Connecting Essay 3

Internet Photograph

In this photograph, the surrealism of it is extremely captivating and something that you will question as soon as your eyes fall on it. It is evident in this piece that the man being torn in half represents one section of him being taken over by the story he's consuming, whilst the other section is his natural state. The way this photograph has been edited is inspiring, as the left half of the man consists of book pages in replacement of his body, providing the connotation of how the story has officially made its stamp on him. When you read a novel, you will always have that story with you, and this style of imagery physically conveys that. The two hands in the top of the frame are attempting to split the man from his side that's been taken over, as this could represent something negative, perhaps suggesting a certain plot that's engrossing him is having a negative effect on his mind; it could be a negative story. The colours featured in the frame would compliment this theory, as they are lacking in any saturation and also involve a lot of shadow. The use of the formal elements form and colour have contributed to the successful outcome of this picture, as they exaggerate the message behind the creation.

My Photograph

In my photograph, it consists of two separate images that I captured on my iPhone at home by sitting the phone on a shelf and using the self timer. I took the two images from the same angle but with me making different expressions to represent a small pattern. Firstly I start off peacefully reading a story, soon developing into me being startled at the fact my face is being physically absorbed by the book. By using the liquify tool on Photoshop to drag my face out and into the novel, I have presented the connotation of myself slowly being taken over by the action in The Night Circus and becoming wrapped up in the storyline. The bottom image is physical evidence of what it looks like when you're engaged in a book, even if you can't see it in real life such as the top image. I put these two photographs together as they didn't look complete as solo pieces, and I also used the black and white effect to wash out any colour featured in the frames as the combination of colours in the background was a mixture that didn't compliment each other, such as blue and yellow and pink and brown. The contrasts were too unappealing, so by making the image black and white I have allowed for just tones to feature in the composition. 

The Connection

The multiple connections shared between these two photographs are too evident to miss. Firstly, both photographs convey the message of being so engrossed in a story that it becomes a part of you, but illustrated in completely opposites styles. Both photographs feature the movement surrealism, but in the internet photograph, the technique used is the slicing up of a mans body, separating his natural state from his fictional state, whilst the technique used in my photograph is visual evidence of myself being drawn into the story. Both photographs have the connotation of fictional worlds imprinting your conscience, book moments being just as strong as real life ones. The lack of saturation in the internet photograph and the black and white effect in my photograph convey the perception of negative connotations, which could link to the blank facial expressions on both faces in each picture. In the internet image, the use of two halves of one body connects to my use of two different images of one person; both pieces have two different versions of the same person separated as a result of reading fiction. 

Work Diary - Shoot 9

Evaluation

As Franck Bohbot has been a large influence towards my location shoots, I have been making sure in each one that I looked at the formal elements depth, tone and pattern. These are elements that Bohbot would consistently include in the compositions of his photographs, as it allows for large amounts of pattern to fit into one frame. Long shots will illustrate larger quantities of pattern in comparison to close ups, therefore this shoot was focused around images that presented a variety of different details in one frame. I visited a fair in London during the late afternoon and evening, where I was able to capture pictures against the sky, where the buildings, amusements and leaves stood out - exaggerating their shapes, and making the patterns more visible. I wanted to develop my pattern shoots on location that were captured during the day, and this time take an assortment during the night, as I wanted to experiment with compositions and framing, and see if night time photography emphasised the patterns in a building/object more so than the daylight, in which it does.

In this photograph, I framed it as a landscape in order to allow the pattern of repeated buildings and wheel to fit in the composition. The contrast between the wheel and the buildings are effective as one subject is bright and highly saturated whilst the other is bright but has an absence of colour. This combination of tones works well overall as it separates the two subjects from each other, portraying separate patterns in one photograph. I liked the dark atmosphere in this image, where the bold black sky acts as an effective backdrop for the illuminated subjects. The pattern is repeated in the wheel whilst the pattern of the houses grows smaller and smaller the further they travel out across to the right side of the frame. The light coming from the buildings and the wheel is enough to light this whole frame, along with other street lights surrounding me as I captured this piece. Bohbot took a similar picture to this one of a wheel in the centre of the frame spinning around. Even though I didn't add the spinning effect to the wheel, the pattern and motion is still evident as this subject is slightly blurred to suggest movement - another formal element. 

