The image above is the negative i chose to print 20x24, the bigger print of the four.
The remaining three are negatives i chose for the 3 smaller prints
Friday, 23 January 2015
Final 5x4 black and white prints
The image above is the negative i chose to print 20x24, the bigger print of the four.The remaining three are negatives i chose for the 3 smaller prints
Evaluation
The concept around this project for me became clear for me after only a tiny bit of research opposed to the last project where i really struggled to figure out what i would base the entire thing on. Looking at portraits that are already out there it became evident that there are different interpretation you can achieve that cross over into different styles, such as fashion and documentary. I decided early on that i wanted to achieve a more natural, documentary style portrait, to achieve this i also decided early on that i wanted the subject(s) to be strangers, at least for the most part.
The factors that really influenced me during this project was seeing the portrait style used with documentary in the cases of images i saw in wonderland magazine a few of which i used as examples. Both the group portraits and single portraits within the magazine, helped me figure out the look i really wanted to go with. I liked the idea of shooting outside against urban backdrops such as sky, brick walls and shop shutters. The images within the magazine, although i knew they were models hired to be in the shot. Made me look at them as if they were taken by a friend in a relaxed environment or candid or even just chance encounters, which is why i decided to go more with images of strangers so they were infact chance encounters.
If i was to go back to this project in order to improve the work i've done i would have taken a lot more dark slide out with me especially when shooting with the 5x4 field camera. This is because some of my negatives didn't work out right leaving me without enough time to shoot more resulting in me not capturing full length images, the majority of my images were mid shots. This in return means a certain aspect of the brief wasn't met. But this is an error on my part because i know film photography is unpredictable and its not always certain you will capture the image perfectly sometimes the image will be fogged etc. Looking back i should have thought ahead it is better to have more images than needed than too few.
Also with the images i have put forward in the black and white part of the project i felt that my smaller prints could have been a lot better, the negatives were quite gray which left my images looking gray all over and the whites were not white. In order to change the tones in the prints I did use a 5 filter to bring out the whites but i wasn't 100% happy with the finished result. I felt that a lot more time could have been taken to show the best of my ability in the dark room.
A new skill i have gained, isn't really a new skill for me however i feel i have improved upon this skill massively within this project. Just like the last project i brushed upon the fact i gained skills in talking with the subject of my photographs, in the case of the last project it was my grandparents so it was an easier transition but in this project is was infact strangers, i felt more comfortable talking to the strangers and actually approaching people which this time last year was a terrifying prospect for me.
This assignment challenged me quite a bit more so with shooting color film, as i stated previously i have only really shot color film using a disposable camera i am in no way shape or form used to loading color film or shooting color film using a hasselblad, i have used a hasselblad with a digital back but not with a film back, i also have never printed color images in a dark room before where as i am very familiar with how black and white darkrooms work as i have used them since the age of 13/15. Also not being a fan of the dark in my personal life i am proud that i was able to print in the color dark room which is completely pitch black it doesn't have red lights like the black and white darkroom.
upon reflecting upon this project i feel happy with the images i have put forward, but in some cases i feel i didn't achieve the best results, i felt that i am capable of much better like my previous projects.
The factors that really influenced me during this project was seeing the portrait style used with documentary in the cases of images i saw in wonderland magazine a few of which i used as examples. Both the group portraits and single portraits within the magazine, helped me figure out the look i really wanted to go with. I liked the idea of shooting outside against urban backdrops such as sky, brick walls and shop shutters. The images within the magazine, although i knew they were models hired to be in the shot. Made me look at them as if they were taken by a friend in a relaxed environment or candid or even just chance encounters, which is why i decided to go more with images of strangers so they were infact chance encounters.
If i was to go back to this project in order to improve the work i've done i would have taken a lot more dark slide out with me especially when shooting with the 5x4 field camera. This is because some of my negatives didn't work out right leaving me without enough time to shoot more resulting in me not capturing full length images, the majority of my images were mid shots. This in return means a certain aspect of the brief wasn't met. But this is an error on my part because i know film photography is unpredictable and its not always certain you will capture the image perfectly sometimes the image will be fogged etc. Looking back i should have thought ahead it is better to have more images than needed than too few.
