Auto Focus and Manual Focus (AF and MF)

Auto focus is for general use, so you can use it for a large variety of things as it is the basic use for a camera. It automatically focuses the image. Whereas, manual focus is for specific photos you want to take, like close ups and detailed images, so it enables you to control the focus of the image.

Auto focus is typically used to track a subject when it’s moving around the frame, as it’s easier to get a clear image since auto focus will capture the subject without making it blurry.

The Focal Length

Focal length is the optical distance (usually measured in mm) from the centre of its lens and its focus. This helps to determine how much you can see from the camera.

For example, in this image below, you can recognise that the picture taken on the far left has been from up close, whereas the image on the far right is using a high focal length and a shallow depth of field as the background’s blurry. By using the focal length, the man’s face is now more symmetrical, as it’s taken from afar but zoomed in to make him look more proportionally accurate.

Depth of Field and Aperture

depth of field is the range of distance in an image that is sharp and in focus. A shallow depth of field means that only a small area is in focus, whereas a deep depth of field means a large portion of the image is in focus.

Aperture controls the amount of light let into the camera by adjusting the lens. The higher the f/stop number, for example, f/22, the smaller the lens hole will mean there will be a small aperture. This enables the entire image to be in focus, with all the details being clearly visible. Whereas, with a lower f/stop number, like f/2.8, only the subject will be visible with the rest being more blurry. You can look at other examples on this chart below:

My examples from the Canon Camera Simulator:

Shutter Speed: 1/3

Aperture: 22

ISO Setting: 400

At this aperture, you can notice that everything is in focus, as the higher the aperture, the clearer the image will be. This is useful when you take photos where you want everything to be in focus, like if you were to take a photo of landscapes as all the minuscule details are captured.

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Aperture: 8

ISO Setting: 1600

As you can see, in this image the plane is still in focus, however around the edges the objects are slightly blurred. This is because the aperture number is in the middle between out of focus and clear.

Shutter Speed: 1/180

Aperture: 2.8

ISO Setting: 400

In this image, it is recognised that only the subject (the plane) is in focus whilst everything else is blurred and out of focus. This is due to the low aperture number, but this is good for taking images where you only want one subject to be the main focus.

Artist Research

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Ralph was born in 1925 and passed in 1976, but in his lifetime Meatyard pursued his passion for photography in various ways, like his most famous work ‘Zen Twigs’ and his no focus work. His ‘Zen Twigs’ are photos of zoomed in twigs (using large aperture and a small depth of field) to make the twigs the main subject and the rest blurred. His no focus images are made by putting the camera on manual focus and changing the lens to create a foggy effect.

Ralph specialised in changing the cameras focus and depth of field, as well as motion blur and a range of exposure to invent an interesting look, as your mind tries to assemble what some of the images actually are, like in the ones above where you can partially figure out what it is.

Contact Sheet

Best Photos: Edited

Shutter speed is the time taken for the shutter of the camera to close. There are such things as fast shutter speed – which is needed for fast moving objects like sports, or quick animals, or slow shutter speed – which is used to create a blurred or delayed effect, like a cars tail lights when it drives.

A slow shutter speed can increase the amount of light let in through the lens, whereas a fast shutter speed has a shorter amount of time to let light through the lens, meaning images can sometimes become ore dim-lit. A slow shutter speed’s exposure time is usually around 1/4, and an example of a fast shutter speeds exposure time is 1/500.

In-between these two, is a medium shutter speed like 1/30 seconds. A medium shutter speed is the in-between amount from a fast shutter and a slow shutter speed. To understand this concept, look at the image below:

Artist Research

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Stern Woodman was a talented photographer who was born in America (April 3rd, 1858 – January 19th, 1981). She is well-known for her long exposure images, which consist of herself and other female models making extravagant movements to achieve a continuous and blurred effect. Woodman’s work was in monochrome colours, to enhance and highlight the range of movement seen in her work. Her images were actually part of her portfolio, as she unfortunately passed at only 22 years old. Her work is loved by many still to this day, decades later.

Here are some examples of her work:

In my images, I implemented Francesca’s shutter speed photos into mine by spinning around to create a similar effect. But, I also had to be weary and ensure my images weren’t having exposure for too long, as that can cause the image to dim so the work isn’t visible.

As you can see, her images were in black and white, so I made sure my images also had the same effect by editing them in photoshop.

