Duncan Philpott
http://duncanphilpott.com
Jürgen Teller
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jan/06/juergen-teller-fame-laid-bare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juergen_Teller
Martin Parr
http://www.martinparr.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Parr
http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2014/01/20/street-photography-book-review-the-last-resort-by-martin-parr/
Tommy Ton
http://www.tommyton.com
http://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/tommy-ton
Silvia Olsen
http://silviaolsenphotography.com/#/
Photographic elements/techniques
http://digital-photography-school.com/5-elements-of-composition-in-photography/
http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/rule-of-thirds
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/the-ultimate-photography-round-up/
Monday, 23 May 2016
Sunday, 22 May 2016
Friday, 20 May 2016
LO5 - Blog evaluation
The theme given to me for my images was 'identity', which I adapted into the identity of specific sub-cultures as their misrepresentation in the media is a subject matter I believe needs to be addressed. It allowed me to play with a lot of colours and textures because of the different clothing my models would need to wear for each shoot. As it was focused on people instead of locations or objects I got to play around with depth and focus to see what would better emphasise the emotional state of my models; even the lighting had the ability to accentuate the connotations of the theme.
Some of my early photo-shoots were mainly about me finding models and testing out different poses they could use as well as having a chance to play with the settings on my camera to see what would work best for my chosen subject matter. I wanted to focus on using the rule of thirds in my images as it makes an image more visually appealing because there are more focal points that the eye is drawn to. As well as this I used angles to try and show more of my model's surroundings so that the depth of the images was highlighted and I could talk more about the connotations of that stereotype's relatationship to their surroundings- for instance the stereotypical chav in the Winter Gardens.
Each location pictured is important because of its relation to the person being photographed as it helps identify an aspect of their identity. In some of the pictures I have changed their appearance to enhance the meaning: making the graveyard monochrome in one of the gothic images helped show the general mood of a graveyard and how the actual 'Goth' character stood out from that. I did a similar edit with the chav as solarizing the background and outlining Alex showed a distinction between him and the habitat he is photographed in. These alterations were made in Photoshop- I even used effects such as pontilize (used in the portrait photograph of a stereotypical Hipster) when wanting to dramatically change my images. My final pictures became a split between realistic and abstract, using whatever methods I could to show the gap between the stigma of the stereotypes and their true personalities. The more realistic final images (such as Alex sat in the Winter Gardens or Kayla pictured against the white wall) already had a lot of connotations relating to the identity of the stereotype so I felt it was un-necessary to add more to the images as the simplicity of them told a story of its own. Whereas with the other photos (such as those of Brad in the graveyard or in the Peace Gardens) I needed to edit them in order to show I was trying to create a distinction between him and his surroundings instead of endorsing the stereotype.
During this project I studied photographers: Martin Parr, Jürgen Teller, Duncan Philpott, Tommy Ton and Silvia Olsen. Teller, Ton and Olsen were all fashion photographers so I studied them in order to see what aspects different photographers thought were important when capturing fashion sub-cultures. With my images I was simultaneously trying to focus on the expression of my subjects as well as their attire so not all of the pictures had as much opportunity to focus solely on the sub-cultures style. I took several body shots that were quite similar in style to Olsen's work as they were simplistic but managed to easily define a particular sub-culture. Whereas with Tommy Ton's and Jürgen Teller's pictures they aided me in deciding to experiment more with the postures of my models- Teller's work even persuaded me to try using the flash in some of my pictures to create a more saturated effect. On the other hand, Martin Parr and Duncan Philpott were very different photographers. Martin Parr's works seems to study people and their relationship to typically British environments (my models relationship to their habitat was something I did try to explore in my photographs) which related more to the final images I was hoping to achieve. However, Philpott's type of adventure photography was not where I decided I wanted to take my own work; but he did inspire me to pay attention to the finer details where I could and also create interesting juxtapositions with textures.