In this photographed, I framed it so that the building was situated in the centre of the frame, surrounded by a variety of different shaped leaves and branches. This combination of patterns acts as an effective border for the overall image, as it looks as though the leaves are embracing the building, protecting it, even though both subjects are a long distance from each other in real life. There is a discrete pattern also found in the lights wrapped around the tall tree behind the building, and on the roofs of each building in the frame. This addition of lights completes the mixture of patterns already present in this photograph. I edited the colour of the leaves and tress in Photoshop to make their tone more autumnal and orange, as I feel this colour compliments the buildings in a more effective way than the colour green. I left a faint green coloured tree in the right of the frame to interrupt the repeated appearance of orange, as I didn't want the whole photograph to be the same - breaking up other colours with colours is an interesting and successful technique. 

Progression

After carrying out a large variety of shoots containing pattern on location, I will be developing it one last time in my exam for my Stortford shoot. As part of my coursework, I am pleased with the mixed assortment of location photography conveying pattern that I have collected through 4 shoots and won't be experimenting with this style any further, instead focusing more on patterns in fashion to relate back to my image bank and more surreal/photo manipulations linked to confectionery; as this is something I haven't developed that much and want to start doing, as I can create my own patterns from imagination and Carl Kleiner inspiration. 

Straight Images - Shoot 9

Contact Sheets - Shoot 9

Work Diary - Shoot 8

Evaluation

For shoot 8, I wanted to expand my location photography and focus on literal patterns instead of shapes against skylines etc. In an art gallery, I was guaranteed a set of pictures that would convey pattern in its literal sense, so I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. At this location, I found an endless amount of pattern filled with shapes, lines and an array of different colours. There were reoccurring patterns and repeated archways with architecture featuring extremely intricate details that all conveyed patterns in its literal sense. I experimented with framing in this shoot and capturing photos from different angles to see if I could exaggerate the length of some archways and the height of some walls. Photoshop allowed me to make certain photographs appear more dramatic by darkening the shadows in the frame through the curves tool. The clone stamp tool also allowed me to create smooth and clean colours on some walls that began to fade in tone. By making the shades appear more even, it resulted in tidier compositions. I am hoping to do my last location shoot in my exam where I will develop more photographs linking to the pattern found in architecture. 

I have captured this photo from a low angle shot, where I bent down and lifted the camera up to face the top of the arch from the viewpoint of the ground. This type of photography creates a lot of dramatic effect, making the arch appear taller and larger than it may be in real life. It creates the sense of dominance as it's leaning over the photographer (me). The shadows and formal elements form and depth are features that contribute to the effectiveness of this piece. The shadows make the overall architecture look haunting as there is a lack of colour, which provides the connotation of it being ancient. This architecture may have possibly been constructed years ago, which would explain it's appearance for being worn down yet still conveying its appealing patterns. Depth is portrayed through the repeated patterns in the arch growing smaller as it travels further down the frame. This style of repeated pattern is something that I have enjoyed capturing in this shoot, as there is always an artistic reoccurring design found in an art gallery. 

In this photograph I have split the frame in two. The top half consists of the ceiling in the V&A whilst the bottom half consists of the wall and windows. This style of photography presents two different versions of patterns, both reoccurring but both completely different. Shape, tone, texture, line and reflection are formal elements found in the composition of this piece. The reflections from the glass ceiling is casting irregular shaped light over the windows, contributing further to the pattern of this image. I feel the way I framed this picture was clever as I could have just simply created a collage of two different photographs to achieve a photo similar to this one, instead I have naturally used the line of the crease in the wall/ceiling to separate the two segments. I used natural lighting coming from the windows in this photograph, but enhanced the brightness and exposure in Photoshop. By doing this I have made this part of the V&A appear extremely bright, fresh and attractive. 