Also with the images i have put forward in the black and white part of the project i felt that my smaller prints could have been a lot better, the negatives were quite gray which left my images looking gray all over and the whites were not white. In order to change the tones in the prints I did use a 5 filter to bring out the whites but i wasn't 100% happy with the finished result. I felt that a lot more time could have been taken to show the best of my ability in the dark room.
A new skill i have gained, isn't really a new skill for me however i feel i have improved upon this skill massively within this project. Just like the last project i brushed upon the fact i gained skills in talking with the subject of my photographs, in the case of the last project it was my grandparents so it was an easier transition but in this project is was infact strangers, i felt more comfortable talking to the strangers and actually approaching people which this time last year was a terrifying prospect for me.
This assignment challenged me quite a bit more so with shooting color film, as i stated previously i have only really shot color film using a disposable camera i am in no way shape or form used to loading color film or shooting color film using a hasselblad, i have used a hasselblad with a digital back but not with a film back, i also have never printed color images in a dark room before where as i am very familiar with how black and white darkrooms work as i have used them since the age of 13/15. Also not being a fan of the dark in my personal life i am proud that i was able to print in the color dark room which is completely pitch black it doesn't have red lights like the black and white darkroom.
upon reflecting upon this project i feel happy with the images i have put forward, but in some cases i feel i didn't achieve the best results, i felt that i am capable of much better like my previous projects.
Shooting color film
Today is the first time i have shot color film on a film camera other than the generic disposable cameras you used on holiday in the early 2000 .
The camera in question was a hasselblad with a film back.
I enjoyed using the hasselblad a lot more than 5x4 field camera due to the fact that its way more portable and light, there isn't heavy equipment to carry you aren't confined to one space and you don't have to waste time setting up the camera. With the hasselblad i could physically walk to people and ask opposed to seeing people walk around to obviously avoid me.
I am really excited to see how the images turn out once they are back from the shop.
The camera in question was a hasselblad with a film back.
I enjoyed using the hasselblad a lot more than 5x4 field camera due to the fact that its way more portable and light, there isn't heavy equipment to carry you aren't confined to one space and you don't have to waste time setting up the camera. With the hasselblad i could physically walk to people and ask opposed to seeing people walk around to obviously avoid me.
I am really excited to see how the images turn out once they are back from the shop.
My direction
Through my research and even the 5x4 images so far i definitely want to capture images that document the person and for it to look natural not staged. Therefore for my black and white images and color i want to capture them outside and mostly of strangers.
With the decision to take images outside i feel that my images will hold a lot more truth about a person, this will also allow me to interact with strangers and improve my people skills which in return will only make me better when encountering people in the photographic industry such as models, art directors etc.
With the decision to take images outside i feel that my images will hold a lot more truth about a person, this will also allow me to interact with strangers and improve my people skills which in return will only make me better when encountering people in the photographic industry such as models, art directors etc.
Color film photographers
Alec Sloth
Alec Soth is a photographer who captures portraits in a way that looks like he is documenting the person, not just taking an image of their face. Be it with their clothing or lack of, or props of nothing at all what i got from looking into his work is that he manages to capture them in an instant.
I've chosen a select few images that i really liked,
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In portraits the idea of capturing the essence of a person in a single image is in a sense documentary, the two styles (portrait and documentary) merge together in most cases depending how the image looks and what the concept and situation was. For example a portrait taken in a studio with a glamorous model is still a portrait but is more on the side of fashion or editorial, where as a portrait taken of a stranger on the street or possibly a headshot of a model at a casting is more of a document of the person making it more documentary.
primary research single portraits
Single portrait primary research
aswell as looking at the pairs or group images in Wonderland i also looked at some single portrait images.
The images below are two types of image in my head and i have ordered them into those groups.
The images above to me appear more natural, less set up. As i stated earlier this is a look i want to get with my portraits, in pairs or not.
To me these images look obviously stages either set up in a studio or equally just a controlled environment. This gives the images a more editorial, fashion look.