I used multiple photographic techniques in my work from getting my images to adhere to the rule of thirds to experimenting with high and low angles to emphasise different connotations. Learning all these techniques will make me consider how I use them more carefully in the future and maybe try to include more intriguing techniques such as leading lines. I discovered that including these techniques does genuinely effect the visual appeal of a photograph, even if it just allows me to show off more of the environment and it's depth. Some techniques were more successful than others- for instance the images of Kayla by the Peace Gardens where I tried to focus on her expression did not work as well as the full body shots. A similar issue was presented with the editing, I ended up preferring the images that went through fewer alterations and looked more natural although I believed the more eleborate edits- such as pointilizing the picture of Kayla or using colour filters over the picture of Bradley in a graveyard- certainly added more interest to the photographs.
The images I took relate to the theme of identity by showing specific sub-cultures and how they use their clothes to express themselves. I even went so far as to explore that sub-culture's relationship to society and their association with the stigma they have been dubbed with. I think my final images really managed to explore the themes I set out to traverse; simply by placing my models in different locations I was able to allow them to break away from an aspect of their stereotype e.g. showing the Chav in the Winter Gardens defied the stereotype of chavs only hanging around dingy spots such as parks and pubs.
Whilst completing this topic I have learned a lot about different photographic techniques and how I can apply them in my own work. I have discovered new techniques such as: the rule of thirds, leading lines, centre of interest and framing. I have even begun stylising my photos to particular genres- I believe any image that creates a narrative is particularly intriguing as it allows the viewer not only the chance to look at an appealing image but also to take something away from it whether it be a new thought or idea. With my final images for this topic I mainly took the time to work on testing out different angles and incorporating the rule of thirds, as well as making my subject's face the centre of interest. All these different elements aided in emphasising the themes of my topic.
Some of my early photo-shoots were mainly about me finding models and testing out different poses they could use as well as having a chance to play with the settings on my camera to see what would work best for my chosen subject matter. I wanted to focus on using the rule of thirds in my images as it makes an image more visually appealing because there are more focal points that the eye is drawn to. As well as this I used angles to try and show more of my model's surroundings so that the depth of the images was highlighted and I could talk more about the connotations of that stereotype's relatationship to their surroundings- for instance the stereotypical chav in the Winter Gardens.
Each location pictured is important because of its relation to the person being photographed as it helps identify an aspect of their identity. In some of the pictures I have changed their appearance to enhance the meaning: making the graveyard monochrome in one of the gothic images helped show the general mood of a graveyard and how the actual 'Goth' character stood out from that. I did a similar edit with the chav as solarizing the background and outlining Alex showed a distinction between him and the habitat he is photographed in. These alterations were made in Photoshop- I even used effects such as pontilize (used in the portrait photograph of a stereotypical Hipster) when wanting to dramatically change my images. My final pictures became a split between realistic and abstract, using whatever methods I could to show the gap between the stigma of the stereotypes and their true personalities. The more realistic final images (such as Alex sat in the Winter Gardens or Kayla pictured against the white wall) already had a lot of connotations relating to the identity of the stereotype so I felt it was un-necessary to add more to the images as the simplicity of them told a story of its own. Whereas with the other photos (such as those of Brad in the graveyard or in the Peace Gardens) I needed to edit them in order to show I was trying to create a distinction between him and his surroundings instead of endorsing the stereotype.
During this project I studied photographers: Martin Parr, Jürgen Teller, Duncan Philpott, Tommy Ton and Silvia Olsen. Teller, Ton and Olsen were all fashion photographers so I studied them in order to see what aspects different photographers thought were important when capturing fashion sub-cultures. With my images I was simultaneously trying to focus on the expression of my subjects as well as their attire so not all of the pictures had as much opportunity to focus solely on the sub-cultures style. I took several body shots that were quite similar in style to Olsen's work as they were simplistic but managed to easily define a particular sub-culture. Whereas with Tommy Ton's and Jürgen Teller's pictures they aided me in deciding to experiment more with the postures of my models- Teller's work even persuaded me to try using the flash in some of my pictures to create a more saturated effect. On the other hand, Martin Parr and Duncan Philpott were very different photographers. Martin Parr's works seems to study people and their relationship to typically British environments (my models relationship to their habitat was something I did try to explore in my photographs) which related more to the final images I was hoping to achieve. However, Philpott's type of adventure photography was not where I decided I wanted to take my own work; but he did inspire me to pay attention to the finer details where I could and also create interesting juxtapositions with textures.
