Studio Lighting Mood Board

What is Studio Lighting?

Studio lighting refers to the use of artificial lights in a controlled environment to illuminate subjects for photography. It’s essential because it allows photographers to manipulate light to achieve the desired mood, highlight details, and create professional-quality images. By using different types of lights, such as soft boxes, umbrellas, and strobes, photographers can control shadows, contrast, and colour balance, resulting in more visually appealing photos. This control over lighting is crucial, especially when trying to convey a specific emotion or atmosphere in the image.

For instance, soft lighting can create a warm and inviting feel, while harsher lighting can add drama and intensity.

Additionally, studio lighting enables consistency across a series of shots, which is particularly important for product photography or portrait sessions. The ability to adjust and experiment with the lighting setup also encourages creativity, allowing photographers to explore various styles and techniques. Ultimately, mastering studio lighting can significantly enhance the quality of photographs and help tell a more compelling story through visual imagery.

1-2-3 Point Lighting

The difference between 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point lighting lies in the number of light sources used and the effects they create in photography.

1-Point Lighting: This technique uses a single light source to illuminate the subject. It creates strong shadows and highlights, which can produce dramatic effects. It’s often used in portrait photography to emphasize facial features or in artistic shots where mood is more important than detail.

2-Point Lighting: This setup involves two light sources. Typically, one light serves as the key light, providing the main illumination, while the second acts as a fill light to soften shadows created by the key light. This technique balances light and shadow, adding depth and dimension to the subject, making it ideal for interviews or product shots.

3-Point Lighting: This is a more advanced technique that uses three lights: the key light, fill light, and backlight (or rim light). The key light is the main source, the fill light reduces harsh shadows, and the backlight adds separation between the subject and the background, creating a three-dimensional look. This method is commonly used in film and television because it provides a well-rounded and professional appearance, enhancing the overall quality of the image.

Each technique serves a different purpose and can be chosen based on the desired mood and effect in the photograph.

Rembrandt Lighting, Butterfly Lighting, and Chiarascuro

Rembrandt lighting, butterfly lighting, and chiaroscuro lighting are all different lighting techniques that can dramatically change the mood and appearance of a photograph, so understanding them can help create the desired effect in my portraits.

Rembrandt Lighting

This technique is characterized by the triangle of light that appears on the cheek opposite the light source. It involves placing the light source at a 45-degree angle to the subject and slightly above eye level. This creates a dramatic effect with both highlights and shadows, giving depth to the face.

Butterfly Lighting

Also known as “Paramount lighting,” this technique creates a butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose. It involves positioning the light source directly in front of and above the subject’s face. This lighting is often used in beauty photography as it highlights the cheekbones and creates a soft, flattering look.

Chiarascuro

This is a broader artistic technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and three-dimensionality. In photography, it can involve dramatic lighting that emphasizes shadows and highlights, often used to evoke a particular mood or atmosphere.

Photography Lighting Equipment for Beginners (Extra Info)

The world of studio lighting can be an exciting aspect of photography for some people, while others are intimidated by what seems to be a never-ending stream of equipment and technical information. The Information that I have researched here will help me decide on what Studio Lighting and equipment will be best for my Photography.

Keep in mind, that the items that I have researched are all geared towards portrait photographs.

Flash Units and Diffusers

A DSLR has a component on top, called a hot shoe, where you can attach a flash that is purchased separately from your camera. While most DSLRs have an on camera flash that can work well in some situations, it is always great to have a separate flash.

Photography Lighting Equipment for Beginners

With a separate flash, I don’t just have the luxury of a more powerful flash with a better quality of light, I also have the option of attaching diffusers to my flash, and even using my flash off-camera. 

Now, if I purchase a flash or the school already has one, it will most likely come with a small, white, plastic diffuser to attach to the top of the flash. This can work very well to diffuse the light, minimizing shadows and red-eye. I also have the ability to turn the flash so that it isn’t pointing straight at the subject, and bounce the light off a ceiling or nearby wall to make the light even more diffused.

Photo Lighting Equipment

A great option is the Light sphere Dome, by Gary Fong. The Light sphere Dome is lightweight, and it has never fallen off of a flash as some diffusers have a tendency to do and it fits both my Nikon and Canon flashes.  It a great, multi-purpose diffuser. 

Reflectors

A Reflector provides natural light and they come in various shapes, sizes, and colours, but the silver, circular reflector seems to be the most popular.

How to Choose Studio Lighting

I can use stands to hold my reflector, or, if I have another person on-hand, I can have them assist me in holding and positioning the reflector. It will increase the light on the subject by reflecting the available light. They also work extremely well to fill in the light behind the subject, or, if I am shooting outside and my subjects back is lit, positioning the reflector to face directly will bring out more detail on their face, without creating harsh, unnatural lighting.

Off Camera Lighting

Now, if I am feeling comfortable enough to experiment with off-camera lighting, I can either use separate lights, or I can trigger a flash off camera.