Photographer who take portraits on black and white film - Sean Moorman
Sean Moorman
Out of the portraits by Sean Moorman i have selected i really love the effect of having a natural background, they don't look set up as if they were staged in a studio. I have had the option of shooting images in the studio for this project but i love the idea of being outside not asking people who i know to pose for a photo because that in itself can be staged because you plan in advance, instead due to the look of these images it makes me feel like he's walked up to someone in the street and asked there and then to take their photo giving a more natural look and this is something i feel i want to do to actually capture the person.
First time out
Today i took the camera out for the first time, opposed to just getting strangers which my lecturer encouraged us all to do i just wanted to capture some images of Elle and Courtney who i knew, just for the time being to get myself back into using the camera. As the last time i used this camera was in first year for the Hartlepool Landscape project. I feel like the one main image that worked went well, it is a mid shot image of the two looking off camera.
Primary portrait research into pairs
Primary portrait research into pairs
I have a Wonderland magazine, and i thought just to get ideas of how pairs are used in photography in general, not alway in portraits however all of these in one way or another can be considered a portrait.
All of my primary research images are in various depths of field from close up mid length and full length. i have also used an example of a portrait of three people not just a pair.
Pair portraits
Our tutors have said to try and focus more on pairs in photography. In order to see how this looks in photography i feel researching this would benefit me.
Online sources
Francois Brunelle:
Brunelle is a photographer who has had an interest in the human face since the age of 18 when he started out as a photographer. He has created a photographic series where he find complete strangers who look almost identical, as if they were real life twins.
The theory that everyone has at least one or multiple doppelgangers in the world, other people that look almost identical to you is an interesting topic and this photographic series is very interesting considering that theory.
Portraits with pairs are very interesting to look at. You can get mixed messages through there faces one can be happy and one can look concerned, too serious or loving.
Online sources
Francois Brunelle:
Brunelle is a photographer who has had an interest in the human face since the age of 18 when he started out as a photographer. He has created a photographic series where he find complete strangers who look almost identical, as if they were real life twins.
The theory that everyone has at least one or multiple doppelgangers in the world, other people that look almost identical to you is an interesting topic and this photographic series is very interesting considering that theory.
Portraits with pairs are very interesting to look at. You can get mixed messages through there faces one can be happy and one can look concerned, too serious or loving.
Lesson with Tim about depth of field.
Lesson with Tim on portrait photography
Today tim took the group outside the from on CCAD to learn more about depth of field this is because for the first three black and white portraits we are asked to create has to be in 3 different depths of field. Close up, mid shot, and full length. Honestly before this lesson with Tim i knew of depth of field but i didn't have a complete technical understanding of it, I feel i know a great deal more now from this.
We were split into groups of 5 and were given a camera, and some tape and we were asked to mark on the floor all the various depths of field. To better understand how to focus the camera no matter where the subject is within the frame.
Depth of field
I already have an idea of what depth of field is, but i still feel i could benefit from researching more into. However this session with Tim really helped me wrap my head around depth of field a lot more.
What is depth of field
'The distance between the furthest and closed objects giving a focused image'
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/07/17/what-is-depth-of-field-how-aperture-focal-length-and-focus-control-whats-sharp/
Camera's can only focus on one thing at a time, if you want the background in focus but not the foreground you need to make sure the camera is focused on that spot and vice versa.
The higher the depth of field is on the camera means that more of the image will be focused.
Most digital cameras come with an automatic setting which controls all the setting such as the depth of field however to get the sharpness and focus you want to achieve having your own control and actually changing the settings is the best bet.
Depth of field
I already have an idea of what depth of field is, but i still feel i could benefit from researching more into. However this session with Tim really helped me wrap my head around depth of field a lot more.
What is depth of field
'The distance between the furthest and closed objects giving a focused image'
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/07/17/what-is-depth-of-field-how-aperture-focal-length-and-focus-control-whats-sharp/
Camera's can only focus on one thing at a time, if you want the background in focus but not the foreground you need to make sure the camera is focused on that spot and vice versa.
