Mood board

Plan/Themes

The first image reflects my love for football, especially Liverpool. I could use this idea for my photoshoots since a lot of my friends play football. I could snap shots of them in play, like dribbling, passing, or celebrating goals, or just catch them in their kits, showing moments of their teamwork or focus.

Another one I could possible do is a family gathering for christmas and the holidays, as this could represent almost like an environmental portraiture of different family members next to christmas decorations and lights.

There are many options I could choose from that are in relation to my identity but I think I will most likely refer my photoshoots to artists references, such as:

Christoffer Relander

Relander’s photography is all about showing how complex and layered identity can be. He doesn’t just capture portraits of people; he blends them with landscapes, nature, and other elements to suggest that our identity is not just about who we are, but also where we’re from and what surrounds us.

By merging human faces with trees, mountains, or skies, Relander suggests that our identity is connected to the natural world. It’s not just about us as individuals, but how we fit into a bigger picture, our relationship with nature, the environment, and the universe.

Relander’s approach, using double exposure, lets him create a deeper story about identity in each photo. It’s not just about showing someone’s face, it’s about showing the multiple sides of who they are. Relander’s process is a mix of skill and creativity. He doesn’t just take pictures; he carefully crafts his shots to tell a deeper story about who we are.

Moodboard

Identity

“Identity” is basically who you are, it’s made up of the things that define you, like your values, beliefs, and how you see yourself. It also includes how others see you. Your identity can be shaped by lots of things, like your background, experiences, and the society you’re part of. It’s not fixed and can change over time as you grow or as you’re exposed to new ideas.

Femininity

Femininity is the set of qualities or behaviors that society often associates with women, like being nurturing, emotional, or gentle. These ideas about femininity can vary from culture to culture and can change over time. It’s not something that everyone who is female has to follow, and today, many people are pushing back against these old stereotypes of what women should be like.

Masculinity

“Masculinity” is similar to femininity, but it’s about the traits traditionally linked to men, like being strong, independent, and assertive. Just like femininity, ideas about masculinity are shaped by culture and society, and they’ve evolved a lot in recent years. Now, more people are recognizing that there are many ways to express masculinity, and it’s not limited to just a few behaviors.

Gender Identity

Gender identity is how you personally feel about your gender, whether you feel like a man, a woman, or something else entirely. Society often has certain ideas about how men and women should act, but those ideas aren’t the same everywhere, and they’re always changing. Growing up in a place where there’s a lot of pressure to act a certain way based on your gender can affect how you see yourself, but so can being in an environment where people are more open-minded about gender.

Cultural Identity

Cultural identity is about feeling connected to the culture or traditions of the group you’re from, like language, food, religion, or customs. If you grow up in a place where that culture is important, it can become a big part of who you are. But if you move to a new country or grow up in a mixed community, your cultural identity might become more fluid as you blend influences from different places.

Social Identity

Social identity is how you define yourself based on the groups you belong to, like your family, community, or class. Your social identity affects how you see yourself in relation to others and how you feel about your place in the world. For example, if you grow up in a working-class family, that might shape how you think about success or what kinds of opportunities are possible for you.

Geographical Identity

Where you’re from, whether it’s a specific country, city, or neighborhood, can shape who you are. The place you live affects your values, your lifestyle, and how you relate to the world. If you’re from a small town, you might have a different sense of community or pace of life compared to someone from a big city, for example.

Political Identity

Political identity is about where you stand on issues like government, rights, and power. This is often influenced by the values you were taught growing up, the society you live in, and the political climate of your country. So, someone raised in a conservative family might have a different political identity than someone from a progressive background.

Loss of or Lack of Identity

Sometimes people feel like they’ve lost their sense of identity or never really figured out who they are. This can happen if you go through big life changes, like moving to a new place or dealing with personal struggles, or if you’re stuck in a situation where you don’t feel like you belong. It can be confusing and leave you unsure of where you fit in.