Photography Lighting Kits for Beginners

If I am using a flash, I will most likely need to invest in triggers.  Some DSLRs can trigger a flash off-camera through an infrared sensor that is built-in to the camera, but triggers are a bit more reliable.

Basically, there are two components involved with triggers, a transmitter that attaches to the camera, and a transceiver that is attached to the flash. The transmitter communicates with the receiver, allowing you to place the flash off camera on a light stand, and use various umbrellas and soft boxes to diffuse the light.

Cactus Triggers are widely popular, and more affordable than a lot of the other triggers on the market.

Once I have decided how I want my trigger to flash, I should look deeper at various umbrellas and soft boxes. Umbrellas tend to create a more direct pool of light, while soft boxes will create a more even light source.

Basic Photo Lightning Kit

I will need a stand that will hold my flash, and my diffuser. I can scout for a kit that comes with a light stand, a mount for my flash and umbrella, as well as basic reflector umbrellas or just use the schools.

In short, if I am using a flash off-camera, here is what I will need:

• Trigger – a transmitter and a transceiver.
• Light Stand
• Mount – to attach to light stand and hold the flash/umbrella/softbox
• Umbrella – or your choice of diffuser

Triggering the flash off-camera is a lightweight, portable method of achieving studio-like lighting. If I am shooting in my house or the studio at school, I may have to look at larger flashes such as Alien Bees. Alien Bees also makes a portable power pack, so if I decide to take my lights outdoors for a shoot, I can with no issues.

My Rembrandt Lighting, Butterfly Lighting, and Chiarascuro Examples

This is one of my Rembrandt Lighting photographs that I tried experimenting with.

This is one of my Butterfly Lighting photographs that I tried experimenting with.

Both of these Images use the same equipment and settings, I struggled to get a clear dark Butterfly shadow under the nose but it has been successfully produced. At least that’s what I can see.

This is one of my Chiarascuro photographs that I tried experimenting with.

Inspirations: Portraiture

Some photographers we were given to look at for Inspiration with our Photographs are Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, John Rankin, Nadav Kandar, Richard Avedon, Yousef Karsh, David Bailey, Mario Testino, Steve McCurry, Jill Greenberg, Nick Knight, Tim Walker, Corrine Day, Jane Bown, Rineke Djikstra and Thomas Ruff.

Annie Leibovitz

Irving Penn

John Rankin

Nadav Kandar

Richard Avedon

Yousef Karsh

David Bailey

Mario Testino

Steve McCurry

Jill Greenberg

Nick Knight

Tim Walker

Corrine Day

Jane Bown

Rineke Djikstra

Thomas Ruff

Creative Responses

Gel Lighting

We Experimented with a lighting technique called Gel lighting. Gel lighting in photography refers to the use of coloured gels placed over light sources to create specific colour effects in images. These gels are typically made from thin sheets of coloured plastic or acrylic and can be attached to lights to modify their colour temperature or add creative hues to a scene. Knowing this, it has helped me produce the following photographs.

The reason that we Photographers use gels are for various purposes, including:

1. Colour Correction: To adjust the colour temperature of the light to match the ambient light or to create a specific mood.

2. Creative Effects: To add colour to shadows or highlights, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the photo.

3. Separation and Depth: To add colour behind subjects, helping them stand out from the background and creating depth in the composition.

Best Gel Photographs

Edited Gel Photographs

Even though I clearly stated that the Photographs from above are my “Best Gel Photographs”, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am not going to edit them. So I boosted the Vibrancy to 100 and kept the Saturation to 0, which made the Red mixed Orange stand out a lot more.

I wanted my 2 models to have their own individual colours associated with them. Like with my previous model Eddie, I associated Red and Blue with him, and for my Upcoming model Vincent I associated Orange and Purple. I used the same Gel Plastic colours and the same Vibrancy but I also changed the Hue in the Photograph to produce the following.

Photo Montages

Juxtaposition

For the purposes of a ‘juxtaposition in photography’ definition, we can say that juxtaposition photography involves combining two or more elements in the same picture, highlighting the interesting contrast between them, to create an eye-catching and thought-provoking image.

Or to be specific, juxtaposition is when you put two opposite things together, and the contrast of those two things becomes interesting.

For example:

• Fat person next to skinny person
• Tall person next to short person
• Dark colors next to light colors
• Circles next to rectangles
• Old people next to young people

Generally with ‘juxtaposition’ — you are making a statement through the contrast of elements you put in the frame.

My Experimentation

Double Exposure

A double exposure is created by exposing a single frame to two different images. Traditionally, you’d achieve this effect with film cameras, but this technique is now accessible to digital photographers through in-camera settings or via post-processing software like Photoshop.

Double exposure photography allows you to juxtapose contrasting scenes, textures, or subjects, resulting in images that can spark curiosity, ignite the imagination or tell a poignant message.

My Experimentation

What is Environmental Portraiture

An environmental portrait is a portrait taken in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography.

By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. It is also thought that by photographing a person in their natural surroundings, the subject will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and artificial experience.

