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. 

Work Diary - Shoot 11

Evaluation

For this shoot, I wanted to photograph the patterns found in peoples manicures, as part of inspiration from one of my photographers Nick Fancher. He shot a picture of a woman holding a mug with her bright, colourful and patterned nails, which I wanted to interpret in my own style. I purchased two packs of false nails, one black and white set and the other a colour explosion set. I applied these nails to each hand of Danielle's and experimented with different compositions to see what would display the patterns in the most effective way. I shot these pictures in the studio, using two light boxes and a white rolled sheet acting as the backdrop. I used light boxes because this creates diffused light, which spreads evenly over Danielle's face and casts a soft light over the whole subject. If I was to use a snoot in this shoot, it would have cast shadows over one half of the frame, which would have made the images dramatic and bold, which isn't the intention I was going for as the nails are supposed to be the focal point of each picture, not Danielle modelling them.

I got Danielle to place her hands infront of her face for this shot, where she put her fingers neatly together whilst I composed the piece to make either side of the frame feature an equal amount of her hands. By photographing both hands, I have displayed the two different patterns on her nails, both contrasting eachother when it comes to the colour and pattern. I then used the technique selective colour to allow the colours of the nails to contrast with the background, as the nails are the focal point, so this emphasises this point. I used the curves and levels tool in Photoshop to enhance the brightness of this picture, and the saturation tool to allow the bright colours to emerge from the frame. 

I then experimented with the composition of having Danielle take a photograph of her with her phone to display the patterns in her nails against the phone case, and also display the patterns in the phone case. This could have perhaps been more effective if the phone case was clear, as this would portray the nails in a clearer way. The doughnut images on the case interrupt with the pattern in her nails, so this doesn't act as an effective base to portray her manicure, however, I still like the framing of this image and feel that having the model take a photo of herself whilst having her photo taken is quite an interesting concept, despite the lack of success that comes out of displaying the focal point (the pattern). 

Progression

I will be progressing from this shoot by using Danielle and her nails again, but this time by using Carl Kleiner's work as inspiration. I will be using shoot 12 as a development shoot from shoot 2, where I manipulated my images and added surreal themes, using items of confectionery to add the wow factor to each image. In this shoot I will be using Liquorice Allsorts and Starbursts instead of M&M's. 

Work Diary - Shoot 10

Evaluation

For this shoot my camera was set at Exposure: 1/200 sec, F/9 and ISO 100. I intended on doing a shoot this time where it involved the patterns found in clothing items, such as Aztec patterns. As I am looking to do a shoot in my exam related to patterns in fashion, I felt it was necessary to first experiment in my coursework with this idea. I shot outside in the daylight because it was a bright day, so there was plenty of light to enhance the colours and exposure of my shots. I shot these images on a field because I wanted the background of the subject to be empty and spacious, along with using the bright green grass to suggest the connotation of warm weather; Spring. I used Danielle as my model and made her wear a black and white cardigan as the main fashion piece, as this poured pattern all the way down from her neck to her thighs, allowing the majority of her body to convey the Aztec print. The monochrome colours contrast with her bright blue shorts, as the rest of her outfit consists of nothing but black and white, except the blue pop of colour. I shot in a variety of techniques, such as close ups, mid shots, back of head shots and from a variety of different angles to end up with a collection of varied pieces.

This was my most successful photograph from the shoot. The main reason for this in my opinion is the natural pose that I captured when Danielle was laughing, along with the unsaturated sepia tint to the image. This tone spread over the whole of the image creates the sense of a vintage style, which can be complimented by Danielle's outfit choice, as the Aztec cardigan is an outgoing item of clothing that could suggest her unique and positive personality. By adding this tint to the frame, it has allowed for every colour in the composition to look the same, with no bright vibrant tone standing out and dominating the photograph. This resulted in the formal element pattern being the dominating subject, which was my intention, as this is my topic; unlike the photograph below where the cardigan shares dominance with the blue shorts as they are both features that stand out in the frame. I composed the composition so that the subject was placed to the right side of the frame, allowing parts of the empty background to stand out on the left and leave space for a potential slogan that could be added if this photograph was used as a piece of advertising. 