Progression

I am going to a fair in London at some point soon, where I am aiming to do my 9th shoot. Here I will take photos of less architecture and more natural patterns that I find in amusements and trees. I'll be here for the late afternoon and part evening so I will be able to gather a collection of photos that have been taken at day and at night. 

Straight Images - Shoot 8

Contact Sheets - Shoot 8

Work Diary - Shoot 7

Evaluation

As book photography is something that I have always enjoyed photographing and manipulating, I wanted to try a different approach. For this shoot I took a few photos in the studio with lights and an SLR camera, and another few photos at my home on my phone. I tried out with different camera qualities as in shoot 1 I'd captured a grainy photograph on my iPhone and was pleased with the outcome. I therefore wanted to try this again as the grains can make a photograph appear more vintage, which would link to the book being read in both of the pictures below - It's a vintage copy. I manged to produce these images in Photoshop using manipulating tools, as I wanted to create the perception of the reader being drawn into the story, literally. They are engrossed with the plot and being sucked into the action. I used the quick selection tool to select the segment of the subject that I wanted to expand e.g. the distance from someones eyes to the top of the book. I then used the liquify tool to drag out the selection, which creates the appearance of the readers' faces being sucked away. I then touched up the final outcomes by using the smudge tool to blur any unnecessary marks and increasing the brightness and curves to make each photograph more appealing to the audience.

This was a photograph that I took in the studio with two lights either side of Josh, lighting him from the front. I was experimenting with the liquify tool in Photoshop when it came to the editing stage, but I hadn't fully grasped how to create the patterns in the motion as it all became one big blur. I included all of Joshes features in the blur as I wanted to convey how the majority of him had been sucked into the story, whereas in my other images only half of their face had been drawn in. This is a development from those images, yet I don't feel the technique was as successful because the extension to Joshes face isn't evident; it just looks like his face has been blurred because the liquify effect isn't that evident. If the book was at a longer distance from Joshes face then you would be able to see it being dragged down, therefore this is something I can use to improve this shoot. I am however, happy with the composition and contrast in this piece. Joshes black shirt and hair compliment the white book and background as there is an equal amount of black and white in the frame, with an accent colour of red - which links to the black, white and red colour theme in the story.

These were the two images that I captured on my iPhone at home by sitting the phone on a shelf and using the self timer. I took two images from the same angle but with me making different expressions to represent a small pattern. Firstly I start off peacefully reading a story, soon developing into me being startled at the fact my face is being physically absorbed by the story. I put these two photographs together as they didn't look complete as solo pieces, and I also used the black and white effect to wash out any colour featured in the frames as the combination of colours in the background was a mixture that didn't compliment each other, such as blue and yellow and pink and brown. The contrasts were too unappealing, so by making the image black and white I have allowed for just tones to feature in the composition. I was happy with the outcome of this photograph as the short sequence is something I quite like, and am interested in developing; presenting something in a before and after technique.

Progression

As this shoot was extremely successful with experimentation, I could develop it by thinking of more subjects to photograph and manipulate. I could also try to create more of a pattern, by perhaps lining up 5 lip balms of different colours, shooting a close up, and using the liquify tool to smudge out the bottom half of each balm - this would create a rainbow effect conveying colourful pattern. I could also try to have more than just one liquified object in the frame, to divert the attention from one focal point, but between multiple focal points. 

Straight Images - Shoot 7

Contact Sheet - Shoot 7

Connecting Essay 2

Internet Photograph

This is an online photograph that I used as inspiration for my own photograph below. The reason this photograph caught my eye is because of the black and red theme contrasting with the white, and the creative explosion that makes the woman appear as though she's fizzing away. Placing her in front of a white background was an effective choice of the photographers because it allows the bold foreground colours to stand out. Colour is a formal element that has being used sufficiently in this piece. I also liked that the model is placed directly in the middle of the frame because this allows her to be the main focal point in the image. Having her hand on her hip is effective body language in partnership with the explosion on the left because it avoids the right side of the frame from being plain and empty - if she had her hand hanging down there would be wasted space within the frame which would make this photograph less successful. The pattern of the explosion is a strong feature in this piece as it is a mixture of splats all of different sizes, shapes and colours.

