Statement of intent
I aim to produce a website of work demonstrating my personal response to the exam question light and dark. For my initial research I will create a mood board to help gain some inspiration of the objects I can take pictures of.I will chose my best photographs which I will manipulate on photoshop as this will give the best finish to my final gallery of pictures.
The two artists I have chosen are Alexey Benjin, who focuses on reflections given from the light of the sun he also focuses on empty space which he fills with a reflection that he has manipulated on his work. The other photographer use the reflections of objects and light and dark tones as the images are black and white his name is Darek Grabus I feel their work stood out to me the most when researching photographers who use light and dark in their work.
When I chose this theme my initial thoughts were about the locations that I would use to capture my ideas.I like to take pictures of the sky as the colours and tones that appear at different times of the day in my opinion could be a good example of light and dark. As I like the way the brightness of the sunbehind the clouds comes through and the edges of the clouds against the colour of the sky can clearly be shown. I will also look at studio shots and capture the light and dark on objects as this will show a contrast in my approach to the question, then I will chose which one I feel is my strongest and focus more on taking photographs in that way this will show progress and will keep me interested in the project.
To show progression through my work I will start by photographing the sky focusing on colours and tones through out different times of the day. I would like to continue developing my skills in photoshop experimenting more with the different types of tools that are available. I will edit my images and continue to take shoots to my best ability and with the theme light and dark always in mind.
I have 8 weeks to produce my project and submit my response to the theme light and dark and create a final piece which reflects my skill in photography and the use of Photoshop.
As my project progresses I will continue to annotate and refine my work and develop my ideas, and display my development clearly as this will help me improve my work and see the improvements that I have made through out my journey. Reflecting on what went well and what I need to improve.
The two artists I have chosen are Alexey Benjin, who focuses on reflections given from the light of the sun he also focuses on empty space which he fills with a reflection that he has manipulated on his work. The other photographer use the reflections of objects and light and dark tones as the images are black and white his name is Darek Grabus I feel their work stood out to me the most when researching photographers who use light and dark in their work.
When I chose this theme my initial thoughts were about the locations that I would use to capture my ideas.I like to take pictures of the sky as the colours and tones that appear at different times of the day in my opinion could be a good example of light and dark. As I like the way the brightness of the sunbehind the clouds comes through and the edges of the clouds against the colour of the sky can clearly be shown. I will also look at studio shots and capture the light and dark on objects as this will show a contrast in my approach to the question, then I will chose which one I feel is my strongest and focus more on taking photographs in that way this will show progress and will keep me interested in the project.
To show progression through my work I will start by photographing the sky focusing on colours and tones through out different times of the day. I would like to continue developing my skills in photoshop experimenting more with the different types of tools that are available. I will edit my images and continue to take shoots to my best ability and with the theme light and dark always in mind.
I have 8 weeks to produce my project and submit my response to the theme light and dark and create a final piece which reflects my skill in photography and the use of Photoshop.
As my project progresses I will continue to annotate and refine my work and develop my ideas, and display my development clearly as this will help me improve my work and see the improvements that I have made through out my journey. Reflecting on what went well and what I need to improve.
Exam question light and dark
Alexey Bednij
Context
Alexey Bednij got a degree in chemistry in Penza Government University. I have researched his work on the internet and found the following ," his inner voice told the chemistry student once: “buy a camera and go photograph something!”. After saving some money he bought a simple camera and started to take pictures of everything he saw.That is how creativity came to Alexey’s life, and soon it became his main occupation. The more he was taking pictures, the more inspiration he got. New ideas were born, his works were becoming more and more interesting, and eventually he got a deserved acknowledgment. He sees urban space as an intersection of lines of houses, streets, roads, citizens and pets. All his visions he describes through the black and white photography. Both cities and black and white photography were created by a man, this is something not typical for nature."
Composition
This image has a deep depth of field as you can see the background clearly , which means he used possible 22F on his camera settings. This image has been cropped at the top to enhance the zebra crossing lines which are the main focus of the image and to make the scale of the crossing seem larger. This leading points are the black and white crossing as you look at this picture, this is the first thing that captures your eyes. The black and white lines also create a strong contrast and pattern that adds interest to the image. The image is in black and white , this could be because there was no color film available at the time but it also brings out the contrasts and shadows from the wet surface. The picture has been taken at eye level which makes you feel you are standing behind the people on the crossing which helps you to connect with them. The photographer has used the rule of thirds to improve the composition, the lady on the crossing is in one third of the image which makes the crossing look bigger and more imposing.
Connections
I have chosen this photographer because I like the way he has captured his photos and how similar they are.
The theme that I have chosen is light and dark and the photographer will inspire me when I take my photographs as I will use similar props/content
In his work even though he is doing light and dark his focuses on reflections and I have noticed that he has taken a series of photos capturing for example a line of pigeons, cats , people and a line of lines. These images have been are perfectly placed the lines and reflections are not overlapped. However after researching him I discovered he uses digital manipulation to trick the viewer as shadows do not cast in multiple directions.
Content
In this image there are people walking across a road and people walking on the side ,
This image looks like it has been taking a couple of years ago and its in black and white and I think this picture could have been taken in Russia because he is from Russia. He has taken the image at a certain angle to capture the zebra crossing and rule of thirds has been used to capture the man crossing the road.
In the image it is raining and the reflection of the man is caught on the ground this creates the theme light and dark.
Comment
This picture captures light and dark in an interesting way as the reflection of the person can be seen in the space where the shadow of the building is not present. It clearly shows a contrast of space. I like how the image captures a busy street in the old days. I dont like how the photograph is so plain and how easy it is to take a picture of a busy street. The image makes me feel depressed and dull but he does this because he wants the viewer to express a sad emotion.
Alexey Bednij got a degree in chemistry in Penza Government University. I have researched his work on the internet and found the following ," his inner voice told the chemistry student once: “buy a camera and go photograph something!”. After saving some money he bought a simple camera and started to take pictures of everything he saw.That is how creativity came to Alexey’s life, and soon it became his main occupation. The more he was taking pictures, the more inspiration he got. New ideas were born, his works were becoming more and more interesting, and eventually he got a deserved acknowledgment. He sees urban space as an intersection of lines of houses, streets, roads, citizens and pets. All his visions he describes through the black and white photography. Both cities and black and white photography were created by a man, this is something not typical for nature."
Composition
This image has a deep depth of field as you can see the background clearly , which means he used possible 22F on his camera settings. This image has been cropped at the top to enhance the zebra crossing lines which are the main focus of the image and to make the scale of the crossing seem larger. This leading points are the black and white crossing as you look at this picture, this is the first thing that captures your eyes. The black and white lines also create a strong contrast and pattern that adds interest to the image. The image is in black and white , this could be because there was no color film available at the time but it also brings out the contrasts and shadows from the wet surface. The picture has been taken at eye level which makes you feel you are standing behind the people on the crossing which helps you to connect with them. The photographer has used the rule of thirds to improve the composition, the lady on the crossing is in one third of the image which makes the crossing look bigger and more imposing.
Connections
I have chosen this photographer because I like the way he has captured his photos and how similar they are.
The theme that I have chosen is light and dark and the photographer will inspire me when I take my photographs as I will use similar props/content
In his work even though he is doing light and dark his focuses on reflections and I have noticed that he has taken a series of photos capturing for example a line of pigeons, cats , people and a line of lines. These images have been are perfectly placed the lines and reflections are not overlapped. However after researching him I discovered he uses digital manipulation to trick the viewer as shadows do not cast in multiple directions.
Content
In this image there are people walking across a road and people walking on the side ,
This image looks like it has been taking a couple of years ago and its in black and white and I think this picture could have been taken in Russia because he is from Russia. He has taken the image at a certain angle to capture the zebra crossing and rule of thirds has been used to capture the man crossing the road.
In the image it is raining and the reflection of the man is caught on the ground this creates the theme light and dark.
Comment
This picture captures light and dark in an interesting way as the reflection of the person can be seen in the space where the shadow of the building is not present. It clearly shows a contrast of space. I like how the image captures a busy street in the old days. I dont like how the photograph is so plain and how easy it is to take a picture of a busy street. The image makes me feel depressed and dull but he does this because he wants the viewer to express a sad emotion.
Darek Grabus
Context
Darek Grabus (born in 1973, Gdynia, Poland) works with photography, painting, ceramics and graphic design. He studied at the Faculty of Graphics of Gdańsk Art Academy and is a graduate of Sopot School of Photography.
Composition
The photographer has used a birds eye view so that you can see the top of the books this makes the viewer look down on the content and helps us to see the shadow in the background. The lighting is quite bright in the foreground, creating a highlight on edge of the books and the contrast in the lighting allows for a shadow to be cast of the neutral background. you can see the shadow of the books that create the word "think" which adds a focal point to the photograph. In this image he has composed the shot by using the rule of thirds, the first third are the books with two thirds the background. This gives the image a more imposing point of view and allows enough space to read the shadow word on the background.
My eye is drawn to the shadow and he has achieved this by setting up a row of books and positioning them to create the word think.He may have used a dark room and white lights to make the shadow more effective. He has used a large depth of field to capture the whole image which is all in focus and sharp. I am not sure what lens he has used but I think he would of needed to use a tripod as this is a studio shot.
Connection
The theme is light and dark and this photograph relates to my theme because it is creating shadows using the reflection of the objects. I feel the connection to this work is the use of reflections and how the photographer has used lighting to capture this, it has made me realize the use of lighting will be a key feature in making my work successful. The photographers use of black and white to me makes a strong contrast between light and dark and how reflections stand out in his work.
Content
The structure in the photograph is a row of books against a plain background, the background looks like a sheet of white fabric as there are creases visible . I think he has took the picture in colour but has changed it in Photoshop to black and white to give a clearer image of the reflection the books have created. If this image was in colour I feel it will be to distracting to the viewer. It looks like he has took the photograph in a studio. There are no people in the photograph as the reflection of the books are his main focus.
Comment
I like this image because it is original how he has layered the books to create a word is something I would not have thought to do, this has given me ideas as to the reflections I can capture when taking image for my theme light and dark. I may use the idea in my work but with different objects.
Darek Grabus (born in 1973, Gdynia, Poland) works with photography, painting, ceramics and graphic design. He studied at the Faculty of Graphics of Gdańsk Art Academy and is a graduate of Sopot School of Photography.
Composition
The photographer has used a birds eye view so that you can see the top of the books this makes the viewer look down on the content and helps us to see the shadow in the background. The lighting is quite bright in the foreground, creating a highlight on edge of the books and the contrast in the lighting allows for a shadow to be cast of the neutral background. you can see the shadow of the books that create the word "think" which adds a focal point to the photograph. In this image he has composed the shot by using the rule of thirds, the first third are the books with two thirds the background. This gives the image a more imposing point of view and allows enough space to read the shadow word on the background.
My eye is drawn to the shadow and he has achieved this by setting up a row of books and positioning them to create the word think.He may have used a dark room and white lights to make the shadow more effective. He has used a large depth of field to capture the whole image which is all in focus and sharp. I am not sure what lens he has used but I think he would of needed to use a tripod as this is a studio shot.
Connection
The theme is light and dark and this photograph relates to my theme because it is creating shadows using the reflection of the objects. I feel the connection to this work is the use of reflections and how the photographer has used lighting to capture this, it has made me realize the use of lighting will be a key feature in making my work successful. The photographers use of black and white to me makes a strong contrast between light and dark and how reflections stand out in his work.
Content
The structure in the photograph is a row of books against a plain background, the background looks like a sheet of white fabric as there are creases visible . I think he has took the picture in colour but has changed it in Photoshop to black and white to give a clearer image of the reflection the books have created. If this image was in colour I feel it will be to distracting to the viewer. It looks like he has took the photograph in a studio. There are no people in the photograph as the reflection of the books are his main focus.
Comment
I like this image because it is original how he has layered the books to create a word is something I would not have thought to do, this has given me ideas as to the reflections I can capture when taking image for my theme light and dark. I may use the idea in my work but with different objects.
Plan for first shoot
My main focus for this shoot is to capture the colours of the clouds against the brightness of the sun.I like the idea of the silhouette of the clouds against the sky. I will try to capture the rays of sun through the clouds I will take my images at different times of the day to capture the sun light at different points.
location park
Equipment Bridge camera
Time 8.30am/ 3.30pm and 6.30pm
location park
Equipment Bridge camera
Time 8.30am/ 3.30pm and 6.30pm
Shoot 1
Worst
This is my worst picture because there is too much sun glare.
Best
I feel like this is my best picture because it shows a strong contrast of light and dark.
Shoot 2
For this shoot I wanted to capture the brightness of the snow against the colour of the sky.The opportunity of capturing the snow was great as it does not snow often. I like the images that I have captured as they give winter feel and these images are a big contrast to my first shoot.
location park
Equipment mobile phone
Time 8.35am
location park
Equipment mobile phone
Time 8.35am
Worst
This is picture is out of focus making it the worst from this shoot. However the colours captured shows a range of light and dark tones.
Best
To me this is an image that I would use on a calendar as it captures a snowy morning to a high standard.
Shoot 3
For this shoot I was trying to capture the clouds and also the reflections in the puddles on the pavement. I thought that this fitted into my theme really well, focusing on capturing contrast in light and dark. I also want to try different types of photography and equipment , my first shoots have been using mobile photography and my own phone however I am also going to do studio shots using manual settings and studio lights.
location main road Chester Road
Equipment mobile phone
Time 3.05pm
location main road Chester Road
Equipment mobile phone
Time 3.05pm
Work on Photoshop
Worst
This is the worst image because the houses are too dark and the clouds are out of focus. I was trying to capture the reflection of the clouds in the puddles.
Best
I like how the cars and houses are perfect in contrast and the puddles capture the clouds in great detail, this is why I choose this to be my best image.
Studio set up shoots.
Plan for my fourth shoot
For this shoot I will focus on the shadows and the wine glasses and the forks using the inspiration from the photographers Alexey Bednij and Darek Grabus. I am going to setup my own dark studio space and experiment with small focus lights and a canon camera on a tripod. I will have the camera on manual so that I can adjust the exposure and the aperture and will play around with the lighting effects.
Props-
forks, wine glasses, pliers
Equipment
2 spot lights
canon camera DSLR 600
Tripod
White background
Right angle board
For this shoot I will focus on the shadows and the wine glasses and the forks using the inspiration from the photographers Alexey Bednij and Darek Grabus. I am going to setup my own dark studio space and experiment with small focus lights and a canon camera on a tripod. I will have the camera on manual so that I can adjust the exposure and the aperture and will play around with the lighting effects.
Props-
forks, wine glasses, pliers
Equipment
2 spot lights
canon camera DSLR 600
Tripod
White background
Right angle board
Shoot 4
Worst
The problem I have with this image is that the camera hasn't captured the white background and there is a hand clearly visible.
Best
This is my best image because the light captures the reflection of the forks and it shows the influence from my chosen photographer Darek Grabus.
My work on Photoshop influenced by Darek Grabus
Design idea
In this image I have deleted the reflections of the two forks on the left using the inspiration from my two photographers playing with the reflections by taking them away, to create empty space where the reflection should be. Then I have changed the colour to black and white and changed the contrast of light and dark.
In this image I have tried to recreate work in the style of Darek Grabus I have taken images of the glasses and changed the colour on Photoshop using the filters and contrast setting of light and dark. If I was to create this image again I would use more glasses and set the lighting towards the back of the set up instead of directing the light on the table . However I enjoyed the studio set up and feel that I can experiment more and progress further with my camera setting and ways in which I can capture reflections.
What I need to do next
I am going to take more pictures using the studio set up, as the lighting was not correct for what I intended to capture. My photographs are not strong as my white balance is not set correctly that is why there is a yellow glow on the objects. The reflections are not clear either.
Also I need to think of different objects to use and think about the angle I need to use to capture the reflections so that they are clear.
Also I need to think of different objects to use and think about the angle I need to use to capture the reflections so that they are clear.
In my exam I will be using Photoshop to manipulate my images of objects playing with the reflections by deleting or adding more reflections to the image then changing them to black and white to create a gallery of my response light and dark.
Manchester
shoot 5
I went into Manchester to capture images which show light and dark and so found a location where there was a contrast of dark structures against a light background. I went to Castlefield and took some shots of the dark pillars against the water of the canal.
I will then use the images I have taken and manipulate them on Photoshop to bring out the contrast in light and shade.
Equipment:
Bridge camera
Tripod
Location:
Deansgate Manchester
Time: 2 pm -3.15pm
I will then use the images I have taken and manipulate them on Photoshop to bring out the contrast in light and shade.
Equipment:
Bridge camera
Tripod
Location:
Deansgate Manchester
Time: 2 pm -3.15pm
Structure
Work on photoshop
Bridges
Work done on photoshop
Reflections
Canadian geese
Work on Photoshop
Sky
Rails and track
Framing
Worst
This is my worst photograph because of the angle I have taken it from it did not come out the way I thought it would as there is to much of the wall in the shot.
Best
This is my best picture as it captures the darkness of the colour red against the blue of the sky.
Plan for final shoot
This my final shoot the images I will be taking will be for my exam. My first aim to capture the glasses in a row making sure there in line and focus on how the lights capture the glasses and produce the contrast of light and dark. My second focus point will be the shadows that the glasses create on the background.
Props- 4 wine glasses
2 spot lights
1 camera
Tripod
Grey back drop
Props- 4 wine glasses
2 spot lights
1 camera
Tripod
Grey back drop
Studio shoot 6
Plan for my exam
I am really pleased with my final shoot, and feel that I will be able to use them in my exam. These images to me have captured light and dark and shows my personal response to the exam question.
I have chosen to use Photoshop to manipulate my strongest images to make my final outcome more refined and to a high standard creating a gallery of light and dark images.
I have chosen to use Photoshop to manipulate my strongest images to make my final outcome more refined and to a high standard creating a gallery of light and dark images.
Evaluation
For my exam the theme I chose was light and dark. my main focus in the end was studio shots .As this was my strongest point in my journey and I felt confident that my images would show my personal response to my theme. I engaged taking my photographs in the morning when it was snowing however the images were not good enough as a final outcome.
The project theme was light and dark I thought it was challenging because I wanted to try and capture the clouds as the main focus and the background (houses, buildings, cars, etc) were at at low contrast.
The new techniques I have experienced in photography is in Photoshop I have learnt how to blend and how to change the photo to make it look unnatural. I would like to clone more in further images because it can change the perspective on the image. The photographers I researched were Darek Grabus and Alexey Bednij.
The project theme was light and dark I thought it was challenging because I wanted to try and capture the clouds as the main focus and the background (houses, buildings, cars, etc) were at at low contrast.
The new techniques I have experienced in photography is in Photoshop I have learnt how to blend and how to change the photo to make it look unnatural. I would like to clone more in further images because it can change the perspective on the image. The photographers I researched were Darek Grabus and Alexey Bednij.
27th of April 2018 from this point I will not touch my preparation work. The only work from this date will be work created in my exam.
Exam work
I have used black and white and then inverted some glasses.
Exam work
Exam work
Exam work
not successful images
I have used the clone tool to take out parts of the fork and then I have used the patch tool to make sure there isn't any smudges. I had to make sure that every thing was symmetrical on each fork and that the smudges were blended in so it looks natural.
Final Images
This is my favorite image because it goes light to dark.