Stereotypes and Prejudices

Stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about certain groups of people, and prejudices are biased attitudes based on these ideas. These can influence how you see yourself or how others see you. For example, if society expects women to be nurturing, a woman who doesn’t fit that mold might feel like she doesn’t belong, or she might be judged unfairly.

She is among the most significant artists of the Pictures Generation, responding to the mass media landscape surrounding them with both humor and criticism, appropriating images from advertising.

At first painting in a super-realist style in art school during the aftermath of American Feminism, Sherman turned to photography toward the end of the 1970s in order to explore a wide range of common female social roles, or personas.

What was the purpose of Cindy Sherman’s photography? To portray the various roles and identities of herself and other modern women. Influenced by a previous generation of performance artists, Sherman developed a fascination for disguise, a fascination that had been with her since childhood, now in encounter with her own camera.

She meticulously constructs her photographs, controlling every aspect of the image, including makeup, costumes, lighting, and settings. Through her elaborate and often satirical transformations, Sherman encourages viewers to question societal norms and expectations, particularly those imposed on women.

Cindy Sherman’s work is characterized by her use of self-portraiture to create fictional characters and explore themes such as identity, representation, and the construction of femininity.

Image Analysis

Shows an photo of a woman dressed in a type of evening and seems to going somewhere important. Likely to have a narrow aperture and longer depth of field to show the smoke and her dress. The subject looks to be set in some type of living room or kitchen but it is uncertain to the limited visuals shown in which is a very eery scene in where much things seem to be disturbed and uncertain. I think before the photo was taken, there was some type of action, what makes me to believe this is that the person seems to be quite protective and startled, with her hiding the side of her neck and holding what seems to be a evening bag but with a very similar shape to some type of knife. In the background there is a mirror, in which shows her back and the vulnerability she has.

The mirror shows what looks to be a cloud of smoke but also in the foreground, telling us that she isn’t alone and that someone could potentially be smoking in the room as well. The frame of the photo also makes it so there is a sense of unknown and that there could be many factors that take place in the story of it. The reflections of a cocktail glass and a jacket slung over a chair, hint at a second, troublingly absent figure, who’s next move we can only imagine.

This suspense feels second-hand because elements like Sherman’s black dress and the pearl-clutching gesture remind us of horror and melodrama films from the 1950s and early ’60s, where women were often shown as victims or sex objects. Sherman hints at these old tropes but also pushes back against them. Her character holds a knife-shaped object in her right hand, maybe even challenging the idea of victimhood that the scene brings to mind. She’s caught between a nostalgic view of women as passive icons and the possibility of feminist empowerment. Film theory often looks at Sherman’s work, especially how it plays with genre and critiques the limiting male gaze in cinema.

Claude Cahun

Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun both use photography to explore identity and challenge ideas about gender. They take self-portraits, changing their appearance to show that identity isn’t fixed. Cahun’s photos often used disguises to blur gender lines, questioning how society sees men and women. Sherman did something similar in her “Untitled Film Stills,” where she plays different female characters and challenges how women are usually shown in movies. Both artists use costumes and changes in appearance to make us think about how society defines gender and identity. While Cahun worked first, Sherman’s art is often compared to hers for exploring the same ideas.

Claude Cahun was a French artist and writer, known for her unique self-portraits that played with gender and identity. She often dressed up in different costumes and poses, blurring the lines between genders and questioning traditional ideas about who we are. Her work focused on the idea that identity isn’t fixed, it’s fluid and can change. Cahun was part of the surrealist movement and worked closely with her partner, Marcel Moore. She explored themes of gender, sexuality, and self-expression long before these topics became popular in the art world. Besides her photos, Cahun also wrote poems and essays about identity and society. While her work wasn’t widely recognized during her life, it has gained a lot of attention in recent years.

Claude Cahun was born as Lucy Schwob on October 25, 1894, in Nantes, France. She later adopted the name Claude Cahun as part of her artistic and gender identity exploration.