I used multiple photographic techniques in my work from getting my images to adhere to the rule of thirds to experimenting with high and low angles to emphasise different connotations. Learning all these techniques will make me consider how I use them more carefully in the future and maybe try to include more intriguing techniques such as leading lines. I discovered that including these techniques does genuinely effect the visual appeal of a photograph, even if it just allows me to show off more of the environment and it's depth. Some techniques were more successful than others- for instance the images of Kayla by the Peace Gardens where I tried to focus on her expression did not work as well as the full body shots. A similar issue was presented with the editing, I ended up preferring the images that went through fewer alterations and looked more natural although I believed the more eleborate edits- such as pointilizing the picture of Kayla or using colour filters over the picture of Bradley in a graveyard- certainly added more interest to the photographs.
The images I took relate to the theme of identity by showing specific sub-cultures and how they use their clothes to express themselves. I even went so far as to explore that sub-culture's relationship to society and their association with the stigma they have been dubbed with. I think my final images really managed to explore the themes I set out to traverse; simply by placing my models in different locations I was able to allow them to break away from an aspect of their stereotype e.g. showing the Chav in the Winter Gardens defied the stereotype of chavs only hanging around dingy spots such as parks and pubs.
Whilst completing this topic I have learned a lot about different photographic techniques and how I can apply them in my own work. I have discovered new techniques such as: the rule of thirds, leading lines, centre of interest and framing. I have even begun stylising my photos to particular genres- I believe any image that creates a narrative is particularly intriguing as it allows the viewer not only the chance to look at an appealing image but also to take something away from it whether it be a new thought or idea. With my final images for this topic I mainly took the time to work on testing out different angles and incorporating the rule of thirds, as well as making my subject's face the centre of interest. All these different elements aided in emphasising the themes of my topic.
Friday, 13 May 2016
LO5 - Photography Exhibition
Pictured above is how I would like to lay out my photography exhibition- including the white box in the bottom left hand corner which would include the name of the exhibition and a description of its themes. This is the composition I have selected for my images as it shows the relations between each sub-culture photographed. I specifically chose to put the two 'chav' photos next to each other so that you could see the contrast between how I had edited two very similar images; one with enhanced colours and a stark contrast between the model and his surroundings, the other more natural with a subtler editing technique.
I only chose two portrait photographs to edit and use as my final images so I placed them at opposite ends in order to spread them out and break up the reoccurring landscape pictures. The two portrait photos are both of my Hipster model and are very different; placing them on conflicting sides infers the difference between the stereotypical artificial hipster photo (right) and the more heavily edited yet natural image (left) as the subject is smiling at the camera and striking a more authentic pose. There are two photos of the Goth that were placed in my final exhibition and these are placed one atop the other. How close the pictures are makes the contrast between them far more obvious, similarly to the Hipster the top image shows the mocking of the stereotype whereas the lower image breaks away from the stigma. If they were placed further away it would not necessarily be as obvious. This composition also allows photos of varying sizes to be hung on the exhibition walls. The largest images are the ones I feel best convey my original intentions, often also being the ones I want to use to draw the viewers eyes to the smaller details e.g. Kayla's full outfit in the far right photo.
The presentation of my photographs could be improved firstly by making the images span a couple of walls instead of just the one as I would probably be granted more room in the event of an exhibition. Doing this would also give me the opportunity to put names and descriptions next to each photograph instead of the whole collection, which would provide the viewer with more information about my intentions. One of the main issues of the visual appeal of the layout of my exhibition is that the right hand photographs of Kayla and Brad don't quite correspond with the height of the rest of the images- making them look a bit out of place.