Mood Board of Environmental Portraiture

Common challenges when shooting environmental portraits

If you’re unable to get to the location before the shoot, perhaps the greatest challenge with this type of photography is working with and overcoming the unknown. Often with environmental portraits you don’t really know what you’re dealing with — who you’re photographing, what they look like, what they’ll be wearing, what the location is like or what sort of lighting there is. This means, as the photographer, you have to be able to think on your feet and overcome these challenges when you arrive.

Here are some of the common challenges summarised into these key points here.

Time – Perhaps the greatest challenge on any photoshoot is a lack of time. Often we only have a small window of time, but numerous obstacles to overcome. Even if you’ve researched the location prior to the shoot, you have to be prepared to think on your feet.

Photographing on location – When working on location you don’t know what you’ll be working with until you arrive. Locations may be cluttered, busy with people and generally just not what you expect. Be prepared for this and know that you might have to look for the right space or even rearrange items.

Lighting – Lighting on location is something that many photographers struggle with. In many cases it’s common that you’ll be working with mixed lighting as the available light alone may not be sufficient, while other instances may require purely studio lighting if there is no suitable ambient light, so make sure to be prepared with two or three lights and some modifiers that could work for a variety of scenarios.

Communicating with your subject –As with any portrait, building a connection with your subject is key if you want to get natural-looking results. The key thing here is to be confident as this will help put your subject at ease. Even if you don’t have a lot of time, take a moment to talk to your subject, explain what you’re doing and what you want to achieve. Talk them through the shoot to help them feel comfortable as this will make the experience more rewarding for everyone involved.

Environmental Photoshoots

For my Photoshoot I tried to take a Variety of Photographs of people within their Environment. Some have arguable points that they are Portraits while others do not. I.e Motorcycle helmet photos.

I found a website going into detail about Portrait Photography as they said that Portraits are often more dramatic, are less smiley, etc. In portraiture subject often is looking away from the camera or is engaging in some kind of activity. Again, “portraits are more about telling a story”. Almost all of my Photos are telling a Story or engaging in an Activity.

To Back this up further Portrait photography is all about capturing the essence of a person, their personality, and emotions, regardless of what they’re wearing. Helmets can add an interesting element to the portrait, showing a different side of the person being photographed. So, a photograph of someone wearing a helmet can still be considered portrait photography because it’s about capturing the individual, their story, and their uniqueness.

Contact Sheet

Photographs Before VS After

Something that I have noticed with my Dirt Bike Photographs and a few other ones is that they are quite dull and monochromatic. Adjusting the Vibrancy option in Adobe Photoshop added the colour necessary to make my images stand out. These are the settings that I used to achieve this.

And these are the results that have been produced.

When I used the same Vibrancy for these Photographs it turned my Photographs into an orange colour, almost as if switching on a Thermal filter, which did not look as amazing as I had hoped.

So instead I used a different Vibrancy which produced a much more Eye catching result in my opinion.

And these are the results that have been produced.

Not all my Images needed Editing as they stood out by themselves or I already Edited them before uploading them. Such as…..

Arnold Newman Research

Arnold Newman (1918-2006) was an American photographer known for his pioneering work in environmental portraiture. He skillfully combined the subject’s personality and environment to create powerful and memorable portraits. His unique approach to portraiture forever changed the field and left a lasting impact on future generations of photographers.

Born in New York City in 1918, Arnold Newman grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and later moved to Miami Beach, Florida. He initially studied painting at the University of Miami, but his artistic pursuits were interrupted by World War II. During the war, Newman worked in a photo studio specializing in passport and ID photographs. It was here that he began to develop his interest in photography.

After the war, Newman returned to New York City and started his career as a professional photographer. His breakthrough came in 1946 with a series of portraits of prominent artists and writers, including Piet Mondrian and Max Ernst. These photographs gained attention for their unique compositions, and Newman quickly became a sought-after portrait photographer.

Alfred Krupp Image Analysis

In 1963, Jewish photographer Arnold Newman was commissioned by Newsweek to take a portrait of Alfred Krupp, a convicted Nazi war criminal. At first, Newman refused, but eventually, he decided to take the assignment as a form of personal revenge.

Technical

Arnold Newman, known for his environmental portraits, often used a combination of lighting techniques to create depth and mood in his photographs. While specific settings for the photo of Alfried Krupp in 1963 may not be publicly documented, we can make educated guesses based on his style:

1. Lighting: Newman frequently used natural light supplemented with artificial sources. For this portrait, he might have used soft diffused light to highlight Krupp’s features without harsh shadows.

2. Aperture: A wider aperture (like f/2.8 or f/4) could have been used to create a shallow depth of field, focusing on Krupp while softly blurring the background.

3. Shutter Speed: A shutter speed of around 1/125 to 1/250 seconds would be typical to avoid motion blur, especially if there was any camera movement.

