Work Diary - Form

This session was based on the topic of form. When we were first told about this topic, I wasn't quite sure what form was and how to capture it in a picture. However, after it was explained to us, I soon began to understand the concept of it. Shadows are the main way to portray form. By photographing the shadow of an object, the viewer can see the 3-dimensional element of the picture and thus feelings of presence are evoked. As we did this shoot on a sunny day, finding shadows was easy, however, i had to figure out how to show off the shadow and I did this by experimenting with the angles so that the shadow was shown clearly along with the object.

From the shoot, this is my favourite picture because the ladder looks 3D. Not only does the shadow of the ladder show this 3-dimensional element but the angle in which the picture was taken emphasises how real this object is. The wall also looks 3D, further emphasising the element of form. The shadow is very strong due to the Sun, this shows contrast and highlights the shadow, making it stand out from the other bright colours, showing the 3-dimensional element of this ladder even more. I think I should have experimented with the different angles because I feel this would have given me more choices and by doing that, I could have seen which angle would be best to show form. For example, if I used an angle lower down, the shadow of the ladder would be more exposed rather than hidden behind the ladder, however, the corner of the building might not be as clear, therefore not show form on that bit of the image.

This picture doesn't look good; I don't think it was successful because the angle was completely wrong. I think this angle didn't show off the shadow of the tape. If I stood right in front of the tape, I could have taken a better picture. Moreover, I should not have included the grass in the image as this shows contrast with the tape but takes the focus away from it as it makes up almost half of the picture. If I took the picture behind the tape facing the pavement, that would have been a better idea because this wouldn't have included the grass and shown the shadow better. Also, the shadow would have been stronger because the Sun would be behind me. However, I'm not too sure if that would work because my shadow might have gotten in the way and ruin the photograph.

If I could do this session again, I would do it in a studio so that I can manipulate the lighting and change the sizes and the intensities of the shadows. This will allow me to show the importance of an object and work with people. I will be in completely control of the lights, allowing me to take my pictures exactly how i want.

I can also use different backgrounds to show off the shadows and the object.

I would like to use a black background to look like one big shadow.

I can also experiment with the lights find different ways in which I can show off the 3-dimensional element of an object.