Claude Cahun’s work challenged traditional ideas about identity, gender, and self-expression. Through surreal self-portraits, she blurred the lines between male and female, exploring themes of transformation and ambiguity. Cahun sought to break free from societal expectations and fixed roles, particularly for women, promoting personal freedom and empowering people to question rigid norms.

She achieved this by photographing herself in different costumes, mixing masculine and feminine looks to show that gender isn’t fixed. Her work highlighted the fluidity of identity and encouraged people to question societal labels and embrace more open expressions of gender and self.

Cahun also had a strong connection to Jersey, where she and her partner, Marcel Moore, moved in 1937 to escape fascism. During WWII, they joined the resistance against the German occupation, using art and writing to defy the Nazis. Cahun lived in Jersey until her death in 1954, and today the island honors her legacy with exhibitions and a museum dedicated to her work.

Moodboard:

 inspiration behind styles:

Double/Multi-Exposure:

Double/Multi exposure photography is when two photos are combined into one, creating a surreal or artistic effect. Originally done by exposing the same film twice, it’s now mostly achieved with photo editing software like Photoshop. The idea is to blend two images together, such as layering a person’s face over a landscape, so that they merge into something unique and visually striking. This technique is a fun way to tell a story or add a dreamlike, creative twist to your photos.

Juxtaposition:

Juxtaposition photography is when two contrasting or opposing elements are placed together in a single photo to create an interesting or thought-provoking effect. It’s all about showing differences, like combining old and new, light and dark, or nature and urban life, in one shot. This contrast can highlight unique details, create tension, or tell a story by making the viewer think about how the elements relate to each other. It’s a powerful way to capture striking visuals and evoke emotion or curiosity.

Montage photography is when multiple photos are combined into one image to create a new, layered story or concept. It’s like assembling a collage, where different pictures are placed together to show different perspectives or ideas in a single frame. This technique can mix elements of time, place, or even reality, allowing the photographer to convey a message or create a more complex visual narrative. It’s a creative way to blend different moments or subjects into one cohesive and often artistic image.

Own edits in style:

Studio Lighting Moodboard:

What is studio lighting and why do we use it?

Studio lighting is about using artificial lights in a controlled space, like a photography studio, to light up a subject in a way that looks good on camera. The main goal is to create the right mood, highlight details, and make sure the subject is well-lit. The key light is the main light that shines on the subject, usually placed at an angle to create depth and highlight features. A fill light is used to soften the shadows created by the key light, while a back light is placed behind the subject to help separate them from the background and make them stand out.

1-Point Lighting:

This is the simplest setup, using a single light source to illuminate the subject. It’s typically placed in front of the subject, usually slightly off to the side to create some shadows and depth. It’s great for creating dramatic, high-contrast images where the subject has strong shadows. However, it can make the image look flat or harsh, so it’s often used for more moody, artistic shots or when you want a very minimalist look.

2-Point Lighting:

This setup uses two lights – typically a key light (the main light) and a fill light (to soften the shadows). The key light is placed at an angle to the subject, while the fill light is positioned opposite to lighten up the shadows created by the key light. It provides a more balanced lighting setup compared to 1-point lighting by reducing harsh shadows. It works well for general portraits, making the subject look natural and evenly lit, while still keeping some dimension.

3-Point Lighting:

This setup uses three lights: the key light, fill light, and a backlight (or rim light). The key light is the main source of light, the fill light softens shadows, and the backlight is placed behind the subject to separate them from the background, giving more depth and highlighting the subject’s outline. It solves the problem of flatness and separation from the background, making the subject look more three-dimensional. The backlight helps create depth by adding a highlight around the subject, giving them definition against the background. This is a versatile and classic lighting setup used for most professional portrait photography, video interviews, and more.

What is Rembrandt lighting, Butterfly lighting, Chiarascuro?