4. ISO: Given the era and the film used, an ISO of 100 to 400 would be reasonable, depending on the lighting conditions.

5. White Balance: Since this was shot in the 1960s, it would have been set based on the film stock, likely using daylight balance for natural light or tungsten for artificial light.

These settings reflect Newman’s approach to capturing the essence of his subjects through careful control of exposure and lighting.

Visual

In Arnold Newman’s 1963 photo of Alfried Krupp, several visual elements contribute to the overall impact of the image:

1. Colour: The photograph likely utilizes a muted colour palette, characteristic of Newman’s style, which often emphasizes the subject’s features and the mood of the scene rather than vibrant colours.

2. Tone: The tonal range in the image would create depth, with highlights and shadows enhancing the dimensionality of Krupp’s face and the surrounding environment.

3. Texture: The texture in the photograph is important; you can see the details in Krupp’s clothing and skin, which adds a sense of realism and intimacy to the portrait.

4. Shape: The shapes within the composition, such as Krupp’s face and the contours of his clothing, create a focal point that draws the viewer’s attention directly to him.

5. Form: The three-dimensionality of the subject is highlighted through the interplay of light and shadow, giving a sculptural quality to the portrait.

6. Pattern: Any patterns present, whether in the background or in Krupp’s attire, serve to add interest without overwhelming the main subject.

7. Line: Lines can be seen in the way Krupp’s posture and the arrangement of elements direct the viewer’s gaze, often leading to his face as the focal point.

8. Space: The use of negative space around Krupp helps to isolate him, emphasizing his presence and the significance of the moment captured.

Newman’s composition is carefully arranged, likely employing the rule of thirds or a balanced layout that enhances the viewer’s engagement with Krupp’s character. The positioning of Krupp within the frame, alongside the elements surrounding him, creates a narrative that reflects his stature and personality.

These visual elements work together to create a powerful and evocative portrait that captures not just the likeness of Alfried Krupp but also the essence of his character and the context of his life.

Contextual

The contextual meaning behind Arnold Newman’s 1963 photo of Alfried Krupp can be understood through the historical and social backdrop of the time. Krupp was a significant figure in the industrial landscape of Germany, particularly known for his role in the armaments industry during World War II. 

At the time Newman photographed him, Krupp had recently been released from prison after being convicted for war crimes. This context adds layers of complexity to the image, as it reflects not only Krupp’s personal narrative but also the broader implications of his actions during a tumultuous period in history. 

The photograph captures a moment of introspection, possibly reflecting the weight of his past and the consequences of his legacy. Newman’s choice to portray Krupp in a stark, serious manner emphasizes the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding industrial power and its impact on society. 

In essence, the photo serves as a visual commentary on the intersection of personal identity and historical responsibility, prompting viewers to consider the implications of power and the legacies left behind by influential figures.

Conceptual

The conceptual meaning behind Arnold Newman’s 1963 photo of Alfried Krupp revolves around the complex interplay of power, legacy, and identity. Krupp was a prominent industrialist known for his role in the German steel and armaments industry, particularly during World War II. 

In the photograph, Newman captures not just Krupp’s physical likeness but also the weight of his legacy. The somber expression and the way Krupp is framed suggest a man burdened by his past and the moral implications of his business decisions. The composition and tonal quality evoke a sense of seriousness, highlighting the gravity of his position in history.

Furthermore, Newman’s choice of lighting and focus may reflect the duality of Krupp’s identity as a successful businessman and as a controversial figure whose actions had significant consequences. The image invites viewers to contemplate the complexities of power and responsibility, urging a deeper reflection on how individual choices can shape history.

Overall, the photograph serves as a powerful commentary on the nature of authority and the moral dilemmas faced by those in positions of influence.

Everywhere we look there are textures, no matter if the object itself looks bland from far away or up close. But if we use a digital camera or smartphone, we are able to see all the intricate details hidden away from our very eyes. This is achieved by using a zoom range of around 3X to 10X which is quite is common and can be suitable for general photography. For more specialized purposes, such as wildlife or sports photography, a camera with a higher zoom range, such as 20X or more, might be preferable. These Zoom ranges can help us achieve photographs like these…

Visual Elements (Formal)

Visual elements are the devices and techniques applied by photographers when taking a photograph to ensure that the outcome is pleasing both aesthetically and meets the photographers intentions. The visual elements are like a set of tools that can be used to construct a great image. There are a total of 7 elements that we tend to use in Photography; Line, Shape, Space, Repetition, Texture, Colour, and Value/Tone

Line

Lines are a great starting point when thinking about formal elements, as they are almost everywhere. Start by looking for lines in your composition that can guide the viewer through your shot or to a specific focal point. These are known as leading lines. Your lines don’t necessarily need to be straight, horizontal or vertical; they can be curved, angular, or random too. Angular lines that converge into a central point, commonly known as a vanishing point, will add perspective to your image. Think of how a straight road or railway line naturally disappears to a central point on the horizon, this is a classic example of a vanishing point. You can also add lines to your scene by creating entirely new ones. For example, when photographing moving traffic, you can use a slow shutter speed to create a light trail.