I have considered the sizing of each of the photographs:
Brad Large Peace Gardens - 50x33.3cm
Brad Small Cemetery - 30x20.1cm
Kayla Large Wall - 20x30.1cm
Kayla Small Peace Gardens - 20x30.1cm
Alex Photographs - 30x20.1cm
When it comes to profit I would like to sell the prints of the photographs and possibly posters from the events advertisement. The prints would be sold in two different sizes: 50x37 at £15 and 30x20 at £10, nothing larger as having done some research I have discovered particularly big prints tend to sell less. I should hopefully sell enough of these to make a decent profit but not as many as a well known photographer whom had exhibited their work previously. The posters I could sell from the event would be at £3 each as being cheaper may make people more likely to buy it if they can't afford a print.
LO5 - Final Edited Photos
"His Natural Habitat"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken at midday on the 8th of February 2016. I wanted to take a picture of a 'chav' in a habitat they weren't often expected to be seen in (they are generally associated with pubs and parks) so an educational nature centre like the Winter gardens seemed to be the perfect location. In the image I took, my model is depicted sat on a bench and laughing at the camera; 'Chav's' have a stigma of being quite stoic and inapproachable, but here Alex has an open, smiley face which once again challenges the stereotype and shows his true 'identity' (correlating with the brief). This photograph wanted to convey an aspect of the human identity or, more specifically, sub-cultures and their associations. I wanted my images to rival the sub-cultures stereotypes instead of endorse them like the media so often do.
I tried to get this photo to abide by the rule of thirds by giving it depth- Alex might be the point of interest in the image (I sharpened him and the bench) but the foliage and pedestrians in the background are also key points of interest that draw the eye even though I have used radial blur to ensure they aren't in focus. It's also a very texturally interesting photograph because of the bench, clothes and greenery- even the bright colours help to make it more visually pleasing, I played around a lot with the hue and saturation to get this effect.
"Neon Jungle"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken at midday on the 8th of February 2016. Once again it depicts Alex, my stereotypical 'chav', sat on a bench in the Winter Gardens in order to display the same connotations as were previously mentioned- but this image is far more heavily edited. When editing the image I solarized the background but used the filter 'find edges' on my model and the bench so that they stood out from the rest of the picture. By doing this I was attempting to convey the idea that 'Chavs' tend to stand out to the general public in locations like the Winter Gardens because of their stereotype: however unfair that is.
Once again the photo applies itself to the rule of thirds because of the composition of the image, but the colour is the part which most creates spectacle in the picture. The sudden contrast between the 'chav' and his surroundings gives it a very surreal effect that reinforces how bizarre it really is to think certain people don't belong in certain places because of the way they dress. By being solarized the foliage in the background appears to be more detailed and sic-fiesque in it's bright colouring; also making a very obvious textural difference between the different plants.
"Sizzler"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken at midday on the 8th of February 2016. I took pictures of my model 'chav' in front of a fairground ride in town, once again pulling a ridiculous expression to distance him from the stereotype of chavs being threatening. The true identity of the chav is being shown here instead of the stigma. It's another place most people wouldn't expect to find someone of his sub-culture and there is an obvious contrast between his monochrome clothing and the colours of the fairground around him. This location was picked last minute because I decided it would be a wonderful background to highlight this contrast and also challenged the 'chav' stigma in manner different to the Winter Gardens.
One of the first things I did with this image was show off some editing techniques by using the spot removal tool to get rid of any blemishes on Alex's face; I then sharpened him and used a blur filter on the background so his face became the centre of interest for the audience. Making the background out of focus created a great effect as all the colours become more indistinct. The composition of this image created an obvious distinction of the depth on the photo- everything in the foreground (Alex and the pole) were sharper and more detailed than the background as that was not the focus of my shot.