The higher the depth of field is on the camera means that more of the image will be focused.
Most digital cameras come with an automatic setting which controls all the setting such as the depth of field however to get the sharpness and focus you want to achieve having your own control and actually changing the settings is the best bet.
Portrait photography brief
Who are they?
This project is another portrait unit, unlike the portrait unit we did last year using a hasselblad in the studio, for this one we are not confined to the studio completely, using 4x5 negatives and the same camera we used in the Hartlepool landscape project.
There are three outcomes in this project, there is three 9.5 x 12 inch black and white prints. One 20 by 24 inch black and white exhibition standard print and also six 12 x 16 inch colour prints. All presented in either a print box or portfolio.
I am excited to complete this project because, although i found it difficult to use the 4x5 camera the last time i used it bearing in mind it was the first time i had used it, but i did like how the images looked from using the camera. Also i just want to learn how to use this camera better so i could possibly use it on my own in the future for side projects i may want to work on. I also just really like portraiture, i like capturing the essence of a person through a single image.
Shooting again (5x4)
Today myself and Courtney took the 5x4 camera out again. We had the intention of asking strangers to pose for us and this really worked, however i was definitely scared to approach people. We used shop shutters as a backdrop to get an urban natural back ground and i like the way this made my images look i managed to capture images that in my opinion are natural just like a first encounter with someone which was the case here. I am thoroughly looking forward to printing these pictures and seeing how they turn out!
Friday, 7 November 2014
Evaluation
Evaluation
The concept behind this project was not to
clear in my head at the beginning of this project, I always wanted it to be
around my grandparents but finding the link between them and the extra-ordinary
was hard for me. But once I broke down the meaning and realized that anything
can be extra-ordinary due to that fact everything is extra-ordinary in its own
way. To me their outlook on life and how happy they are together 50 years on is
just that.
The factors that really influenced me
during this project was defiantly the images Natalya Renik has made of the
documentary project entitles ‘Days with my father’ Before this I couldn’t
decide between portraiture and documentary and what kind of lighting,
background etc, I was finding it very difficult to find my direction with the
photographs. Once I came across those images I made sure in the next shoot I
tried out softer lighting and a more fly on the wall approach to the shoot,
capturing them doing everyday things, almost a day in the life. After this
shoot and I reviewed the images I knew those were the ones I wanted to use for
my final project.
I feel like my final outcomes for this
project brief meets the requirements, because extra ordinary can mean anything,
everything is extra ordinary. Something that is normal and everyday for one
person can be amazing to the next, an example would be us having electricity is
normal and something we take advantage of everyday, but to someone who is less
fortunate than us who does not have electricity would think it was amazing.
If I could go back to this project and
improve my work I feel I would try to capture more candid images of my
grandparents. I did include a few images that had my nana looking directly into
the camera, and looking back I feel images of candid photographs would best
represent my concept of capturing my grandparents in everyday life.
For this project I feel in order to take
documentary images I had to gain a better understanding for this type of
photography. Unlike other people I am close with who often shoot in a
documentary style I don’t tend to go in that direction. Through research I feel
it defiantly gave me an image in my head of what I personally wanted to capture
during this project and also just a better understanding of documentary as a whole.
New skills I have learnt throughout this
project are defiantly to be critical when choosing images that are my own.
Images that I think are amazing might not be so great to others; equally images
I hate might be really good to others. I also feel like I have gained more
experience observing people whilst taking photographs of them, I have always
spent a lot of time around my grandparents, more so when I was younger but I
haven’t really taken in little habits they have. Going to photograph them made
me sit down and observe them so I knew exactly what activities and traits I
wanted to capture. This is a skill that not only applies to photographing
people but also general people skills.
This assignment challenged me in a lot of
ways, it defiantly made me have to think to find a concept, it made me take
photographs in a style that I really haven’t gone into a lot in my own work not
only just in university. I am very glad I challenged myself to take photographs
in a way that I am not used to because I am happy with the way it turned out
and now I feel a lot more comfortable in a style I’m not used to.