Shape

Regarding Shape in photography, this usually means a 2D subject outline. In contrast, form refers to a shape with a more 3D appearance. We’ve put these two together for this video as one formal element. Effectively representing shape and form in your compositions can turn objects, landscapes and figures into defined, striking focal points. Using various lighting techniques, such as backlighting, silhouettes, and paying attention to shadows, will help elevate the shapes and forms in your shot.

Space

Building Space into your compositions creates a sense of scale and brings added depth to your shot. It can also provide breathing room for your image’s main subject, allowing the viewer to focus on the scene’s primary features. Adding space to your compositions is particularly useful with outdoor photography, where you may want to emphasise the scale of geographical features, such as mountains and bodies of water. However, you can add space effectively when shooting almost any photographic subject.

Repetition

Symmetry and Repetition make interesting photographic subjects. And when you start looking, you’ll see a surprising amount of patterns around you in the natural and built environment. Often flat, even light works well for patterns as it emphasises its repetitive nature equally throughout the shot. But for some patterns that are more 3D in nature, you may want to experiment with a range of lighting setups to help bring them out. Some of the most striking patterns, such as aerial shots or extreme macro photography, can be those not usually visible to the human eye. But you don’t need to invest in a drone or a fancy macro lens to shoot patterns.

Texture

Texture in your composition can bring your image to life by giving the viewer a tangible connection with it, and is particularly popular in macro photography. You can draw textures out of all kinds of surfaces and environments. And to do this, you can use a wide range of lighting setups and shoot with a variety of depth-of-field. Textures are ideal for experimenting, try different setups and see what you like. You can use flat light with the camera head-on to bring out the surfaces of a weathered wall. Or, use backlighting for ripples in dunes, shallow depth-of-field for intricate materials, and long-exposure to get the silky-smooth look of flowing water.

Colour

A prominent Colour in your image – whether it’s a concrete colour block or a set of similar colours that form a palette can make a bold statement in your shot. Colours can also convey a mood to your image that will be emotive to the viewer. And you could also single out one particular colour to make a striking statement and have it ‘pop out’ of your shot.

Value/Tone

Focusing on Tone in your image means using variables of contrast and light and dark areas to bring depth to your image.
The tone is fundamental in black-and-white photography, where it should be used to guide the viewer through your image where there is no colour present to focus their attention. Practice makes perfect when it comes to tone, and we recommend trying different lighting scenarios and contrast levels for your preferred aesthetic.

Exploring abstraction in photography with Francis Bruguière, Jaroslav Rössler and others.

Many Photographers focus on texture in their images as capturing texture in a photograph can add visual interest, highlight unique patterns, or even evoke emotions. Texture photography overlaps with many kinds of photography, including everything from fine art to classic portraiture.

Here are a few Photographers that focus primarily on texture in their images that I will be looking deeper into…

Francis Bruguière

Bruguière was an American photographer who moved to London in 1928 where he began to experiment with non representational photography. Of these, the cut paper abstractions are particularly beautiful. The photographer exploits the endlessly subtle qualities of both paper and light, manipulating both in order to create complex patterns of texture and form.

Jaroslav Rössler

Rössler was a Czech avant-garde photographer who became known for combining different styles of modern photography including cubism, futurism, constructivism, new objectivity, and abstraction. His photographs often reduced images to elementary lines and shapes, exploring the contrast of light and shade. He experimented with a wide range of techniques and processes including photograms and double exposures

Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed is an English photographer who claims his objective is to sustain the interest of the viewer through his photographs. He focuses heavily on a contrast in the shadows from the light on the paper, giving a very two-toned effect.

Brendan Austin

Brendan Austin creates imaginary landscapes out of crumpled pieces of paper. He calls them ‘Paper Mountains’. Austin examines what we mean by nature and the way humans have impacted upon it. “The isolated desert city running on oil generators, the mars like landscapes of a volcanic environment and the mountains made from paper all attempt to start a conversation concerning the loss of meaning and reality.” The resulting images appear both recognisable as landscapes but also suggest a sense of artifice. Humble materials are made to carry an important message

Howard Lewis

Howard Lewis is a New York based artist whose artwork explores the concepts of light, form and the perception of time. Through his camera, Lewis strives to capture the dimensional qualities of form as rendered by light, illuminating the texture and age of each subject through the synthesis of photographic elements.

My Paper Experiments

I decided to use Origami in my Photos as I quite liked the texture that they produced and because scientifically Origami can help reduce stress, improve hand-eye coordination, boost creativity, enhance patience and persistence. It also symbolizes hope, healing and good fortune.

Knowing these facts about Origami it can create a hidden meaning behind my Photographs which I liked very much.

Contact Sheet

My Texture Experimentation

I used Adobe Photoshop for editing my Photographs and instead of just making my Photographs black and white, I decided to play around a bit with the settings to create these Monochrome based images. The settings that I used was…

This is the Before and After of the Original Image, and then the Black and White Filter applied.

