Best 20 Pictures

Connecting Essay Five

I took this picture on the second walk we did. A sense of journey is shown very clearly here along with the element of depth. The angle at which this picture was taken emphasises the idea of journey, making the path look longer than it really is, this adds a sense of adventure to the picture. The wet pavement and the leaves along the path confirms the theme of Autumn in the picture. It also adds a cool tone and gives us the impression that it's cold. There is no one present in this picture -  this shows isolation and further shows journey because it exaggerates on the length of this path.

I found this picture on the internet by typing in 'journey'. This picture shows colour, depth and a sense of journey. The yellow coloured lines contrast to the road, making it stand out and displaying journey very clearly. The blue sky also contrasts to the yellow lines once again making them stand out so the viewer can concentrate on them and figure out the theme straight away. The yellow lines can also be leading lines, guiding the viewer eyes' through the picture. 

In both pictures, we can see a sense of journey being portrayed clearly by using the same techniques. Both pictures were taken at a low angle to make the path/road look longer. The element of depth has been used to guide the viewer through the picture and it's almost as if they are being invited on a journey; the lines go from the bottom of the picture to the middle or all the way through, forcing the viewer to move their eyes along. However, the picture from the internet has included the sky because it helps to bring out the yellow lines; the blue colour of the sky contrasts with the yellow and automatically makes the picture more colourful. My picture does not have the sky, I did not include it because it was a dark rainy day so it would have ruined the picture by blending in with the white line along the path. 

Connecting Essay Four

This is one of my pictures from the Mapplethorpe work we did. This picture is simple but the strong use of facial expression tells us a lot about what is going on. The black background has two functions; to create a mysterious atmosphere, capturing the viewer's attention and provoking a sense of curiosity and to make sure the viewer's attention is directed to the main focus, which is the person. The use of facial expression shows intimacy and triggers a bond between the viewer and the subject - the viewer will be able to connect with the subject. Despite his eyes being closed, it's like my main subject is sharing an intimate time with the viewer. This is unusual because although there is no direct contact between the person in the picture and the viewer, somehow there is still a connection between the two. The lighting was manipulated so that the face of the my main subject will be the main part of the picture; the light was concentrated right on the face, making it the brightest part of the whole picture, contrasting immensely with the black background, forcing the viewer to focus on the face of my main subject.

This is an example of Mapplethorpe's work. In this picture, make up has been used to enhance the facial features of Robert's main subject. This encourages the viewer to concentrate on the face and become familiar with the main subject. The facial expression used is very simple, it's very neutral but it still has a strong effect on the viewer. Although it is quite soft and innocent, it gives out a sexual atmosphere and may show vulnerability. Lighting has been used to show form as we can only see the front bit of the subject's hair. This works together with the black background to add secrecy to the picture, attracting the viewer's attention and keeping it as they focus on the picture and try to figure it out.

Both of these pictures have used black backgrounds to achieve the same aim - to make sure the viewer focuses only on the main subjects. Moreover, I have used inspiration from Mapplethorpe's picture and tried to express the same facial expression on my subject. This shows intimacy in both pictures and thus creating a bond between the viewer and the main subjects as the viewer may feel close to the subject, sharing a personal moment with them. The lighting used in both pictures are very similar; both pictures use soft lighting focusing on the face of the main subjects. This has been done to emphasise the facial features and to ensure it is the first thing that the viewer looks at in the pictures.

Connecting Essay Three

This is a picture I took when during the first walk. As the theme was Autumn, I tried to capture the colour of the leaves contrasting with the green grass. The Sun really brings out the yellowy colour of Autumn, emphasising the theme of the walk. The element of tone is also shown as we can see the different shades of yellow and brown between the leaves. I like how the leaves do not cover all of the grass, this makes the leaves stand out even more and it doesn't overdo the picture. We can also see shadows around the photograph from the grass, portraying form and showing off the 3-dimensional element of the picture. The shadows also emphasise on the presence of the Sun but at the same time give out a cool atmosphere.