In the end I chose 5 images to put forward
for this project, they were all printed in A3 and the paper type was lusture. After
we all had our prints an outside editor came in to condense the class’s images
down to one or two images each. These images will then go into the magazine
that will be put together in the near future. I have ended up with one image
which is a portrait of my granddad I am happy with this final image and it is
actually one of my favorites of the entire project.
Upon reflecting on this project I am
extremely happy with the end result. The images I have put forward I feel are
the best I came up with, although every image and concept can always be done
better. I feel my images perfectly portray my concept.
Reflecting on this project
Reflecting on this project
To be honest at the start of this project and mostly throughout i wasn't motivated for this project i think the majority of the problems i faced was lack of ideas. Coincidentally i did get ideas i would have rather done but i only got these ideas when it was basically too late to change the idea i had no time left. Because of this i just found it hard researching and wanting to take photo's however i did persevere and i have completed this project, Toward the end in this final week i have been a lot more motivated this is basically because my final shoot the week prior was my best and i was proud of how they looked and also today with Jason made me feel a lot better about the work i selected and also Antony at the end saying well done gave me a confidence boost in my work, at the start i thought everything i was doing was was rubbish. Thankfully i am happy with my images now!
Jason Hynes
Editing down our final images
Today Jason Hynes came into CCAD to look at the classes images, because this project is going to be published into a magazine, Anthony and Jamie thought it would be good to bring an outside editor into the college to help condense down our final 5 images into one or two to go into the magazine. The image Jason chose from my five is shown below.
I respect what Jason said about it being difficult to be critical of your own work that's why its best for others to edit and condense down your work, i do find it hard to find the images i do like best, there is another image i wished he had chosen which i will include below..
But i do also like the image he chose, he said he was drawn to the image because of it basically capturing the person and i completely get that, i feel like my grandad looks deep in thought and also looks very grumpy. I am happy with how this session turned out and i think it was very interesting to see and hear his thoughts etc.
Studio session with Richy Leeson
Studio session with Richie Leeson
Today a former CCAD student was shooting a shoot for a clothing company, mainly around accessories. This session was so enlightening and motivating. He gave us useful tips on location shooting and also studio shooting. One of the most important things i feel i learnt from the talk he gave was that he explained that everything he was using were things we have used before, he broke it down and made us realise that we have the ability to shoot photographs on the level he does. With practice you will achieve anything you want.
Later in the day we got the chance to go back and see him in action as he takes photographs and he explain how crucial it was to have a makeup and hair team and also that if you get the lighting right in the first image, little or no post editing will be needed, as time is money.
New photoshoot
My newest photoshoot
This is by far my favorite photoshoot and i think i like the images enough to use in my final 5. I went with natural light and tried to capture my grandparents in their everyday lives.
These are a selection of images that i thought were the best out of the shoot, there are many similar and different but i likes theses ones the most mainly because of the lighting so i am glad i chose to experiment with this.
Natalya Renik
Research into Natalya Renik
I was researching documentary photography of older people, due to this being my main concept from now and i came across this website (http://vjic.org/vjic2/?page_id=2424). The post was an essay exploring how aging is represented in documentary photography. This lead me to research this particular project further and i loved how she photographer the older generation.
The images i am showing below are images from a project called 'Days with my father'.
The images to me were so moving. In goes through images of a old man and in the end there is an image of chair he was sat in, in a previous image, but this time the chair was empty im not sure if the man died but to me it was pretty evident that he had. Images like this to me is so hard hitting. I am going to show the images below.
I love the way the images look, i think the colors really work and i also love how the images don't need to be completely lit to portray the message i think this is something i am going to carry through to my next photoshoot. I want to use natural lighting so it doesn't look set up, so its more natural to the eye.
New photohoot
I tried out a different approach with today's photo shoot, i attempted to use a more documentary style, and focus more on capturing my grandparents on a normal day in their life. Basically involving knitting and putting together jigsaw puzzles. I Don't entirely hate the images i got today but i don't exactly love them either, I'm going to work more towards this direction in the up and coming photo shoots as i feel like this is the right path to go down.
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