Rembrandt Lighting:

Rembrandt lighting is a technique where the light is placed at a 45-degree angle above and to the side of the subject’s face. This creates a small triangle of light on the cheek opposite the light, while the rest of the face is shadowed. It’s a classic, dramatic look that adds depth and highlights facial features like the cheekbones. This lighting style is often used in portrait photography for a moody, professional feel.

Butterfly Lighting:

Butterfly lighting is when the light is positioned directly above and in front of the subject’s face. This setup creates a butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose, with the rest of the face receiving soft, even light. It’s a very flattering style, making the face look smooth and symmetrical. It’s commonly used in beauty and fashion photography, especially for subjects with high cheekbones.

Chiaroscuro:

Chiaroscuro is an artistic technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create depth and drama. The light is usually focused on one part of the subject, while the rest is in shadow. This technique originated in painting but is also used in photography to create a dramatic, almost theatrical look. The emphasis is on depth, with light and shadow working together to highlight the subject’s form.

What is fill lighting?

Fill lighting is a type of light used to soften or fill in the shadows created by the main light in a lighting setup. Its purpose is to reduce the contrast between light and dark areas on the subject, creating a more even and natural look. Fill light is typically softer and less intense than the key light, so it doesn’t overpower the main light but helps to soften the shadows and add detail to areas that would otherwise be too dark. It’s often placed opposite the key light to balance the lighting and prevent the subject from appearing too harsh or overly dramatic.

Studio portrait experiments:

Editing:

Before:

I think this is one of my best photos because it really captures the feel of chiaroscuro lighting. The way the light and shadows play off each other gives the photo a lot of depth and makes it stand out.

After:

For editing, I aimed to create a more distinctive look by incorporating chiaroscuro lighting to emphasize dramatic contrasts between light and shadow. To enhance this effect, I adjusted the texture and clarity, focusing on amplifying the fine details and sharpness. This approach added depth and dimension to the image, making the lighting contrasts more pronounced and visually striking.

Before:

This one really has that Rembrandt lighting vibe, especially with the triangle of light on the cheek. It’s just like the way rembrandt lit his subjects, with one side of the face lit up and the other in shadow, giving it a cool depth.

After:

Before:

In this photo, I used the technique of butterfly lighting, which I believe resembles the lighting effect the most. Butterfly lighting, is a portrait lighting setup that creates a distinctive shadow under the subject’s nose, resembling a butterfly shape. This look is achieved by placing the light source directly above and slightly in front of the subject, typically at a 45-degree angle.

After:

Before:

In this photo, the lighting looks like it’s using gels, which are colored filters placed over lights. This is a common trick in photography to create cool color effects. In this case, you can see the contrast between the reddish light on one side of the face and the blueish light on the other. The warm red and cool blue lights are coming from different light sources with colored gels on them, creating a sharp difference that makes the face stand out more.

After:

Artist reference:

John Rankin

John Rankin Waddell, known as Rankin, is a British photographer and director who has made a name for himself with his distinctive, often bold, style. He’s famous for his striking portraits of some of the world’s biggest celebrities, including Kate Moss, Madonna, David Bowie, and even Queen Elizabeth II. Rankin’s photography is known for its raw, edgy feel. He doesn’t just take a picture, he creates a moment that feels powerful and full of emotion. Whether he’s capturing a fashion model or a global icon, Rankin’s portraits often reveal something deeper about his subjects. He’s not afraid to push boundaries, using intense lighting and dramatic angles to create images that feel fresh and unexpected.

In this image, you can see how the hand reaching toward the camera helps create a sense of depth. The hand in the front is big and draws your attention, making it feel like it’s right there in front of you. This makes the rest of the scene, like the person and the background, seem farther away. The way the hand is positioned gives the photo a sense of space. It feels like there’s more to the scene than just a flat image. The hand being close to the camera creates a kind of depth, while the person and the background fade into the distance.

