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.