My Contact Sheet: Studio Images

My Contact Sheet: Outside

Best Photos : Lightroom

edited images

Paper Ball Photoshoot

These images were inspired by Paul Jackson who was an artist from north of England. Jackson claims to have “been a fan of photography since he could walk”. He is currently studying for a BA in Photography and has trained in the New York Film Academy. Before his career in photography Jackson used to serve in the British Military. He is also a performer and enjoys travel and playing rugby. Here are some of his original works:

Paul Jackson

I then edited the Original Image using these settings on Photoshop:

I then used an auto B&W filter from photoshop.

I then edited the image using these settings on Photoshop:

I then edited the image using these settings on Photoshop:

I used drastic settings when changing the vibrance to create a Black and White effect

I then edited the image using these settings on Photoshop:

I also hanged the image to black and white and manually changed the settings

I then edited the image using these settings on Photoshop:

I also used the “Sharpness Tool” to help keep the focus on some specific areas.

I then edited the image using these settings on Photoshop:

I also did some texture images outside using nature to show detail with my own ideas rather than artist research.

I also used “Sharpness Tool” on the two leaves in focus.

In all my images I tried to use the formal elements. For example in this specific image I showed lines within the overlapping leaves and the lines of colour that run through them. Also, I used shape with the unusual long and twisting shapes the leaves make when they wind over each other. Space is used in the way the photo is layered and that the horizontal leaf is closest to the camera and then the others behind it are further back in the depth of field and there is more shadows in the background. I’d like to argue that repetition is used when the pattern of multiple leaves going vertically through the frame is repeating. Texture is used in which the texture of the leaf is in macro focus showing how its smooth. Colour is used as the leaf is very colourful in general especially in the bright sunlight however I have also heightened the colours significantly using photoshop to give it an almost neon green look. Tone is used in the difference of the brightness the closest leaf is in almost like a spotlight however the rest of the bush/plant is in a deep green darkness/shadow behind it. Therefore all of the formal elements have been used within this image and I’d like to say also the other images.

Comparison

A similarities between these images is the lighting is from the same direction casting a shadow on the right side of the paper sculptures. also the background is similar as there is a blend between the background wall and the floor with a grey shadow. A difference between the two is Paul Jacksons work looks to be in black and white as there is no hint at any blue shadows in the image that the white light casts and everything is on a greyscale where as my photo is in colour and you can see the different shades of the paper, the blue shadows and the yellow shade of the other papers.

Evaluation

Overall, I think the the photoshoots and editing went well especially the paper ones with multiple structures within the image as I felt there was the most depth of field used including different heights of the subjects. I also like the outdoors ones and use of colour. in my next shoot I’d like to focus even more on colour use as I felt the colour you could create with the paper ball project was limited. I’d also like to experiment more with cropping and depth of field looking at different subjects. I struggled mostly with finding the correct lighting to use for the paper balls to create enough shadow to make it interesting with out it being low quality image due to being dark, but also not having too much light or exposure to make the paper create a white glare.

TEXTURE MOODBOARD

Texture as a photographic concept is defined as the quality of an object, referring to the variances in tone, depth, colour and shape.

James Welling is a photographer who did a selection of photos of crumpled paper. The images have a strange heavenly effect to them because the highlights are glowing and slightly blown out. The paper looks simultaneously flat and textured – a contrast. They also have a high amount of contrast which creates more texture in the paper. The photos almost look like they could be a birds eye view of an alien landscape.

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Photoshoot 2

INSPIRATION

Gabriele Basilico is an Italian photographer who explores texture and repetition of texture in urban landscapes – ruined and perfect. I find his photos very beautiful as he captures things honestly. Some of his photos explore the effect of war in urban landscapes and show the destruction. He shows texture in the different layers and strange ways in which the architecture often contrasts the sky. I am going to try to capture similar things when I visit the Barbican in London over the weekend. I want to capture how the repetitive, brutalistic architecture contrasts not just each other but also the sky and other surrounding things. Other photographers I looked at for inspiration were Lewis Baltz and Minor White.

ANALYSIS – This is clearly a fil photograph and I can tell this because of the grain and way nothing is as sharp as it would’ve been digital. The mise-en-scene of this image is a large, semi-circular warehouse stood against a grey, grainy sky. The windows are repetitive yet have some anomalies – smashed and white that show character and tell us that the building is old and run down. The use of line in this image is very clever, there is a clear deliberate contrast between the grid pattern of the windows and the circular line of the warehouse. There is lots of texture in this image, from the brick walls to the grainy sky, to the different coloured windows. The lighting is very flat and the tone is greyscale. It captures a repetitive and brutalistic piece of architecture, and knowing the context around the image, is a nice message about war. The photo uses the rule of thirds clearly and obviously, more so vertically than horizontally though, The top third is sky, the middle third is the warehouse and the bottom third is the wall – this intentionally splits the image up and makes it more visually pleasing and easy for the eye to process. I believe the ISO is higher – maybe between 400 and 800, I can tell this because of the grain and the way the light doesn’t seem to be bright daylight. The shutterspeed is probably medium as there is no sign of motion blur but its not particularly sharp. The aperture is likely higher and I can tell this because of the wide depth of field – everything is in focus.