My edits relating to the artist:

Before:

After:

Final images:

Mood-Board, Mind-map of ideas:

Definition and introduction:

An environmental portrait is a photo of someone taken in their own space, like their home, office, or any place that’s meaningful to them. Unlike a traditional portrait where the focus is just on the person, in an environmental portrait, the surroundings are just as important. The place they’re in helps tell us something about who they are. The environment can reveal a lot about the person’s personality. For example, if someone is photographed surrounded by books, it might suggest they’re into reading or have an intellectual side. If they’re in a studio with art supplies, we might guess they’re creative. The space can show us what they care about or what they’re passionate about. It adds depth to the person’s identity, turning the portrait into a more complete picture of who they are.

Compare and contrast to artist reference:

Arnold Newman

Arnold Newman (1918–2006) was a famous American photographer known for his portraits that told a bigger story about his subjects. Instead of just snapping a regular headshot, Newman’s portraits often included the subject’s surroundings places or objects that reflected who they were and what they did. This style became known as environmental portraiture. Newman started out in New York and studied photography at the University of Miami. He worked in commercial photography early on but soon developed his own artistic style. Rather than taking posed, studio photos, he preferred to shoot people in the places that defined them, like artists in their studios or musicians with their instruments. Some of his most famous photos include a shot of composer Igor Stravinsky at the piano and an image of Alfried Krupp. Newman’s portraits helped show not just what someone looked like, but who they were and what they cared about.

Visual:

The photo of Alfred Krupp, taken by Arnold Newman, puts him right at the center of the frame, making him the clear focal point. The concrete pillars in the background add to the cold, industrial vibe, giving the whole scene a harsh, almost intimidating feel. Krupp is leaning slightly forward, his hands clasped under his chin, and he’s making direct eye contact with the camera. His posture and gaze suggest confidence, but there’s also something sinister about it. The industrial backdrop makes it look like Krupp is in charge of everything around him, adding to his sense of power. The lines in the photo, especially those at the top, draw the viewer’s eyes directly to his face, which adds to the feeling that he’s the center of everything. The balance of light and dark in the image also plays a big role. The light at the top of the photo contrasts with the darker bottom, creating a sense of tension and drama. This contrast exaggerates the eerie feeling, making Krupp seem even more menacing. His elevated position in the frame makes him appear in control, almost as if he’s towering over the scene.

Technical:

Technically, the lighting in the photo seems to be artificial, casting sharp shadows across Krupp’s face and deepening the intensity of his gaze. The sharp focus on Krupp’s face suggests a medium aperture, which keeps him in clear focus while the background is a bit softer but still recognizable. The fast shutter speed used helps keep everything crisp, with no blur in the image, and it helps maintain a balanced exposure. The camera is at eye level with Krupp, which makes the viewer feel like they’re sitting right across from him. This angle not only draws us in but also makes the photo feel more confrontational and unsettling.

Contextual:

As for the context, Alfred Krupp was a German industrialist who ran factories that produced weapons for Nazi Germany during World War II. His factories relied on forced labor, including prisoners of war, many of were Jewish. These workers were often worked to death in brutal conditions, making Krupp a figure of hate. Arnold Newman, who was Jewish, didn’t want to take the photo at first but eventually agreed. During the shoot, Newman asked Krupp to lean forward a little, and when Krupp did, he clasped his hands under his chin. The way the light hit Krupp’s face in that moment was striking, and Newman said he got a chill down his spine when he saw it. That moment led to one of Newman’s most famous photos.

Conceptual:

When Krupp saw the photo, he was reportedly furious. For Newman, though, this was a bit of sweet revenge. The photo captured Krupp in a way that was both sincere and menacing, showing a side of him that was both powerful and unsettling. As the image circulated, it forced Krupp into the public eye, pulling him out of the shadows and exposing his true nature. For Newman, it was more than just a portrait, it was a way to share his own deep hatred for Krupp with the world, using the photograph as a tool to show the man’s cruelty and dark legacy.