My Photograph

I then captured my own photograph in a studio and used the splatter tool on Photoshop to create this large explosion of red. I originally photographed Danielle licking the large lollipop, making sure that all of it was on show instead of hidden behind parts of her hair - as the lollipop is the main subject of the image as this is what's causing the wild splatters. I left space in the left hand side of the frame, as this is where I intended for the splats to spread. Without the effect, the frame would consist of wasted space, therefore this artistic explosion is a very interesting feature. As you eat a lollipop like this, it gradually begins to lose it's shape and pattern, I wanted to convey this through the use of the splatter tool as you can physically see it fading away, making the photograph a lot more fun and entertaining for the viewer. I brightened the overall image immensely in order to make it pop if it were among other pieces of photography - bright white backgrounds stand out so I wanted to employ this into my work. The background faintly blends in with the lollipop, which exaggerates the fact it's fading away.

The Connection

These two photographs connect with one another in a great deal of ways. Firstly, both photographs have been captured in a studio, with a backdrop that covers the whole frame and allows the subject to be the main focus without any interruption from other props/features in the composition. Both photographs feature the colour red, which breaks up the bright soft tones in my photograph yet compliments the fellow dark tones in the Internet image. The main feature in the two of these photographs that share the strongest connection is the large quantity of splats that are coming off the woman's body and Danielle's lollipop. This splatter effect was created by creating extra layers of the same photo on Photoshop and using the splatter tool to remove parts of the subject you want to fade away and then using it to add in splats of the colours found in the subject you're "exploding". This way, the explosion appears more realistic as parts of the subject have blended into the background instead of just having random splats sprawled out in a random section of the composition. Overall, I was able to employ this effect into my photography as effectively as it had been done professionally online, whilst creating a wild pattern that links fully to my topic.

Work Diary - Shoot 6

Evaluation

For shoot 6, I wanted to look at more patterns through food. I bought red and white swirl lollipops with a circular but randomly dispersed pattern filling the shape. I used a white background
 in this shoot in order to make the composition of each piece clean and compliment the white in the confectionery. I used Danielle as my model and made sure she wore a white top to compliment the other white colours in the frame. Photoshop was also something that I used to create a couple of my photographs from this shoot. I used the clone stamp tool in the photograph of me to duplicate myself multiple times around the frame, conveying patterns through the lollipops and the repeated appearance of myself. I also used the splatter tool and different layers in Photoshop to create the explosive effect on the lollipop in the second photograph of this post. I'd originally experimented with the splatter effect in shoot 5, making products explode, which was effective, and therefore something that I wanted to develop with my food theme. Overall, this shoot was successful as I presented pattern in a fun and vibrant style, with bright colours that have the connotation of happiness which is exactly how sweet foods make you feel. 

This is a triptych that I created on Photoshop by uploading three different photographs, making them all the same size and dragging them into one frame, using the background grids to line up each photo evenly with the others. There is a pattern in the triptych itself, along with the subject. I wanted to put all of these images together, as they weren't strong enough as photographs on their own, therefore I put them into a sequence of Danielle making random facial expression as they look more effective when grouped together. I increased the level of brightness in this piece to make the colour pop, and slightly altered the saturation, to again make the colour pop. I like this triptych technique and am looking to develop it in upcoming shoots/my exam in order to demonstrate a process or just simply illustrate an entertaining pattern/sequence.

I captured this photograph in the studio and used the splatter tool on Photoshop to create this large explosion of red. I originally photographed Danielle licking the large lollipop, making sure that all of it was on show instead of hidden behind parts of her hair - as the lollipop is the main subject of the image as this is what's causing the wild splatters. I left space in the left hand side of the frame, as this is where I intended for the splats to spread. Without the effect, the frame would consist of wasted space, therefore this artistic explosion is a very interesting feature. As you eat a lollipop like this, it gradually begins to lose it's shape and pattern; I wanted to convey this through the use of the splatter tool as you can physically see it fading away, making the photograph a lot more fun and entertaining for the viewer. I brightened the overall image immensely in order to make it pop if it were among other pieces of photography - bright white backgrounds stand out so I wanted to employ this into my work. The background faintly blends in with the lollipop, which exaggerates the fact it's fading away.