"In Peaces"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 8th of February 2016 in the afternoon. I took the picture in the Peace Gardens and wanted it to be a simple shot that focused on Kayla's expression (making her the centre of interest) instead of her surroundings. I tried to use my photographs to explore Hipster's relationships to their online persona; by taking a simplistic picture of Kayla it challenged the way hipsters stereotypically tend to keep a carefully cultivated online image in which they only post 'artsy' images.
The natural lighting in this photograph also contrasts the artificiality often present in Hipsters online persona; by doing this it was my intention to show that this sub-culture should not feel like they are controlled by their online persona and are instead different from the character they express. It shows two different aspects of their identity in order to relate to the brief. The landscape format gives my image the opportunity to not only show off the details of her top and coat but also give the picture more depth as it shows my model in relationship to her environment. When editing the picture I blurred the background and played with the tone of the different layers so that the depth was more obvious.
"My Aesthetic"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 8th of February 2016 in the afternoon. I took this stereotypically 'hipster' image of Kayla as on social media Hipsters often post pictures showing objects (e.g. clothing) in front of a white background because it is aesthetically pleasing- it was my intention for this photograph to mock how people expect 'hipsters' to be the same as their online personas. Even the pose is associated with their stigma in order to reinforce the idea that the model is poking fun at themselves and their sub-culture's associations.
The image I have taken is relatively symmetrical to make it more visually pleasing, I have also tried to make use of the wall to enhance the image. The grid like lines of the wall frame Kayla in the centre of the image, aiding in making her the focus of the picture- you could also argue that they are leading lines which direct the viewers eyes towards my model. Her becoming the centre of interest means you can see the detail of her clothes more easily, which have a more artistic effect to them as I have used the 'dry brush' filter over the top of them. I tried to use the lighting and tone of this image to make it more artificial, like something a real 'hipster' might post online.
"Dot Filter"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 8th of February 2016 in the afternoon. Once again the picture is taken by the Peace gardens, but I wanted to test out varying editing techniques with this image instead of just enhancing the original picture. I decided I wanted to use the same filter twice but still manage to make Kayla stand out in comparison to the background- pontilize seemed like the best effect to do this with. The final abstract edit conveys the idea that it is an artistic image that would appeal to a stereotypical hipster's expected identity.
The format of the photograph would allow you to see the clothes of my outfit if I hadn't used a filter to alter the image. Instead it shows the background which is not a location a 'hipster' would stereotypically photograph in to feed their online persona- again showing they can escape the sigma associated with them because of members of their sub-cultures online profile. The pointilizing creates a particularly apparent abstract sense to the work as there are gaps in between each spot of colour which negative space an important part of the image.
"The Wall"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 8th of February 2016 in the afternoon. It's taken in the same location as the previous shot in front of the white wall and so expresses the same connotations- namely mocking the Hipster stigma. She is posed in a similarly dramatic and serious fashion to the previous photograph to reinforce that she isn't taking it seriously.
Once again the grid frames my model and shows leading lines towards the model so that the viewers eyes is drawn towards them. The fact that the image would be completely symmetrical if not for my model creates an oddly appealing effect as she breaks up the image and creates a contrast between man and man-made buildings. I used 'adaptive wide angle' on the background to curve the wall and give it more depth, and then to create a more obvious distinction between the background and the foreground I sharpened Kayla. Sharpening Kayla offers the viewer the ability to look at the outfit representing her sub-culture in much more detail.
"A Gothic Hue"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 12th of February 2016 in the afternoon. I took it in the Peace Gardens near the fountains in order to get a clear shot of the coloured tiles running down it- taking the picture from a different viewpoint at a low angle gave me the opportunity to play with the colouring of the buildings in the background as well. I wanted to try and convey that the 'Goth' fit in naturally to such a bright and vibrant scenario; he seems happy there instead of nervous, showing that their stereotype does not and should not ostracise them from the rest of society. My themes were that of the identity of different sub-cultures and here it is being shown through how society views them because of their appearance.