August Sander

August Sander was a German photographer known for his groundbreaking portraits that captured the different people in German society during the early 20th century. He’s considered one of the most important portrait photographers of his time. Sander’s work aimed to document the variety of social classes, professions, and lifestyles in Germany, especially during the period between the World Wars. His most famous project, Antlitz der Zeit (Face of Our Time), was a collection of portraits of people from all walks of life, from farmers and factory workers to scientists and artists. Rather than just taking a photo, Sander tried to reveal something deeper about each person, showing who they were in their society and what their role in it was. His approach was direct and respectful, aiming to capture the personality and dignity of each subject.

Subject:

The photo shows an elderly man using two walking sticks, standing in the foreground. He seems to have paused while walking up the lane in the background. You can tell he’s old by his bent posture and white facial hair. The man appears to have been walking along the road and stopped to face the camera. He’s positioned to the right of the frame, looking toward the center and into the empty space on the left. This draws your eye to the building in the background, suggesting that he’s heading there. His neutral expression makes it feel like a natural moment, as if he’s just going about his day, not posing for the camera.

Sander’s photographic style helps us connect with the people he captures. The subjects’ direct eye contact with the camera draws us in without being forced or overwhelming. They seem natural and at ease, going about their everyday lives in familiar surroundings. His photos feel like a celebration of ordinary people, giving us a glimpse into who they are and inviting us to appreciate their essence.

The environment:

The house in the background looks like a classic Tudor style, with white stucco walls and decorative half-timbering, or a mix of dark brick and stone. This traditional building adds to the feeling of a cozy, simple setting where the subject likely lives.

Visual:

This photograph, like all of Sander’s work, is in black and white. While this was due to the limitations of cameras at the time, the monochrome style actually strengthens Sander’s typographical approach, giving all his photos a unified feel. The lack of color also brings out the tonal contrasts in the image. For example, the dark shrubbery on the right contrasts with the lighter pathway on the left, guiding your eye towards the house in the background. The rough, natural texture of both the shrubs and the path suggests this is a rural setting.

Leading Lines:

The main leading line directs your gaze from the bottom right corner, up to the subject, and then towards the house. Additionally, the angle of the walking sticks guides your eye straight to the subject’s face.

Balance:

The line formed by the shrubs in the background cuts through the photo, splitting it into two halves. The bottom half features the pathway, which is more open and empty, creating a contrast with the heavier details in the top half of the image.

Composition:

Upon closer inspection, it seems Sander has applied the rule of thirds in this composition. The subject is positioned at the intersection of the right third, while the house is placed within the top left third. The subject takes up two-thirds of the frame, making it the main focus of the image.

Angle: ​

The photo is taken from an eye-level perspective, which helps establish a sense of equality and connection between the subject and the viewer. By aligning the camera with the subject’s eye level, Sander creates a more personal, direct interaction. This perspective allows the viewer to engage with the subject in a way that feels natural, as if we are standing right there with them.

Technical:

The photo uses natural lighting, which adds to its authentic, unposed feel. The exposure is well-balanced, without any formal experimentation, allowing the scene to appear straightforward and true to life. The large aperture creates a shallow depth of field, focusing our attention on the subject in the foreground while softly blurring the background.

Context:

This photograph is part of Sander’s book Face of Our Time, first published in 1929 with a foreword by German writer Alfred Döblin. When it was first released, the book was advertised as follows: “The sixty portraits of twentieth-century Germans featured in Face of Our Time represent just a small selection from August Sander’s larger body of work, which he began in 1910 and spent two decades developing and refining. Sander did not approach this monumental project from an academic or scientific perspective, nor did he seek guidance from racial theorists or social researchers. Instead, he drew on his own direct observations of human nature, appearances, and the environment, guided by an instinct for what is authentic and essential.”

Conceptual:

The book is titled Face of Our Time, not Faces, which suggests that, together, these individuals form a single collective identity. It could be interpreted that Sander’s concept was to unite these people as a representation of his era. There is no underlying theory driving the work, just a straightforward examination of the period, capturing it in its purest form on the “face” of it.