This is the Before and After of the Black and White Image, and then the Colour Balance Filter applied.

This is the Before and After of the Colour Balance Image, and then the Brightness/Contrast Filter applied.

Combining all these filters together created a Blue cooling effect, used to convey a sense of cold or a depressing atmosphere which was my intention when editing these photographs. This effect can also enhance shadows as seen in the Photos above, adding depth to an image.

Scientifically, the colour blue can represent or be associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, and intelligence.

These might be some things to note when editing my Photographs in the near Future.

My Final Texture Photographs

ArtSteps: Virtual Gallery

Adobe Lightroom is a photo editing and storage application available through the Adobe Creative Cloud. This program allows users to quickly and easily edit their photographs with tools to alter contrast, balance colour, and change brightness on mobile devices immediately after taking the picture.

Are Photoshop and Lightroom similar?

Although the two digital photography editing apps are similar, the main difference between Photoshop and Lightroom is that Photoshop is ideal for more intense, detail-oriented photo editing and specializes in image manipulation, creation, and enhancement, while Lightroom is great for day-to-day workflows as it focuses on editing, organizing, and processing photos.

Adobe Lightroom Modules

Each module In Adobe Lightroom focuses on a specific portion of the photographic workflow. For example; the Library module is for importing, organizing, comparing, and selecting photos. The Develop module is for adjusting colour and tone, or creatively processing photos and lastly the Slideshow, Print, and Web modules are for presenting your photos.

Adobe Lightroom: Library

In the Library module you can review and organize the images in your photo library. The work area offers several different viewing modes so you can browse, inspect, compare, or select images with ease.

Adobe Lightroom: Develop

Although the Quick Develop panel in the Library module offers some basic image editing options, you’ll work in the Develop module when you wish to make more detailed adjustments and modifications to your photos. You can correct the colour balance or tonal range, crop or straighten an image, remove red eye, and apply a range of selective local adjustments—all non-destructively

Adobe Lightroom: Map

Lightroom Classic consists of a geotagging feature in the new Map module, where you can see or mark where your photos were taken. Photos already tagged with GPS coordinates will automatically appear on the map. You can drag images captured without GPS information directly onto the map from the Filmstrip, and edit location details and other metadata in the panel at the right. The Filter bar above the map view lets you highlight just those photos at locations currently visible on the map or filter for tagged or untagged shots. In the Saved Locations panel at the left, you can save a list of your favourite places for easy access.

Adobe Lightroom: Book

The Book module, delivers a suite of layout and type tools to help you create sophisticated photo book designs that can either be uploaded directly from Lightroom for printing through the online book vendor Blurb, or saved to PDF and printed on your own printer.

You can work with a multi-page preview of your book layout, focus on your design spread-by-spread, or view single pages in the Book module’s central work area, switching between these viewing modes and moving through the pages of your book using the controls in the Toolbar.

Adobe Lightroom: Slideshow

In the Slideshow module you can easily create stylish presentations from any image collection in your library. The images in your collection are displayed in the Filmstrip, where you can choose which photos you wish to include in your slideshow, and drag their thumbnails to change the order in which they will appear. The work area shows one image at a time in the Slide Editor view, where you can work on the slides individually, or preview your slideshow as a whole.

Adobe Lightroom: Print

The Print module offers a range of preset templates and all the layout tools you’ll need to quickly prepare any selection of images from your library for printing.

The photos in your collection are displayed in the Filmstrip, where you can select the images you want to print. You can drag the thumbnails in the Filmstrip to change the placement of your photos in the layout. The work area—the Print Editor view—shows your print layout, which may include only one image, a single image repeated at a variety of sizes, or multiple images.

Adobe Lightroom: Web

In the Web module you can build, preview, and then export or upload your own website to showcase your photos interactively.

As in the Slideshow and Print modules, the Template Browser in the left panel group offers a wide range of preset gallery templates which can be previewed in the Preview panel at the top of the group. The Collections panel provides easy access to your images and saved gallery designs. The panels in the right panel group contain settings and controls that enable you to choose between HTML and Flash gallery styles, customize the appearance and functionality of the preset templates, add titles, captions, information, links, and graphics, and manage output.

What does ISO alter on the Camera?

ISO controls the amount of light your camera lets in, and therefore how dark or light your photos will be. Here are some top tips to help calculate correct exposure: Low values, such as ISO 100, are best for a sunny outdoor shoot. For shooting at night — or indoors with dim lighting — use an ISO of 1600 or higher.

Testing different ISOs

ISO – 100

ISO – 200

ISO – 400

ISO – 800

ISO – 1600

ISO – 3200

ISO – 6400

How does a high ISO impact your Photos?

ISO is a number that represents how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. The higher the ISO number, the higher your camera’s sensitivity, and the less light you need to take a picture. The trade-off is that higher ISOs can lead to degraded image quality and cause your photos to be grainy or “noisy.”