My photos.

I edited these photos by turning up the contrast quite high, and turning down the black point to make the blacks very contrasting to the white. I used a lightroom preset called Silvertone which added a sort of black and white film effect to my photos.

To finalise and showcase the images I took of the Barbican I created a virtual gallery. The virtual gallery gives the audience an immersive experience and allows them to decide at what pace to view my images. IT gives them an insight into my photographic intent and is generally a cool showcase of modern technology contrasted against the 90s brutalism showed in the images. To improve I could’ve made sure the white balance matched exactly in each of the images to make them a better selection.

Brendan Austin

Brendan Austin is a photographer who explores the illusion of how paper can be manipulated to represent nature.

His photos often consist of scrunched paper placed that replicate the look of mountains

This inspired me to attempt to re create this illusion.

Other images

ISO ( ) is a number that represents how sensitive your camera sensor is to light therefore effecting how bright or dim your photos will be.

A high ISO is suited to be taken in low light situations since the sensitivity is so low meaning you need a less amount of light to take a picture.

A low ISO is the opposite, and should be used in situations where the lighting is better since a low ISO means less sensitivity to light. Using low ISO in these conditions will reduce the amount of background noise in the photo leading to a high quality photo.

This photo was taken with a low ISO in dim lighting. This caused the image to become lower quality making it more grainy and resulted in more noise in the photo.

Fast shutter speed

Fast shutter speed freezes the motion in your image. Fast shutter speed is 1/125 sec or faster. 1/1000 sec is super fast shutter speed. Fast shutter speed lets less light into your camera and will effect exposure making your images darker.

This is an example of a fast shutter speed, the photo is very precise and you can see a lot more detail than you would be able to see with a slow shutter speed.

medium shutter speed

This is example of medium shutter speed, some parts of the photo are blurred, but some are more focused

slow shutter speed

A slow shutter speed can help you illuminate a darker scene, as it allows more light through the lens. the slower your shutter speed, the more motion blur your camera will capture whilst shooting a fast moving object.

This photo was taken with a slow shutter speed, in the night with long exposure/slow shutter speed. the photographer would have had to have a steady camera

Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge is best known for his photographic studies of motion of humans and animals, although he was also a pioneer in landscape photography. To capture the first action shots of a galloping horse, he used multiple cameras in different positions. Their shutters were triggered by electricity, enabling a shutter speed of one thousandth of a second. 

This is one of Eadweard Muybridges photos with a high shutter speed, showing a horse galloping. The camera has photographed the moment where all four of the horses legs are not touching the floor.

My own work.

In this photo we used a slow shutter speed in a dark room to capture the lights blurring to make those shapes.

This is another example of using slow shutter speed, me and my friend span round in circles to create this photo that looks like were not in one position

Artist Research – Mark Duffy

Mark Duffy is a commercial photographer who brings over a decade of graphic design experience to his photography work.

Some of his work involves close up macro photography of fruit, using effective compositions to highlight different textures on different fruits.

My Photoshoot

For my photoshoot on texture, I decided to photograph a wide variety of fruit and experiment with their different textures to create a range of unique, interesting images. By taking straight-on, zoomed in images similarly to Mark Duffy I aimed to highlight texture using specific compositions as well as creating clear differences in tones between different fruits.

Overall, some photos were underexposed whilst I was trying to adjust the settings manually to cope with the room’s artificial lighting but for the majority of the photos I feel I successfully captured effective images focusing and highlighting the unique textures of each individual fruit. I also used straight on shots to focus solely on the textures presented in each image, making use of formal elements such as lines and space to make them stand out further.

Some of my better photos:

The raw photos shown above I believe have captured texture very effectively, occasionally using a soft focus to highlight certain textures as well as most textures being in the foreground combined with a low aperture to make the textures stand out even further as the image’s main focal point.

Image Editing/Experimentation:

First editing phase:

Second editing phase:

Final fruit photos:

Above are my final 3 photos, presented in a triptych. I decided to crop each one similarly to the point where it removes most unnecessary negative space to focus solely on texture, as well as making them all black and white to remove colours in order to further develop the focus on texture since this was my main intention behind the photoshoot. Finally, after editing each image in Photoshop, I used Lightroom’s develop mode to manually increase presence of texture which I found extremely effective since now all my photos have a strong resemblance to Mark Duffy’s work with their minimal negative space and strong focus on textures.