In this photograph, I framed it so that both sides of Danielle's body had the cardigan draping down evenly, making the composition look tidy and thoughtfully composed. I left the colours bright and saturated in this image because I wanted a few pieces that presented the connotation of warm weather, to compliment Danielle's outfit choice of short shorts. I altered the curves a lot in this photograph to create some depth and tone in the clothes, emphasising their texture, the shape and the lines - focusing on the detail of formal elements. It wasn't my most successful photograph, because I feel as though the way I have framed the picture suggests that the shorts are the main item of clothing that I'm advertising, whereas this isn't the idea I wanted to present to an audience. Despite this, it still makes a successful piece of photography for displaying pattern, which is the overall aim of this shoot as a whole. 

Progression

Having now reached the minimum requirement of shoots for my coursework, I am hoping to shoot a few more to make my work stronger. I am interested in developing the style of Carl Kleiner's work with the birds eye view and table top set up in a shoot as this allows me to create a diverse amount of pattern by perhaps situating sweets and objects around in a mixture of sequences in the frame. I am not looking to develop this fashion shoot further as I thoroughly experimented with this theme in my exam, and was extremely pleased with some of the shots I captured. However, I am looking to develop some of the photographs in the style of Damien Blottiere as he was a large influence for my decision to look at shooting people and creating patterns through printing a repeated amount of copies and cutting them into shapes, to make up the same image, similar to a montage.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

Work Diary - Shoot 4

Evaluation

For shoot 4, I took some photographs on location when I travelled into Rochester and looked at the architecture along with street photography. Rochester is a town and historical city based in Medway, Kent. It is known for having roman buildings and cobbled streets which are filled with interesting patterns, tones, lines, colours, form, reflections and shapes. As this area consists of so many formal elements, I would be guaranteed an array of successful photographs. After my first shoot for this project, I wanted to develop the location photography as I didn't want my project to be so similar in every shoot. I used the natural day light for all of the photographs I captured as this shoot wasn't set up, and I also didn't use a tripod as it wasn't necessary as I was on the go whilst capturing the pictures. The majority of the photographs that I took were framed against the white misty sky, so that the subject's outline was evident - emphasising the shapes and patterns of each piece. When it came to the editing stage of this shoot, there was no need for me to do any surrealistic or ambitious editing in Photoshop as each image was already a finished piece. I had to just simply change the colours and brightness levels through the curves and contrast tool.

This was the most successful outcome of shoot 4 because of  many reasons. Firstly, the patterns in this photograph are featured in practically every section of the frame. There is pattern in the outline of the building against the sky, patterns in the architecture and then patterns found in the windows of the building. The majority of this building presents a symmetrical pattern if it was halved down the middle, which makes it more of an appealing subject to photograph. I decreased the saturation on Photoshop as the building was too yellow, and I wanted it to look more mysterious and spooky than vibrant as it's a historical city, and history usually comes with ghosts/a past. I shot this photograph from a low angle looking up towards the building, which makes its size daunting and as if it's towering over any passerby. 

This is another one of my favourite pictures from shoot 4. I feel that I composed this piece effectively considering I was in the car whilst capturing it. I wanted to get a straight on shot of the pub as there is lots going on in the frame. There's a staircase to the left which consists of lines and patterns leading towards a balcony attached to the pub. There's a tree situated directly in the center of the frame separating the left and right parts of the composition. There's a bench to the right with a couple of table and chairs behind it, and there's an advertisement presenting what the pub sells along with a couple of flower baskets hanging from random parts of the building. I like the combination of light beige and browns with the red accent colour because these contrast, allowing the reds to stand out as it's this colour that advertises what they sell and the time they open and shut etc.

Progression

In order to progress from this shoot, I am interested in visiting Canterbury. Here I will be guaranteed more fascinating architecture, beautiful streets and interesting areas of this location that are photogenic and include natural pattern. Natural pattern is something that I have enjoyed shooting so far because it is usually found in everything if you create the right composition for it. I am hoping to perhaps develop the street photography by using panorama's for certain images or my fish eye lens, as these two techniques will provide me with more of a range of photographs that aren't only simplistic but creative and intriguing.

Work Diary - Shoot 2

Evaluation

This shoot of mine was inspired by Nick Fancher, who photographs tasty snacks and adds surreal elements to the composition. In his Ritz photograph, he had the crackers flying out of the packet and falling down in a tidy pattern towards a bowl. I wanted to reproduce this style of work in my own way, where I had M&M's flying out of its packet directed towards Danielle's mouth. I also included miniature M&M figures and created the illusion that the two characters were catching a pattern of M&M's in their hands and bouncing them back and forth. This shoot was extremely successful, as the patterns I created were evident and beaming with colour, making them even more noticeable and bold against the white background. Below I have displayed how I create images like this, using the select tool on Photoshop and separate images - piecing one photograph together through layers. As advertising is also something that I am interested in, I wanted to produce some images that could relate to this theme, and I feel my outcomes would be appropriate for M&M advertising as they are bright, filled with colour and convey lots of imagination - features that make for a strong piece of advertising photography.