Intro to ISO and Image Grain/Noise for Photographers (Shooting in Manual Part 5)

When might you want to use a high ISO?

High ISO is generally well suited to low-light situations, especially when a fast shutter speed or a narrow lens aperture is essential to achieving a creative goal. For example, using a higher ISO setting for hand-held street photography at night allows one to use fast shutter speeds to create bright, sharp images.

Brett Weston

Brett Weston seemed destined from birth to become one of the greatest American photographic artists. Born in Los Angeles in 1911, the second son of photographer Edward Weston, he had perhaps the closest artistic relationship with his famous father of all four of the Weston sons.

Intrigued by the many kinds and shapes of kelp he found on the beaches near Carmel, in 1930 Weston began taking close-ups of vegetables and fruits. He made a variety of photographs of cabbage, kale, onions, bananas, and finally, his most iconic image, peppers.

A Slow shutter speed setting allows a greater amount of light to enter, and a Fast shutter speed setting reduces the amount of light. Changing your camera’s shutter speed is one way to adjust the overall exposure of an image. But it also has creative uses, allowing you to control the amount of motion blur (or lack of it) in your images.

The slower the shutter speed, the more motion blur your camera will capture when shooting fast-moving subjects. With long shutter speeds from two to 30 seconds, any movement in the image will blur. This can create a cool effect with landscapes and the sky, as water and clouds turn soft and streaky.

When we take a picture, the camera’s shutter opens to allow light to reach the recording medium, where an an image is created. By controlling how long the shutter stays open, we can control what the resulting image looks like.

Also known as ‘exposure time’, shutter speed is measured in seconds or fractions of a second (tenths, hundredths, or thousands). For example, a slow shutter speed of 1/2 means the shutter remains open for half a second, while a faster speed of 1/2000 means it only remains open for one-two-thousandth of a second.

Useful Shutter Speeds for daily interactions

Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture projection.

Muybridge’s work consisted of pioneering chrono photography of animal locomotion (between 1878 and 1886), which used multiple cameras to capture the different positions in a stride; and for his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting painted motion pictures from glass discs that predated the flexible perforated film strip.

Doc Edgerton

Harold Eugene “Doc” Edgerton, also known as Papa Flash, was an American scientist and researcher, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is largely credited with transforming the stroboscope from an obscure laboratory instrument into a common device.

By 1931, Edgerton had developed a system of stroboscopic light to achieve amazingly sharp high-speed photographs, as well as multi-shot photographs to freeze different stages of a single movement on a single photogram, and the same year he obtained a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT.

Edgerton revolutionized photography, science, military surveillance, Hollywood filmmaking, and the media through his invention of the strobe light in the early 1930s.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer and architect. He leads the Tokyo-based architectural firm New Material Research Laboratory.

His use of an 8×10 large-format camera and extremely long exposures has garnered Sugimoto a reputation as a photographer of the highest technical ability. He is equally acclaimed for the conceptual and philosophical aspects of his work.

Sugimoto has spoken of his work as an expression of ‘time exposed’, or photographs serving as a time capsule for a series of events in time. His work also focuses on transience of life, and the conflict between life and death.

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models. Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.

Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred (due to movement and long exposure times), merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.

My plan to achieve Shutter Speed images inspired by Francesca Woodman

There are many creative ways to achieve Shutter Speed when taking photographs. Since I am at school and have a limited amount of resources to produce these “Fast and Slow” Shutter speeds, I will be doing the following…

• Wait for Cars to past by
• Get a friend to ride their Mo-ped or Motorcycle down the car park
• People running or dancing
• A bird flying
• Leaves dropping
• Heavy rain

Class Photo shoot

My Finished Images

Exposure time was 0.6 secs

Exposure time was 1.3 secs

Exposure time was 1/30 secs

Camera obscura, an early optical device, was used in the ancient times and during the Renaissance. It operated by allowing light to pass through a small hole into a darkened room or box, projecting an inverted image of the outside scene onto a surface inside. This phenomenon was the basis for the development of modern cameras. The camera obscura was crucial in understanding optics and served as a precursor to the invention of photography. 

Nicephore Niepce, a French inventor, is renowned for creating the world’s first permanent photograph in 1826. He developed a process known as heliography, which involved using a camera obscura and light-sensitive materials to capture images. Niepce’s groundbreaking achievement marked the beginning of photography as we know it today, laying the foundation for future advancements in the field. His work was instrumental in the development of photographic technology and the art of capturing images through a chemical process. 

Henry Fox Talbot, an English scientist and inventor, is well-known for his contributions to the field of photography. He is famous for developing the calotype process, an early photographic technique that allowed multiple positive prints to be made from a single negative. Talbot’s invention revolutionized photography by introducing a more practical and versatile method compared to earlier techniques. His work played a significant role in the advancement of photography as an art form and a means of visual documentation. 

Louis Daguerre was a French artist and physicist known for his pioneering work in photography. He is famous for inventing the daguerreotype process, which produced highly detailed images on silver-plated copper sheets. Daguerre’s process was the first practical and commercially successful photographic method, marking a significant advancement in the field of photography. His contributions played a crucial role in the early development of photography as an art form and a means of visual expression. 