Evaluation and Comparison:

Above is one of my final images compared to an image from my inspiration, Mark Duffy. I think I managed to successfully take inspiration from his work and implement it into my own photos, seen clearly by both images being straight-on shots of fruit highlighting texture – however, mine has some negative space around the subject (in contrast to Duffy) and is also in black and white which I did since I think the removal of colours cuts down on distractions to focus solely on texture. Both photos also demonstrate clear use of formal elements, with both having subtle lines to highlight the textures as well as a clear range of light and dark tones to create intrigue in the photo.

This is where my photos are saved in the video data drive

This is my contact sheet. After importing my images onto Lightroom from my documents, I now have a display of all of my images. I have flagged the photos that I prefer so its easier to find my best work.

This is my final flagged images.

After finding a picture I want to edit, on the left side there is a ‘Presets’ option which allows me to automatically edit my pictures with settings that are all ready made.

On the right side of the screen it shows me the histogram which tells me the ISO, shutter speed, and focal length.

Below the histogram, there is all he filters that help edit your photos such as colour, shadowing, exposure, highlights and more.

This is one of my photos that I have edited. the picture on the left is before editing and the picture on the right is after editing. I used lots of the different editing techniques on Lightroom to be able to change the colour of the photo whilst also making it more blurry.

Camera Obscura

The camera obscura is about 200 years old. The name comes from the Latin words for ‘dark’ (obscura) and ‘room’ (camera). With a camera obscura, you can perfectly capture the world around you by projecting what’s on the outside down into a darkened space on the inside you don’t even need a power source. it’s not magic it is just some really useful science. ​

it is a rather theatrical-looking curtain that surrounds the darkened chamber, there’s a large lens mounted in a wooden panel. That lens focuses the light from the scene outside down onto a mirror which is held at a 45-degree angle behind it on the inside. The mirror reflects the rays of light onto a piece of paper or canvas laid out flat on the base inside the wooden box. To see the image, you need to cover yourself with a piece of black cloth to stop any other surrounding light from getting into the box. You’d then trace the outlines of the scene you can see projected onto the paper inside. And because this camera obscura uses a lens, which creates a relatively large aperture, you get a sharp, colourful image on the paper like a mini video feed of the outside world. ​

Nicephore Niepce​

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce was a French inventor and one of the earliest pioneers of photography. Niépce developed heliography, a technique he used to create the world’s oldest surviving products of a photographic process.

In 1826, Niépce used his heliography process to capture the first photograph, but his pioneering work was soon to be overshadowed by the invention of the daguerreotype.​

Henry Fox Talbot

William Henry Fox Talbot was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 19th and 20th centuries.

William Henry Fox Talbot was credited as the British inventor of photography. In 1834 he discovered how to make and fix images through the action of light and chemistry on paper. These ‘negatives’ could be used to make multiple prints and this process revolutionised image making.

​Louis Daguerre – The Daguerreotype

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography.

The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative. The process required great care. The silver-plated copper plate had first to be cleaned and polished until the surface looked like a mirror.

Richard Maddox

Richard Leach Maddox was an English photographer and physician. Because of him, photography was given an early impetus to become a disseminator of medical knowledge. His interest in the camera, combined with his poor health and his medical training, enabled him to invent the gelatin bromide negative that is the backbone of today’s photographic film.

George Eastman

George Eastman was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He changed the world through his entrepreneurial spirit, bold leadership, and extraordinary vision.

Kodak Brownie

The Brownie was a series of camera models made by Eastman Kodak and first released in 1900.

It introduced the snapshot to the masses by addressing the cost factor which had meant that amateur photography remained beyond the means of many people; the Pocket Kodak, for example, would cost most families in Britain nearly a whole month’s wages.

The Brownie was a basic cardboard box camera with a simple convex-concave lens that took 2+¹⁄₄-inch square pictures on No. 117 roll film. It was conceived and marketed for sales of Kodak roll films. Because of its simple controls and initial price of US$1 (equivalent to $37 in 2023) along with the low price of Kodak roll film and processing, the Brownie camera surpassed its marketing goal

Digital Photography

Digital photography is a process that uses an electronic device called a digital camera to capture an image. Instead of film, it uses an electronic digital sensor to translate light into electrical signals. In the camera, the signals are stored as tiny bits of data in bitmaps, tiny bits of data that form the image.