I found this picture on the internet by typing in 'autumn leaves'. Similarly to mine, a few elements are being shown such as colour, tone, contrast and the theme of Autumn is being portrayed. The grass allows us to see the leaves clearly, highlighting the theme. The orangey and yellowy colours found across the photograph emphasise the season and give off a warm tone. The bright green grass contrasts with the yellow/orange leaves, showing off the element of colour as well as contrast.

There are a few similarities between the two pictures. For example, both pictures have the same theme and are both trying to achieve the same aim. The colours used in my picture is very similar to those in the picture from the internet as they both show Autumn, giving off the same tone. However, the colour of the leaves in my picture are slightly darker than those in the picture from the internet; this makes my picture appear less warm. Also, both pictures contain grass instead of having the leaves cover the whole frame - this gives the photographs a calm atmosphere and makes sure the leaves are the main focus of the pictures.

Final Project Evaluation

We have now reached the end of this project and I am very happy with the work I have produced over the last three months. Looking through my blog, I am amazed at just how much work we have completed and just how my photography skills have developed in such a short time.

I have really enjoyed working on this project as I think it allowed me to see what works best for me. I was able to experiment with the angles and the lighting and find ways to manipulate them in order to take some good photographs. At first, I wasn't too sure about how I should take pictures to show certain formal elements but after a while, I became familiar with the different techniques that I could use. I became much more confident when going out to shoot pictures. I especially enjoy going out on walks because it's different to college campus and there are a lot more things I can photograph. The change of scenery allows me to take photograph of things that have not appeared in my work before. 

Although this project is over, I hope to spend more time in the studio during future projects. I spoke about this in my mid-project evaluation; our time in the studio is very limited because we had to make sure that everyone had a fair amount of time to get their pictures. I used the time we had to change up the lighting or the background so that I could achieve what I was trying to. In the future, I would very much like to use props and make up when in the studio. I think this will be really fun and interesting to work with. I would also like to try and replicate some of Terry Richardson's portraiture work - I really like his work and it would be really fun to look at his best pictures and see if I can use the techniques he uses.

Overall, this project has been exciting and has made me much more optimistic about when it comes to photography; I now know there is so much more to this subject that just going out and photographing things. My photography skills have improved immensely and I can see a big difference between my most recent work and my work from the very beginning of this project. 

Finding The Best 20 Pictures

Work Diary - Walk One

For this session, we had to go off college campus and photograph the theme of Autumn. This was really fun and I absolutely enjoyed it. I could photograph whatever I wanted and could experiment with scenery outside the college. I didn't really take a lot of pictures at first because this was the first time I could photograph anything I wanted. However, I soon began to take a lot of pictures and I enjoyed experimenting with the different angles and the Autumn colours to get a good selection of pictures. 

Out of all the pictures I took, this one is my favourite. This is because it shows contrast, a sense of journey, colour and the theme of Autumn is emphasised - through both the colour and the leaves. I also like this picture because it gives off a chilly atmosphere, allowing me to feel the cold, crisp air of Autumn. Also, there is a leading line in this picture, almost inviting the viewer on this walk. The end of the path is cut off to create curiosity and a sense of adventure.

On the other hand, this picture wasn't very successful. The building in the background ruins the photograph, preventing the tree from standing out. I think I could have taken the picture at the different angle, one where the building would not be present. I think this picture didn't work out because the branches and the leaves blended in with the building. As the sky was completely white on this day, the tree would have really stood out if I took it at a different angle.

If we could do this session again, I would like to concentrate on leaves - mostly because in Autumn, leaves are falling off everywhere and the variety of colours found in leaves are really interesting. By concentrating on leaves and capturing the different colours, I'll be able to show Autumn through nature and the angles in which I can photograph the leaves are unlimited. 

I will also be able to show contrast while doing this.