Progression

I will most certainly be developing the splatter technique after now producing successful outcomes with it in 2 shoots. It is a fun and eye catching technique that transforms a normal photograph into something fascinating. I am also intrigued to do more with the triptych, capturing sequences and recipes and patterns through the use of multiple pieces making one piece. This technique also links to multiple imagery, which I am intending on doing some more of eventually. 

Straight Images - Shoot 6

Contact Sheet - Shoot 6

Work Diary - Shoot 5

Evaluation

For this shoot, I was capturing products that included patterns and artistic packaging. I shot these in the studio as I wanted the lighting to be of good quality and light up the subject evenly, instead of using the natural lighting in my bedroom which comes from just one window, meaning one half of the frame will be slightly dimmer. I therefore used two light boxes either side of the product with my camera in the middle on a tripod to keep the photographs steady and neatly framed. I used a table with a white roll extended down and across the surface, creating an infinity curve, which I captured a couple of pictures on. I then kept this set up, and placed a light box on top to produce a faint reflection of the products I was taking pictures of. In my opinion, the photographs with the light box were more effective because the contrast with the dark background and the bright white surface made the products pop from the composition. The only downfall with using the light box was that it had multiple scratches on, so I had to use the clone stamp tool in Photoshop to select clean segments of the light box and paste them over the scratches, blending it all into one. I also used the splatter tool in Photoshop for some of the Lucozade photography I captured. For this, I'd duplicate the layers of the original photograph, and liquify one of the layers, as shown below, expanding out the product in an irregular pattern. I'd then use the splatter tool on the original layer of the bottle to make white splats on the bottle. I'd then click on the liquify layer to use a splatter tool of my choice to make rainbow explosions emerging from the bottle and across the frame. This was fun and interesting to do for my first shoot with this technique.

This is a simplistic photograph from the shoot, yet still as effective. I used an infinity curve for this piece to connect the white surface with the white background, whilst the product sits in the left hand side of the frame. I have left space on the right as I was experimenting with the frame, and I feel as though it's an effective composition as it leaves plenty of space for there to be text and company logos if it were a piece of advertising. By using studio lights it has bounced off of the bottle and made it shine, which has the connotations of femininity, liking to its uses as hand cream. By increasing the curves, levels and brightness of this photograph in Photoshop, I have allowed for the product to stand out more against the white and for it's patterns on the packaging to be evident and vibrant. As a way for making this photograph more successful, I could have cropped off the top part of the frame, as there is unwanted shadow in the left hand side which interrupts the clear white background; I will amend this for my straight images post soon.

I had to do a couple of versions of this splatter photograph because I couldn't grasp how to perfect the pattern, and make the explosion look natural. I still am not 100% happy with the outcomes, however I believe both photographs were partly successful in their own way. The top one works extremely well with the explosion on the left side of the bottle, however the splatter on the right looked messy and less effective. In the bottom photograph, I liked the explosion on the left side of the bottle again, as this looked more natural, whereas the explosion on the right conveys the parts of the bottle that I have liquified. The colours in both photographs however worked extremely well, as the explosions matched the colours on the bottle, making the splatter effect more realistic. I like the unevenly distributed pattern that the splatter gives off as this provides a sense of movement in the composition; another formal element. This makes the product shout out to the audience, as it should, as I have linked my work to the theme of advertising which means photographs should grasp a customers attention.

Progression

For my shoot next week, I want to develop the splatter technique and explore this with other products/objects; definitely more food products and maybe people too. I will hopefully also be capturing photographs of pattern packaging in the studio again for my exam, as this has worked out effectively with the light box and infinity curve. I will make sure these products are full of pattern, colour and shapes as these are formal elements that are popular features in feminine products and fizzy drinks like Lucozade.