With this photograph, I wanted to create the illusion of M&M's piling up in Danielle's mouth as a follow on photograph to the one of the M&M's falling into her mouth from the packet at a side angle. I had to select each M&M and drag them into the frame of this one, placing them in random spots of Danielle's mouth, doing so until I filled it up. I then had to select each M&M that I wanted to rub out, in order to create the shapes of her teeth and outline of her lips which became lost in the group of M&M's. Once I had rubbed out some of the M&M's and perfected the shape of her mouth with the confectionery, I altered the brightness and curves etc to make this photograph even more appealing. I was pleased with the outcome of this photograph as it looks bizarre but effective. The neutral colours of Danielle's hair and top contrast with the high saturation of the M&M's which allows them to stand out even more, as they are the focal point.

This was another successful photograph from today's shoot that I created on Photoshop. I photographed two M&M characters at a certain distance from eachother to leave space for the M&M pattern. I used a simple white sheet that rolled down over the table I was shooting on to form an infinity curve. I also had a natural light source coming in from the right side of the frame and casting a slight shadow next to the figures. Form is therefore a formal element that I have used in this photograph, alongside shape, pattern, colour and movement. I placed each M&M in a chronological order, so that the colour sequence of green, yellow, blue, red and orange was consistent throughout the whole pattern. I want to develop this photograph into a gif, where each M&M pops into the frame one by one as this is what Carl Kleiner done with his Ritz project, where the crackers piled out of the packet and into a bowl.

Progression

It was fun for me to be creative again with Photoshop, experimenting with surrealism and creating pieces of photography that effortlessly catch your eye. I therefore want to develop this technique in an upcoming shoot where I be creative again with sweets/chocolate. Photographing confectionery is the most fascinating food product for me to shoot because it is always beaming with bright colours and the packaging is usually artistic and photogenic, making being creative come naturally as I am always able to employ some eccentric features that link to the product.

Work Diary - Shoot 1

Evaluation

For my first shoot, I wanted to capture natural pattern on location, as this is the first idea that came to mind when I thought of my topic. After finishing my Research Log studying particular photographs that relate to my theme, I came across Franck Bohbot who takes photographs of stunning architecture featuring pattern and depth, who inspired this shoot. As I also enjoy capturing depth photography, I wanted to make sure I employed this formal element and pattern in one piece. I visited The National Portrait Gallery and The British Library, which are places that have an endless amount of photogenic architecture and ultimately filled with lots of pattern. This shoot was extremely successful, and something that I will be developing in another upcoming shoot of architecture and also in my exam.

I framed this photo so that the architecture of the interior was symmetrical on either side of the composition. I made sure that my camera was center by using a tripod to get the proportions of each side accurate. I had to trim a segment of the photograph in order to even out both sides, but apart from that this photo needed very minimal editing. In order to make the contrast of white and black more bold I altered the curves and levels in Photoshop, as this makes the patterns stand out more. I was extremely pleased with the outcome of this photo and am looking to capture more photographs similar to this one in other galleries, as galleries feature the most attractive and appealing architecture which is filled with pattern.

I unfortunately didn't take my SLR camera with me to The British Library, so I was only able to capture this image on my phone. I looked down from a platform and saw pattern sprawled across the whole frame, in the Alice in Wonderland display, the floor tiles, the escalators and stairs etc. whilst random people were dispersed around the frame. Like Bohbot's work, he took some black and white imagery that included accent colours. This photograph of mine includes a red accent colour in the bottom left hand side of the frame, which breaks up the constant black, white and grey tones making up the rest of the photo. I was captivated by the variety of pattern in this piece rather than the symmetrical style found in depth photographs like my one above.

Progression

In order to progress from this shoot and develop the ideas I have begun, I am hoping to travel to more locations similar to this one where I can take photographs of natural pattern found in architecture and interior design, as this shoot was just a taste of the type of photographs I could capture with the right subject in the right place. I will explore more photographs with accent colours as I am intrigued by this technique, and I am certain I will visit a couple more galleries in London in order to capture more depth photography. Instead of just focusing on natural accent colours, I could add this style into the frame by using the technique selective colour which I can do on Photoshop. I will most likely do a location shoot as part of my exam after this one providing me with some effective photographs.