Photoshoot Plan:

Mind map:

Action plan:

Photoshoot:

Photos inside of school:

These are the photos i have taken inside of school, in which I have colour coordinated them in terms of how good I think they are as a photo in general. With green being good, yellow being decent and red being bad. The green colours also signify that they are ready to be editing. The yellow colours could signify what I should improve on in the photo to make it good/green.

Editing photos of inside school:

For this edit, I changed the colour to black and white to more relate to August Sander’s work and how most of his work is in black and white as well. After this, I experimented with the tone and presence sliders in which enabled me to tweak the photo to completely how i would want it. I then cropped it to then make the subjects more of the focus in the photo, getting rid of any negative space in the process.

Before:

After:

Contact sheet inside school:

Photos outside of school:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Contact sheet outside of school:

Lines

Lines are common in photographs. They are all around us, and every photo has lines. These lines often connect different points within the image. Sometimes, lines come into the photo from outside the frame or lead out of it. The type and direction of lines in your image can convey meaning. Vertical and horizontal lines suggest stability or a still feel. Horizontal lines can show distance, while vertical lines can represent height, balance, and strength. Diagonal lines create a more active scene.

Shape

In a photograph, a silhouette represents the simplest form of a shape, lacking any details like texture or color. Because it stands out sharply against its background, a silhouette is very noticeable. Shapes are typically defined by lines that either intersect or enclose them. They can also be identified by their brightness or darkness compared to their surroundings. Differences in color, texture, and pattern around a shape can help distinguish it further. Additionally, shapes can be defined by other shapes around them, like the arrow in a well-known shipping company’s logo. The area that contains a shape is known as positive space, while the area outside it is called negative space sometimes, the negative space can create its own shape.

Space

Adding space in your photos helps create a sense of scale and depth. It gives your main subject some breathing room, letting viewers focus on the key elements of the scene. This is especially helpful in outdoor photography, where you might want to highlight the size of features like mountains or lakes. However, you can use space effectively with almost any type of photography.

Repetition

Repetition in photography is the technique of using similar elements, patterns, or themes in a composition to create a sense of rhythm and balance. This can include repeatedly using lines, shapes, colors, textures, or other visual elements to achieve consistency. Examples of repetition in photography could be a row of trees, a series of arches, a field of sunflowers, or a group of people dressed alike. By repeating these elements, the photographer helps guide the viewer’s eye across the image, establishing a visual rhythm.

Texture

Adding texture to your composition can enhance your image and connect the viewer to it, especially in macro photography. You can find textures in various surfaces and environments. To highlight these textures, try different lighting setups and depth of field options. For instance, use flat light and position the camera directly in front of a weathered wall to emphasize its surface. But also, backlighting can reveal details in sand dunes, a shallow depth of field can showcase intricate materials, and a long exposure can create a smooth effect on flowing water.

Colour

One of the most essential formal elements in visual imagery is undoubtedly colour. The use of colour, whether it appears as a solid block or as a harmonious grouping of similar shades, has the potential to create a particularly strong and memorable impact on the viewer. Different colours are not just aesthetically pleasing, they also hold significant power in terms of expression, allowing them to resonate with those who view with the image.

Value/Tone

Tone of your image is also very important in terms of formal elements, in which focusing on using contrast and the balance of light and dark areas. Tone is especially important in black and white photography, as it helps direct the viewer’s attention in the absence of color.

Francis Bruguière

Bruguiere had a pretty impressive career, shooting for famous magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair. He got into photographic abstraction and even made some cool cut paper designs, which really leveled up his art. In 1928, he showed his work at the der Strum gallery in Berlin and got a lot of praise. That same year, he moved to London, where he started playing around with light, which became a big part of his style. In 1930, he teamed up with Oswell Blakeston to create Light Rhythms, England’s first abstract film, inspired by his light experiments. Later on, he wanted a more laid-back lifestyle, so he moved to Northamptonshire and kept creating art until he passed away.

