshoot I took photos of my model doing daily house tasks as well as stereotypical feminine things such as putting makeup on. My aim was to create similar photos to Cindy Sherman’s, to make them even more alike I will adjust them to make them black and white by using Lightroom. I took these photos using artificial lighting.
I used labelled my photos using black (bad) and white (good) flags in order to make the editing and selecting process easier.
Best unedited photos:
Editing
First edit:
Original photo:
I began by decreasing the exposure as the original photo was slightly over exposed. Next I changed the vibrancy to -100 to remove the colour from the photo, I chose to use the vibrancy tool rather than the saturation tool as it looked better. Then I used the effects to add a grainy texture to the photo similar to Cindy Sherman’s photos. I chose to then experiment by adding back the red coloured lipstick to the photograph and decided I liked it better with the pop of colour rather than the plain black and white version.
Final outcome:
Photoshoot 2
For my second photoshoot I chose to take photographs in natural lighting. I also used a different model and photographed different tasks. I labelled each photograph with either a white (good) or black (bad) flag.
Best photos:
Editing:
Edit 1:
Original photo:
Final outcome:
I used photoshop to further edit the photo. (overlay)
Edit 2:
Original photo before editing:
I wanted to create a grainy texture in this photo therefore I increased the texture and sharpness. I did this as Sherman’s photos often have a grainy look to them making them look older.
Using the settings I then made a pre-set so that I am able to edit my other photos in the same way to create a similar set of images inspired by Cindy Sherman’s ‘untitled film stills’.
Final outcome:
In this photo the model is shaking a cloth out of the window which implies she has just done some cleaning. The flower tattoo on the models arm gives a look of femininity, due to flowers being largely associated with women, as well as masculinity as people believe that it is often men that get larger tattoos rather than women. The fact that the model is looking away from the camera gives the impression that she is unaware of the camera being there or as if it is taken from a film, which is just like Sherman’s work. The panels of the window not only add detail to the photo but they also create interesting shapes by altering the view that you see through the glass.
Cindy Sherman, born 1954, is an American whose work consists primarily of self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough of work is often considered as her collection of ‘untitled film stills’. This collection consisted of 70 black and white photographs of Sherman depicting herself as typical female roles in performance media. I have chosen Sherman as a case study as she demonstrates the stereotypical views that most people have on women and this is shown in her photos.
Untitled Film Stills
In her series of ‘Untitled Film Stills’ Cindy Sherman herself poses as various different stereotypical women based on the 1950s and 1960s Hollywood, Film noir, B movies, and European art-house films. These photos represent clichés of stereotypical females, these included the typical office girl, bombshell, girl on the run, house wife and more. In each of these photos the woman is facing away from the camera and outside of the frame which adds a sense that it is from a movie which fits in with the name of this collection ‘Untitled Film Stills’. Sherman is not only the photographer but she is also the subject of these photos which allows her to be able to portray herself in a way which sends the correct message to the viewer.
Sherman named all her photos as ‘untitled’ as she wanted to allow the viewer to be able to interpret their own meaning rather than each photo having one singular meaning. In December 1995, the Museum Of Modern Art acquired Cindy Sherman’s entire collection of Untitled Film Stills (sixty-nine). Later on Sherman decided to add one final image to this collection bringing it to 70 photos in total. This photo was her final photo in her collection of ‘untitled film stills’.
“I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.” Cindy Sherman
Analysis
In Cindy Sherman’s collection of self-portraits named ‘untitled film stills’ she presents herself as typical female roles within performance industry. This photo shows Sherman herself acting as a female in a movie stood over a sink whilst holding her stomach. This photo can be used to show the stereotypical views of how women meant to act and what they were meant to do back in that era. This can be implied by the apron that she is dressed in as women were meant to stay home to cook and clean whilst the man went to work, the blurred pot in the foreground of the photo can also show this stereotypical view on women back then. The way that Sherman is holding her stomach and looking over her shoulder could suggest that she is pregnant and fearful of what is to come. It could also suggest she is in a toxic situation as scared for the child. The haircut in this photo, as well as it being black and white, implies that the photo is meant to have an older look as this hairstyle was popular during the early 20th century. There is a slight grain texture to the photo which adds an older look as well.
Planning a response
In order to respond to Cindy Sherman I will have to take my photos outside of school in a home environment. I will take photos of my model doing tasks that used to be widely associated with women back in the 20th century such as cleaning and cooking. I aim to create two photoshoots based on Sherman’s work.
