Documenting the DSLR
The DSLR camera is the most common camera used by photographers and stands for "Digital Single Lens Reflex". It is the digital version of the SLR camera and allows the photographer to take images without using up film and will allow them to see the result immediately.
The Controls
There are ten controls on the DSLR camera, however the most important are the Mode dial and the Main dial.
There are ten controls on the DSLR camera, however the most important are the Mode dial and the Main dial.
The Exposure Triangle
The exposure triangle is a triangle of the three things that need to be balanced in order to achieve the correct exposure for taking a picture.
The first component is Aperture, which is how large the opening of the lens is to allow light through. The brighter the environment, the smaller the aperture. It affects the depth of field, where a clearer background (high depth of field) would need a smaller aperture
The second component is Shutter Speed, which is how fast the shutter moves. A higher shutter speed will result in less motion blur, and works better in brighter light.
The third component is ISO, which affects the camera's sensitivity to light. A high ISO is better when it is dark, while a low ISO is better when the environment is brighter.
The first component is Aperture, which is how large the opening of the lens is to allow light through. The brighter the environment, the smaller the aperture. It affects the depth of field, where a clearer background (high depth of field) would need a smaller aperture
The second component is Shutter Speed, which is how fast the shutter moves. A higher shutter speed will result in less motion blur, and works better in brighter light.
The third component is ISO, which affects the camera's sensitivity to light. A high ISO is better when it is dark, while a low ISO is better when the environment is brighter.
The white paper test
The white paper test is -
Here are the photos I took:
Ordinary to Extraordinary
Edward Weston
Edward Weston was a 20th century American photographer. He was a photographer for 40 years and he covered a wide range of subjects, including portraits, nudes, genre scenes, still-life, and landscapes. He used a Graflex large format camera with an 8x10 format (The largest you could get). He made sure all of his photos were in 8x10, and if they weren't, he would enlarge them to that size. He liked the Graflex camera because it allowed him to see the photo to scale in advance, making it much easier to get the images that he wanted. His goal was to create his own 'visual language', claiming to be a 'master of composition'.
A major problem he encountered with the close-up photography he wanted to do was the depth of field. Due to it's very close nature, the smallest aperture (f64) was still too big, and the pictures he tried to take were falling out of focus when the subject curved away from the camera even slightly, making it extremely hard to get the small details he wanted. To fix this, Weston created his own aperture (f240) which was essentially a pinhole, which gave him the depth of field he needed.
Along with the f240 aperture, Weston also shot subjects such as peppers in a funnel, making use of natural light and exposing them for 4-6 hours. Due to this, some of the subjects appeared luminous and unnatural, helping the 'essence' of the object really shine through.
A major problem he encountered with the close-up photography he wanted to do was the depth of field. Due to it's very close nature, the smallest aperture (f64) was still too big, and the pictures he tried to take were falling out of focus when the subject curved away from the camera even slightly, making it extremely hard to get the small details he wanted. To fix this, Weston created his own aperture (f240) which was essentially a pinhole, which gave him the depth of field he needed.
Along with the f240 aperture, Weston also shot subjects such as peppers in a funnel, making use of natural light and exposing them for 4-6 hours. Due to this, some of the subjects appeared luminous and unnatural, helping the 'essence' of the object really shine through.
For our projects, we are going to be focusing on taking inspiration from his close-ups of fruit and vegetables. He took the photos hoping to capture the "essence" of the subject. Here are a few examples:
Here is my response, starting with a collection of coloured pictures:
Here are some of my best images:
And my response with adjustable lighting:
Here are my best images:
What went well: What went well with these images is that they have a lot of detail and some make use of shadow and light, much like Weston did.
Even better if: It would be even better if I had increased the aperture and adjusted the ISO/added more light so some of the images were not as dark.
Even better if: It would be even better if I had increased the aperture and adjusted the ISO/added more light so some of the images were not as dark.
The next step was to make them black and white, so they better matched the way Weston's pictures look. The results are below.
Black and White - Natural Lighting:
Black and White - Adjustable Lighting:
WWW: I got a good collection of photographs of fruit with many different angles
EBI: I could improve the lighting and overall quality of the images
EBI: I could improve the lighting and overall quality of the images
abstract Comparisons: Body and Nature
Alicja Brodowicz
Alicja Brodwicz is a Polish photographer who compares nature and plants to human features, showing the similarities between them by showing them side by side. She presents all her photos in black and white, and they can be quite accurate. Here are some of her images:
Alicja Brodwicz is a Polish photographer who compares nature and plants to human features, showing the similarities between them by showing them side by side. She presents all her photos in black and white, and they can be quite accurate. Here are some of her images:
We were tasked to create images inspired by her work.