This image is probably one of the most heavily edited out of all my final photographs. I spent a long time playing with the hue/saturation in order to give it an almost cartoony effect that was not stereotypically associated with a Goth but still ensured that only the Goth's surroundings were affected as playing with the hue and saturation of my model made the image look unprofessional. The other main filter I used was the 'cloud' filter in order to make the sky appear moodier as it was very plain originally. I even managed to make this image correspond to the rule of thirds relatively successfully. All these editing techniques created a very surreal effect that would hopefully stand out to my audience.
"The Damned"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 12th of February 2016 in the afternoon. When I saw the written phrase 'The Damned' I decided it was definitely something stereotypically associated with Goths and should be used in my shoot. With this image I was trying to conform to the standard moody effect given off by gothic pictures so that with the other photos I could show the way that Goths are misrepresented by these types of images. I have explored their stereotypical identity in this image but managed to explore their true identity in my other images.
I sharpened the image and used the 'film grain' effect in order to give the picture an old gothic effect to make it further adhere to the stigma. I also used the viewpoint to my advantage by taking it at a low angle, similar to the previous image, which not only succeeded in showing off more of the sub-cultures typical outfit but also made my subject look more powerful: this is the scenario he is stereotyped as feeling most comfortable in. Even the colouring of the image is moody and dark, connoting a gothic feel that applies to the stereotype.
"Graveyard Blues"
Photographed by Madison Fearn
This photo was taken on the 12th of February 2016 in the afternoon. It's a picture of Brad stood in a local graveyard as I decided this was the location probably most commonly associated with Goths, once again a part of my attempts to dramatise and mock the stereotype. Ironically my model is the most colourful aspect of the graveyard- it is his surroundings that are monochrome, inferring themes of sadness and loss. It was my intention to show the contrast between a Goth and what most people's concept of who and what a Goth is; they shouldn't be immediately associated with death and depression purely because of their choice of clothing. They have more to them than just an archetype society puts upon them, and with the theme of identity I tried to explore this in my images.
The colours are very important in this image as they show a sharp distinction between the monochrome background and blue Brad standing out with the 'plaster' filter over him. This filter makes him the centre of interest as it draws the viewers eyes towards the only source of colour. The composition in this piece is also important as I needed to show off the location because of it's relation to the sub-culture, by getting in a tomb stone and some of the dead branches in the background I feel it became an accurate representation of a graveyard.
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
LO5 - Photography Edits Video
Editing techniques
One of the first steps I took with most of my images was to alter the tone/colour of the image so that the white balance was appropriate- with some of my images I'd used the flash before deciding I didn't want the saturated effect so these ones took longer to edit. As I didn't have much consideration of the white balance when taking the pictures I had to gradually improve them in the editing stage.
Exposure compensation concentrates on how you adjusted the shutter speed and aperture of the camera depending on the lighting. The days on which I did my photoshoots were not sunny but were well lit enough that I could use natural lighting in my images instead of using any soft-boxes. For the majority of my images the aperture was F5.6 and I had a 1/80 shutter speed as they allowed me to get the correct amount of light for the images to look natural but also the shutter speed ensured any passer by moving in the background would have a slight blur to them so the focus was on my stationary subject. When photographing in the Winter Gardens I used an aperture of F8 for some pictures as it was more well lit than my other locations.
When photographing I also considered the ISO and had it at 800 as I was outdoors for most of the shoot and this is more suitable for relatively cloudy days. The higher the ISO the more sensitive it is to light so this was a perfect balance; initially I was unaware of the importance of the ISO and used to have it quite high but this changed on my final shoots.
Depth of field is important to consider, especially when focusing on the face of my model as to emphasise their expression the background needs to be slightly out of focus. Portrait mode can aid my in accomplishing this as well as editing in my final stages to show the different levels of depth.
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