My response to Francis Bruguière:

These are all the photographs I’ve taken that focus on paper photography and my interpretation of Francis Bruguiere’s work. To organize these images, I created a color-coding system. Green indicates photos that meet a pretty good standard, meaning they are clear and well lit, which enhances their quality. Yellow signifies images that aren’t quite as good but still have editing potential. These yellow-coded photos may have issues like being slightly out of focus or poorly lit. I believe both the green and yellow photos are still useful and can be improved through editing to highlight their best features.

Paper editing:

For editing, I used the develop tab to explore the black and white presets. There were many options, and I chose a sepia filter for some images. I also adjusted the exposure to create a darker look in certain photos, making the shadows more noticeable. I made slight changes to the contrast as well to emphasize the dark areas and enhance the shadows. These adjustments improved the visual impact of each photo and contributed to the mood I wanted to achieve.

Add evidence / screenshots of the following:

These are my photos that I think were good enough to be flagged. After they were flagged, I rated them on scale from 1-5. This allowed me to assess the quality of of the pictures and help understand what differentiates and bad photo from a good one. These are a frame of reference to contacts sheets and how they are used by photographer to pick the best and most relevant work to their ideas

Edited Image:

To edit this image, I changed it to black and white and messed around with this setting that changed the grain, this made the photo and the subjects in the photo seems like they have more detail as the stand out more. I also changed the contrast and brightness to make the blacks and whites stand more out.

Comparing Images:

This is a comparison of the edited photo and the original, this gives a clear view of how the photo changed and how I could of done this. You then are able to analyse all the differences in each photo like for example you can tell that the image of the left seems more sharp and precise as a result of the edit techniques I used.

This is a contact sheet on some of the photos I did, this shows a clear example of the photo shoots I did for shutter speed and for apperture.

What is it?

In photography, the shutter speed or the exposure time is the length of time that the digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light when taking a photograph. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is proportional to the exposure time. 1/500 of a second will let half as much light in as 1/250. This gives the effect of either a fast or slow shutter speed, enabling photographers to experiment more with the type of photography they do.

Slow Shutter Speed

This is when the time of the shutter speed is longer to allow more light to be captured, this as a result makes the image less sharper and more lighter. it also often refers to a larger fraction of a second, such as ½ or ¼. Slow shutter speeds can capture movement and introduce blur, usually for slower moving subjects. Long shutter speeds are typically around one second or longer. This gives a example like this:

Medium Shutter Speed

This is when the shutter speed is in between a slow and high shutter speed as is around a shutter speed such as 1/250 to 1/30 sec. This is a middle ground, this mean the image is neither too bright or too dark but still gives the effect of a blurring/moving image, for example a medium shutter speed is used to blur a person running or animal giving the impressions of fast movement.

Fast Shutter Speed

Fast shutter speed is when you take a photo to 1/500th to 1/4000th of a second, This gives the image a sort of stuck in time effect with minimal or no blur at all. Fast shutter speed is often used to capture rapid moving objects or animals, this is so you get a clean image of a subject that would otherwise be blurred. But when you are using fast shutter speed the photo will be dark and lacking contrast. If you need a high shutter speed then you can compensate it with the aperture or if you don’t want to change that then you can increase the ISO value.

How the images were achieved

For the first image of slow shutter speed, I went outside the school and took pictures of cars going past. With the use of a slower shutter speed it made the cars look almost like a blur while the background stayed clear. This gave the illusion of the car going faster than it was. In the second picture it a gives and cool effect via the medium shutter speed, this is because only the legs are blurry but still not too blurry, this gives the idea of movement but only minimal. And with the third and final image it was just quite simple and shows a clear example of Freddie walking, but as it was a fast shutter speed, you are unable to see any type of blur even though he is moving.