These are the nature images that I took:
These are the nature images that I took:
Here are my best edits:
WWW: I managed to find and photograph a lot of different human-like structures in nature
EBI: I could photograph more of the human aspect of the project
EBI: I could photograph more of the human aspect of the project
Abstract portraits: Erwin Blumenfeld
Erwin Blumenfeld was born in Berlin, Germany, and grew up there. He got his first camera at the age of 10 and claimed that “My real life started with the discovery of chemical magic, the play of light and shade, the two edged problem of negative and positive. I had a good photographer’s eye right from the start.”
He started photography as a hobby in January 26 1921 while he was running a leather's goods shop, taking pictures of mostly clientele but also family and friends from Berlin and Amsterdam. He developed them in the dark room at the back of the shop. HE He had his first exhibits of photographs in 1932 in Amsterdam and his first published photograph was in Arts et Métiers Graphiques, Paris in 1935: the portrait of Tara Twain, from Hollywood. And, in 1936, after being encouraged by Genevieve Rouault, he moves to Paris as a photographer. He works for French Vogue up until 1955 before starting to write his autobiography.
He started photography as a hobby in January 26 1921 while he was running a leather's goods shop, taking pictures of mostly clientele but also family and friends from Berlin and Amsterdam. He developed them in the dark room at the back of the shop. HE He had his first exhibits of photographs in 1932 in Amsterdam and his first published photograph was in Arts et Métiers Graphiques, Paris in 1935: the portrait of Tara Twain, from Hollywood. And, in 1936, after being encouraged by Genevieve Rouault, he moves to Paris as a photographer. He works for French Vogue up until 1955 before starting to write his autobiography.
Here are my best edits:
WWW: I managed to get a good amount of photographs with good quality and composition
EBI
EBI
Ambiguity: Johnny Kerr
The artist behind the collection "Ambiguity", Johnny Kerr, was born in Arizona, USA, and taught himself everything about photography. However, he also had spent years in education of art and design, eventually earning a Bachelor's degree from the art institute of Phoenix in 2003 for Media Arts, starting his career as a graphic designer.
He started becoming interested in photography in 2011, deciding to pursue it as a career in 2013. He claims his largest influences were his experience with graphic design and his appreciation of minimalist designs.
Here are some examples of his work:
He started becoming interested in photography in 2011, deciding to pursue it as a career in 2013. He claims his largest influences were his experience with graphic design and his appreciation of minimalist designs.
Here are some examples of his work:
We were tasked to respond with images taken and edited in the same style.
Here are my original images before editing:
Here are my original images before editing:
Three edited using colours from the image:
Three edited using alternative colours:
Process:
Original image:
Adding colour:
Finished:
WWW: I got a lot of different angles in the images, and managed to colour them in a unique way
EBI: I could adjust my choice of colours to fit the colour theory.
EBI: I could adjust my choice of colours to fit the colour theory.
Street Photography
Lee Friedlander
Lee Freidlander was born in 1934 in Aberdeen, Washington, and started his career as a photographer in 1948. He studied photography at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, but moved to New York City in 1956 where he photographed jazz musicians for record covers. He also photographed cities and landscape for humour as well as self-portraits, and is most recognised for his social landscapes. One of his more influential works is his "New Documents" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. In 2005 he won the prestigious Hasselblad Award.
His main influences for his early works were Eugène Atget, Robert Frank, and Walker Evans. Though, he soon deviated, and started shooting self-portraits in many different styles, often through his shadow or a reflection of himself. This led to him publishing his first album "Self Portraits" in 1970.
He is quoted saying: "I suspect it is for one’s self-interest that one looks at one’s surroundings and one’s self. This search is personally born and is indeed my reason and motive for making photographs. The camera is not merely a reflecting pool and the photographs are not exactly the mirror, mirror on the wall that speaks with a twisted tongue." Shows that the reflections could be metaphorical for how much more is actually there, and how it may not be as simple as it first seems.
Here is some of his work:
His main influences for his early works were Eugène Atget, Robert Frank, and Walker Evans. Though, he soon deviated, and started shooting self-portraits in many different styles, often through his shadow or a reflection of himself. This led to him publishing his first album "Self Portraits" in 1970.
He is quoted saying: "I suspect it is for one’s self-interest that one looks at one’s surroundings and one’s self. This search is personally born and is indeed my reason and motive for making photographs. The camera is not merely a reflecting pool and the photographs are not exactly the mirror, mirror on the wall that speaks with a twisted tongue." Shows that the reflections could be metaphorical for how much more is actually there, and how it may not be as simple as it first seems.
Here is some of his work:
Saul Leiter
Saul Leiter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1923. He became interesting in painting in his late teens and moved to New York City to pursue painting when he was 23. There, he met Richard Pousette-Dart (an Abstract Expressionist painter) who was experimenting with photography. His friendship with Pousette-Dart, and W. Eugene Smith soon after, as well as the photography exhibitions he saw in New York (one of the most influential being Henri Cartier-Bresson's exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1947) was enough to inspire him.