Richard Maddox was an English photographer and inventor renowned for his significant contribution to the field of photography. He is famous for developing the gelatin dry plate process in the 1870s. This innovation replaced the cumbersome wet plate collodion process, making photography more convenient and accessible. Maddox’s invention revolutionized photography by allowing photographers to use dry plates coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, leading to improved image quality and ease of use in capturing photographs. 

George Eastman was an American inventor and entrepreneur known for founding the Eastman Kodak Company and popularizing photography through the introduction of the Kodak camera. He revolutionized photography by making it more accessible to the public with the slogan “You press the button, we do the rest.” Eastman’s innovations, including roll film and the Brownie camera, played a significant role in the development and widespread adoption of amateur photography. His contributions transformed photography from a complex process into a simple and enjoyable activity for people around the world. 

The Kodak Brownie was a popular series of cameras introduced by the Eastman Kodak Company, founded by George Eastman. The Brownie cameras were affordable, simple to use, and played a significant role in popularizing photography among the general public. They were designed for amateur photographers and allowed people to capture moments easily. The Brownie cameras used roll film, making photography more accessible and enjoyable for a wide audience. The simplicity and affordability of the Brownie cameras contributed to the democratization of photography as a hobby and art form. 

Digital Photography is a modern method of capturing images using electronic sensors to record light. It became popular in the late 20th century as technology advanced. Instead of film, digital cameras store images as electronic data. When a photo is taken, the sensor converts light into digital information, which is then stored on a memory card. This digital data can be easily transferred to a computer for viewing, editing, and sharing. Digital photography revolutionized the way we take and interact with images, offering instant feedback and the ability to manipulate photos easily. 

 

In autofocus the camera focuses automatically to some point on the photo which either the camera or the user selects. In manual focus the user focuses manually until the image is sharp. The camera may offer aids to manual focus like image magnification or focus peaking witch makes focused part show in different colour.

Focal Length

Focal length is the distance (measured in millimetres) between the point of convergence of your lens and the sensor or film recording the image. The focal length of your film or digital camera lens dictates how much of the scene your camera will be able to capture. Below are a few examples of different Focal Lengths focusing on the same thing/image.

Aperture

Aperture plays a big part in Photography too as it is able to blur the foreground and background around an Object (shallow depth of field) with a low f-stop number; or keep the photo sharp from foreground to background (wide depth of field) with a high f-stop number.

The diagram below shows/gives a clearer understanding of how Aperture works.

For Example; if we changed the Cameras Aperture was 2.8, the Lens would be wider producing an image such as…

This allows the Camera to focus on a distinct Object while it Soft Blurs the background, producing a plain but beautiful image.

Another Example is when we adjust the Cameras Aperture to 8, the lens will get smaller producing an image such as…

This allows the Camera to focus on more than one Object producing a somewhat clearer and decent image.

Lastly, if we increase the Cameras Aperture to 22, the lens will be significantly smaller producing a smoother, better, and clearer image such as…

Depth of Field

Depth of Field is interlinked with Aperture as Aperture is the cause and Depth of field is the effect when taking an Image. Depth of Field is the portion of that distance or ‘depth’ that is ‘in-focus’. A higher depth of field would see the whole image from foreground to background sharp and in focus, a lower depth would result in blurry backgrounds and blurred elements in the foreground too.

Photographers who used Depth of Field

Ralph Eugene Meatyard was a visionary photographer known for his dreamlike black & white photographs of family members in masks, elegant portraits of bohemian friends and radical experiments in abstraction.

Meatyard’s work spanned many genres and experimented with new means of expression, from dreamlike portraits—often set in abandoned places—to multiple exposures, motion-blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. He also collaborated with his friend Wendell Berry on the 1971 book The Unforeseen Wilderness, for which Meatyard contributed photographs of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Meatyard’s final series, The Family Album of Lucybelle Crater, are cryptic double portraits of friends and family members wearing masks and enacting symbolic dramas.

School Camera Photography

Photo Inspiration

Harry Callahan, a prominent American photographer, excelled in street photography and landscapes as part of the modernist movement. His photography focused on capturing the beauty in everyday life, exploring light, shadow, and form while emphasizing the relationship between people and their environment, showcasing a profound connection to the world around him. Callahan’s innovative photography techniques included experimenting with multiple exposure, cropping, and close-ups to craft compelling compositions. He skilfully manipulated light and shadow to infuse depth and emotion into his images, enabling him to convey his distinct vision and perspective through his photographs.

 

Background

Harry Callahan attended Michigan State College (now Michigan State University) and studied engineering before discovering his passion for photography. He became famous in the mid-20th century for his unique approach to photography, capturing everyday life in a remarkable way. Callahan’s work gained recognition for its innovative techniques and profound artistic vision, establishing him as a significant figure in the world of photography.​

My Summer Photography