My Exam Blog

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Overall Project Evaluation

Patterns was the topic that I chose to explore for this unit as it was the topic I thought I could approach in the most creative way. As I am consistently fascinated by surrealism, I was certain that I'd be able to approach this unit with shoots that explored this movement. In surreal photography, you are able to piece together images that take time to put together, such as the 2nd shoot in my coursework and the 6th shoot in my exam with the falling M&M's and falling Starbursts. I also wanted to photograph the patterns found in architecture, inspired by one of my photographers Frank Bohbot, and shoot birds eye shots of food layouts inspired by Carl Kleiner. Therefore, by choosing this topic as my starting point, I gave myself a foundation for an endless amount of potential, and as a result I have collected a solid variety of pattern photography through experimenting with an assortment of techniques. 

Photographers that inspired me the most for this unit were, as mentioned above, Carl Kleiner and Frank Bohbot, as I looked into patterns created through surreal techniques/sweets in the studio, and patterns found in architecture on location. These photographers inspired me for the majority of my shoots, whilst the other three photographers gave me inspiration for single shoots and part of my exam. Phillip Shannon influenced my 5th shoot in my coursework with the black background contrasting with the subject and the splash effect, whilst Nick Fancher influenced my 3rd and 11th shoot in my coursework and my 6th shoot in my exam, with the patterns found in nails and the patterns created through birds eye views. Damien Blottiere influenced my 10th shoot in my coursework and 1st shoot in my exam, along with a few of my physical experiments which I wanted to attempt in his geometric pattern technique. Overall, these photographers thoroughly embraced the theme pattern in their work and allowed me to gain inspiration to manipulate this subject and shoot it in my own style.

My most successful shoots from this unit were shoot 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12. The reasons for this, are because these are the shoots which convey the formal element pattern through an artistic style. Shoot 2, 5, 6 and 12 required photo manipulation on Photoshop to enhance a pattern/create it from scratch, whilst shoot 8, 9 and 10 were carried out on location where I captured patterns found in clothes, through depth photography, and in architecture. I believe I have effectively explored this theme in a variety of different styles in order to present my diverse approach to photography; always experimenting with different techniques and methods and ending up with an assortment of varied images.

Shooting in the studio and shooting on location were two different experiences in this unit. On location, there was always natural daylight to light the shots, which made taking photographs simpler and quicker. In the studio, you had to set up the shot before you could take any photographs, and even then you were limited to just a few shots of products as different shots require different set ups in the studio depending on where you want the light to bounce and whether or not you're photographing people or products. Whilst shooting in the studio took more set up time, it provided me with some of my most successful pieces as the lighting was strong and the quality was precise and sharp.

For my computer experiments, I used the overlay tool, the cut and pasting technique to create a repeated pattern, the liquify tool, the clone stamp, multiple imagery, posterize, the invert technique and smudge tool. By using these tools on Photoshop, I was able to have an insight into some methods that could enhance a photograph that already conveyed pattern, exaggerating this formal element further. In my print techniques post, the most successful outcomes were selective colour, montage, repetition, framing and image and text. With all of these techniques, you can sense the topic advertising, which is something that I have always been interested in and therefore a theme which I wanted to employ somehow in my work. Selective colour is the most effective technique in my opinion, as this emphasises a focal point in the composition and creates a fine art style to the picture.

In my exam, I was extremely satisfied with the amount of shoots that I was able to carry out, as this was the time where I took photographs that had been nowhere but in my imagination. I wanted to finally develop Carl Kleiner's surreal technique further and Nick Fancher's birds eye view/table top shots. I also wanted to develop my 10th shoot from my coursework and use Damien Blottiere to inspire the beginning of my exam. The splatter technique from shoot 6 in my coursework was also something that I was determined to experiment with further after it being such an extreme success. I therefore used my exam to pour out all of my development ideas which resulted in a large quantity of good quality photographs portraying patterns.

Patterns - Final Pieces

 

My Top 40 Photographs

Top 40 from ellieburrellbicker

Print Techniques

Repetition

I liked this repetition technique, because I believe it adds to the abstract pattern that the Twiglets were already portraying. By flipping the image 4 times and having a symmetrical reflection at every point in the piece, it makes the pattern a lot more effective. Repetition can transform a cluttered picture into a tidy and well structured pattern.

How I created it: I flipped and saved these four separate images, and then merged them together in one frame until the dimensions and measurements were symmetrical and accurate. 

Black and White

This effect simply makes any photo appear more dramatic, as you can increase the curves and have the black and whites contrast effectively with one another.

How I created it: I applied the black and white effect to this piece and altered the curves to make the photograph more dramatic.

Framing

How I created it: I used an online editing website for this piece as I wanted to use this mirror frame that I introduced myself to in my previous project.

Image and Text

As advertising has been a common theme in my work, I believe that this image and text technique is effective for specifically advertising a certain something. For example, in this piece I am displaying M&M's, and interacting with the audience by asking them what colour M&M is their favourite. Image and text is an extremely effective way of communicating with customers, therefore something that I found to be one of my most successful print technique.

Selective Colour

The technique selective colour is my most favoured print technique of them all, as this allows a focal point to be emphasised. The red and white lolly pop is the subject in this frame that provides the pattern, whilst everything else is practically irrelevant. Therefore, by using the selective colour technique to illuminate this feature, I am exaggerating the pattern whilst doing so. 

How I created it: I used the select tool to select the lolly pop, inverted the selection and applied the black and white effect to allow the colour of the lolly pop to be the only visible spec of colour left.

Overlay

By using overlay, I am displaying a combination of patterns instead of just one. 

How I created it: I pasted one image over the other and altered the opacity tool to make both images visible, but also sadly losing the depth whilst doing so.

Montage

This is also another one of my favourites from this post. I think it is extremely successful to create a montage of images that have all been captured from my location shoots, as this portrays a mixture of pattern and allows each picture to entwine with the other, even though they were all taken at different times. This also creates an irregular pattern which emphasises my project. 

How I created it: I merged an assortment of my location photography into one frame, and used the transform tool in Photoshop to adjust the scale and rotation. 

Soft Focus

Soft Fofus acts similarly to selective colour, providing a focal point for the audience by separating two features in the frame. 

How I created it: I selected Danielle's figure and used a blur tool to smudge the background.

Weaving

By weaving a photograph, I am interrupting the current pattern in the frame but also creating another one to compliment the original.

How I created it: I applied the weave technique on another photo editing website which gave this effect below.

Duotone

How I created it: I altered the colours in this piece by decreasing the saturation and increasing the blur tint to make it cold.

Multiple Imagery

Multiple imagery is similar to creating a montage, as I am displaying more than one pattern photograph - except for this technique I used the same image to test what looked most effective. I liked the different perspectives and scales that doing it this way portrayed.

How I created it: I added six images to one frame and adjusted the scale on each one until I created a neat outcome like this one.

Photojoiner

By creating a photojoiner, I have, like weaving, interrupted the pattern yet created another one to compliment it as there are now doubles of certain sections of the bottles which adds to the absurd and abstract pattern on the packaging. 

How I created it: I added multiple images into the frame and used the transform tool to adjust the scale of each picture, dragging it over other pictures to create layers and overlap certain segments. 

Computer Experiments

How I created this:  I used the liquify effect to suggest how Megan is being absorbed by the contents of the story she's reading.

This piece below was simply me experimenting with certain tools and effects. I somehow doubled part of me and Danielle when I was cloning a certain section of the frame, creating this mixture of pattern. 

How I created this: I selected the colourful parts of the frame such as my hair and tongue and changed the colour to a red tone in order to compliment the red in the lolly pop. 

How I created this: I used the same image and moved it at different angles to create this ongoing interpretation of my Polaroid camera.

How I created this: I duplicated the same layer multiple times and altered the opacity until I had this outcome, presenting a repetitive pattern of myself. 

I experimented on Photoshop with this image below, as I felt it had lots of potential with all the present details found in the architecture. The miniature coloured geometric shapes that make up the construction of the building emphasise the pattern and make it look extremely artistic, therefore an effective and successful computer experiments. 

How I created this: I used the ceramic effect on Photoshop and adjusted the scale.

How I created this: I inverted the colours to create this night vision effect, emphasising the details of the building against the black sky. 

I like the mixture of black and white and colour in this picture, as it presents the pattern in a different style. The pattern on the black and white side blends with the background whilst the pattern on the colour side stands out.

How I created it: I used two different versions of the same image and merged them together.

I created these two pieces below whilst I was editing my images for shoot 5. I like the abstract pattern that liquifying a Lucozade bottle provides, as it combines the formal elements colour, line, tone and shape into one to create effective images.

The link to how I did this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3GcJS0guG4

Work Diary - Shoot 12

Evaluation

Carl Kleiner, again, inspired this shoot of mine. I didn't capture many straight images, because they are all photo manipulations. However, I believe the 3 images that I did create are effective interpretations of this photographers work. I used his macaroon piece as inspiration, along with his Ritz piece. In shoot 2 of this project, I used his Ritz piece as inspiration for one of my M&M photographs, which is something that I wanted to develop further with real people and different items of confectionery. I used Danielle, and made her hold her fingers up either side of her head so I could add in the Starbursts, as if they were jumping from each finger of hers, creating a regular pattern with the colours. I was also pleased with the outcome of the photograph I used to add two individual images from my exam into the frame of her glasses. This is creative and unique because it suggests that all Danielle can see is sweets, as her mind is currently being taken over by sugar. I thought the surreal element of this shoot was successful and concludes the themes in my pattern project sufficiently, as I have explored various methods of creating patterns in photography along with developing successful outcomes; such as this one.

For this piece, I used the macaroon shot of Kleiners as inspiration. The man in that photograph holds his hand out, whilst a photoshopped tower of macaroons float up from his palm in a small but neat and eye catching pattern. I used Danielle's finger for this, having her hold it up tall and straight whilst she was looking at it, where I then added in my own photoshopped tower of Liquorice Allsorts floating up and out of the frame in a random pattern. As I have used the advertising theme often in  my work, I thought this was also extremely appropriate, I have displayed nearly every assortment of this candy that you can find when purchasing this packet of sweets. I like the touch of colour that these sweets provide to the composition, as everything else is extremely unsaturated and quite cold. The pink, blue, orange and yellow additions make this piece pop, and also provide a focal point for the audience, similar to the effect that a selective colour print technique can give.