By the time he was 25, he was experimenting with colour photography, many of his tests using Kodachrome 35 mm film that had passed it's sell-by date. The main subjects of his photos were the few friends he had along with street scenes. He had a highly prolific period in the 1950s in New York City, which made an enormous and unique contribution to photography. The abstracted forms and innovative compositions have a painted quality, making them stand out from the rest of the works of the others in his New York School.
He used reflections in order to further enhance the Painter-like quality of the images, as well as other techniques such as shooting in rain or snow and using expired colour film, giving surprise shifts in colour.
Here are some of his works:
By the time he was 25, he was experimenting with colour photography, many of his tests using Kodachrome 35 mm film that had passed it's sell-by date. The main subjects of his photos were the few friends he had along with street scenes. He had a highly prolific period in the 1950s in New York City, which made an enormous and unique contribution to photography. The abstracted forms and innovative compositions have a painted quality, making them stand out from the rest of the works of the others in his New York School.
He used reflections in order to further enhance the Painter-like quality of the images, as well as other techniques such as shooting in rain or snow and using expired colour film, giving surprise shifts in colour.
Here are some of his works:
Photographer 3:
Info
We were tasked to use these three street photographers as inspiration for our own images, taken in Muswell Hill. Here are mine:
Out of these, my best images are:
WWW: I managed to get a good amount of images from shops around Muswell Hill, and conveyed a sense of abstraction through them
EBI: I could try to make the images clearer/get more balance between the actual subject and the reflections
EBI: I could try to make the images clearer/get more balance between the actual subject and the reflections
Chemigrams
Chemigrams are made through covering photographic paper (exposed to light) with a variety of things to block the fix and developer from getting to the paper. The fix will turn the (slightly yellowed) paper white, while the developer will turn it black. A mix can be used to turn it purple. With a combination of layering, fix, and developer, a unique image can be created.
Here are a few examples:
Here are a few examples:
Best outcomes:
I say these are the best outcomes due to the contrast between the straight edges and the circular, flowing pattern of the fix and developer creating a pleasing, segmented image with interesting patterns.
WWW: The chemicals created separate colours and patterns, forming interesting and unique images
EBI: I could try to stop the chemicals from turning grey/brown and blending together, as well as experimenting more with the purple colouration that can be made
Final Development
For my final development in abstraction, I plan to further develop my work on abstract still-life and chemigrams. These are two strands that have stood out to me throughout the abstraction topic.
Strand 1: Radu Zaciu
I am taking inspiration from Radu Zaicu's project called "The Light Inside", a series where fruit and vegetables are internally lit to create beautiful and detailed images of them. He got the idea to start the project from what he called "a game of words", as the German word for "lightbulb" is "gluehbirne", which directly translates to "Glowing pear", where he decided to combine a light with a pear to create a glowing pear. After seeing it's beauty, he decided to continue with a different array of fruit and veg. Here are some of his works:
And here is my work:
Strand 2: Chemigrams
The photographer I have decided to research for this strand is Pierre Cordier, the photographer who invented chemigrams. He was born on January 28, 1933 in Brussels, Belgium. He was already interested in photography and art, and created his first chemigram in 1956. He found the technique after writing a dedication to a young German girl by writing on light sensitive paper with nail polish.
He describes the process in a Q&A by stating: "Chemigrams use these same products but without a camera. To get shapes you turn to things you can find in the kitchen, the bathroom, or the hardware store, and these are what we call resists. They can be soft (honey, syrup, oil) or hard (varnish, wax, adhesive). You set them onto the light sensitive surface with brushes, rollers or sprayers. By soaking the paper alternately in developer (to get the blacks) and fixer (to get the whites), there gradually appear images impossible to obtain with painting, photography, or the computer."
For my second strand, I intend on using different chemigrams techniques, such as print resists using (honey, oil, etc.) or using objects as a "stamp" of sorts. Here are some examples I'm using for inspiration:
He describes the process in a Q&A by stating: "Chemigrams use these same products but without a camera. To get shapes you turn to things you can find in the kitchen, the bathroom, or the hardware store, and these are what we call resists. They can be soft (honey, syrup, oil) or hard (varnish, wax, adhesive). You set them onto the light sensitive surface with brushes, rollers or sprayers. By soaking the paper alternately in developer (to get the blacks) and fixer (to get the whites), there gradually appear images impossible to obtain with painting, photography, or the computer."
For my second strand, I intend on using different chemigrams techniques, such as print resists using (honey, oil, etc.) or using objects as a "stamp" of sorts. Here are some examples I'm using for inspiration:
And here is my work:
These are my best images:
I decided to continue this strand further, leading to chemigrams like this:
These are the two images I believe are the best that I've managed:
After a while, I started experimenting with mixing chemigrams and photograms, resulting in images like this:
My best image from the Photo-chemigrams: