These two images were taken when I was trying to capture the picture of my mum and aunty. I like the one where they are looking at the camera however I felt it would be more meaningful when looking at each other to show that their relationship is still close. The other image I tried to make it so the current time element of the two of them was in focus, while the original image was out of focus, however I don’t feel that this was successful because you can’t work out what is in the original image, and it looks as if it isn’t meant to be there.
The image below is another of my favourites of the wedding images, however I didn’t choose this one as my final image as I feel the composition isn’t as accurate as what it could be. I like their body language and how it is recognisable as a recreation of the original image, but also I felt the background could be better and there isn’t as much depth in this image as there was in the chosen one.
I tried a few different positions of the image in the foreground, and this is one of the first photos I took of this series. I felt the size of the image was fine, however I don’t like the position of it in front of the house. I feel like it is too far to the side and aligns with the corner of the house, making it less aesthetically pleasing.
This is the other approach I took when I knew I’d be in the photograph. I wanted to carry on the theme of me holding the picture, however the focus is wrong and the image isn’t clear, and I felt the theme throughout the series of home photos would be ruined.
When taking my images of a friend, Lilli, I decided I wanted to try and get a few different backdrops and look at which would be most effective. One of the first images I took was of Lilli against the wall. I thought this would be a good background, as the colours of the wall compliment the colours of her scarf and hair, creating a connection between all aspects of the image. Her skin tone is a nice contrast against these warm, orange colours, and shows the natural smile and happiness showing on her face. I like how she is slightly off centre, giving a more relaxed vibe to the image.
The next image along of Lilli is another of my favourites, again the colours of the buildings in the background where she is stood correspond with her hair colour and the colours of her scarf, but the leather jacket gives her an edgy look. In this image, with the two below that carry the same background, I like the depth of field in the image, with Lilli being in focus, and the background being blurred enough to make Lilli the main subject, yet in focus enough to be able to distinguish between buildings.
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The images below were taken in another location within the university, under a bridge. I wanted to keep the setting of these images local, and these selection of images I find interesting as, unlike the others, there is such contrast between Lilli and the background, with her being a bold, darker subject, and the background being bright. These images also have been taken with a low aperture, to allow Lilli to be the focus, and central, which is another element I like as she is stood under a very symmetrical bridge which isn’t shown in the images, however it creates a sense of centralisation in the pathway. Like the images above, you can distinguish between the buildings in the background, and the light is shining from behind Lilli’s head, creating a connection between herself and the setting.
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Self-portrait
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These are the 3 images I have picked out as my favourite for the self-portrait. This was a task I found uncomfortable at first however because my friend was with me, it made me feel more at ease and less embarrassed in public. I took a few shots with different facial expressions, with some being natural, and set the camera of self-timer to eventually get the right lighting and composition. My view on IMG_0063 is mixed, as I think it can be quite intriguing, as the expression doesn’t show an obvious mood but allows the audience to be able to guess and use their imagination on what could be going through my mind, especially with the eye contact. However, I’m not sure that I like the neutral vibe, and in a way prefer the happy expression on the other three images, which are very similar. I prefer the background of IMG_0041 AND IMG_0039 over IMG_0063 and IMG_0057, as I feel it is split more equally however in the other two there is one clear random pillar then a building on the other side, making it less symmetrical. The only thing that ruins the IMG_0057 is the fact it is slightly out of focus as I am moving which is why I’m not using this as my final image.
Even though the 3 images correspond with the idea of a ‘phatic smile’ and a smile in a photo is often common making it like any other photograph, I like how happy these pictures are. “We want to communicate ourselves as happy social people.” (Jones, 2015) and I believe this statement, which is why I am choosing IMG_0041 as my final image.
Jones, J (2015) The Guardian. Why didn’t people smile in old photos? You asked Google – and here’s the answer. Available from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/12/why-dont-people-smile-old-photographs-google-answer [accessed 11 April 2016]
Stranger
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These two images of one of the strangers I managed to get a picture of are two of my favourites. In both photos, I used a low aperture to make the stranger the subject of the photograph but allow the background to still be visible.
When looking for strangers to photograph, I was nervous to stop people in the street and ask for their photo. I went out with a friend, and we began taking casual pictures, to see if any passerbys took any interest in what we were doing, and if so, we would tell them we had a photography brief and would like a photo of them. This man and the woman below were from two different sets of couples, as we found that approaching people who were with somebody feared the camera less and were more comfortable having their picture taken.
In these photos of the man, I tried to get photos of him both looking at the camera but also looking away to get a more natural shot. I found that using a portrait shot when they were looking at the camera, and a landscape shot when they were looking away was more effective, as the eyes looking away help to highlight what is also in the background, however in the portrait shot, the focus is even more on him.
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I then decided to find another stranger to take a photograph of. Again, she was with her husband, and appeared to be nervous at first, however it relaxed her slightly when my friend took her husband’s picture too. I told her to both smile and look with a neutral expression to the camera, and luckily as the weather was quite cloudy, I didn’t feel like I needed a reflector at all in the position we were in, so it would be less intimidating for the subject. IMG_9859 and IMG_9861 are very similar but they are two of my favourites as she seems more relaxed and happy. When I looked at Rineke Dijkstra, I was intrigued with how the subjects looked so uncomfortable in the image, however it wasn’t an effect I wanted to go for. The one thing I did want to achieve in my images is texture, as her images have a lot of depth even though it is also simple at the same time.
I liked the angle of this image as I felt it highlighted the main theme of my series of images, with the vodka brand ‘Smirnoff’ recognisable and the party strings as a close up. However, I didn’t choose this picture as a final image as I felt having a portrait of a tall bottle was more effective.
This was the first portrait image that I took of the vodka bottle. I liked how bold the shadow was on the background, however I didn’t like the angle of the image, and felt like I wanted the object to be the centre of the image, rather than the shadow being a bold feature in the photograph.
Here are a few of my first attempts of taking a photograph of the bottle, which lead me to getting the correct settings of the camera and helped me capture my favourite picture:
Incorrect white balanceLow shutter speedHigh exposure, too much light and flashLow exposure and a filter between the light and the object itselfFavourite image
I enjoyed experimenting with the different settings on the camera and trying it with difference forms of lighting in the mini studio I set up. I used a desk lamp to allow the object to become the main focus of the image. Initially, I was going to use a piece of paper to remove the harsh light from the desk lamp, however this made it too dark, like in the image above. Eventually, I got a well-focused photograph of the vodka bottle, with the lighting I was trying to achieve.
This then set me off ready to take pictures of the cigarette box and the pills, only having to make a few alterations to make it suitable for each of the objects.
When I first started capturing the images of the cigarette box, I wasn’t going to place the actual cigarettes in the image. However, I wanted the message to be clear in the photo, and I felt that it made the image more interesting and dynamic. I decided to place the cigarettes in front of the box, and I preferred the composition of this, however I felt the photo was over-exposed, and I wanted the ‘Smoking Kills’ text to be clearer as it helps to express the message of fun vs. danger. I then played around with making the cigarette box at different positions within the frame, and moving the party string to allow the text to show through, but let the party string fall naturally. Eventually, when looking back on all my images, I found the one I wanted to use.
The first photograph of the pills came over extremely under-exposed, so I gradually increased the ISO to get the exposure I thought looked best. I also played around with the positioning of the pill packet and the pile of party string, and eventually found the composition that I was happy with.
When I first went out with the camera with friends doing a similar brief, I decided to take pictures while we were walking around, following the same street theme and trying different angles, giving me chance to get used to the camera. These were my favourite images that I took the whole day, and though they worked well as a series with the colour themes and content.
