TAOP Formal Assessment Results.

I have had over the Christmas period to really think about my formal assessment results for The Art of Photography course. I was particularly worried about receiving them mainly as I had no idea what to expect or what standard of work I was producing. I desperately to do well but accepted that the photographs I produce are not always right technically.

The results were published online in November and I had a look at my expected mark but I was keen to receive the written letter confirming my result.

I would of just been pleased to pass, even though I had put a lot of work in. I received a total of 68 marks which is so much better than I expected. I found the breakdown of marks really useful to give me the idea of what level I am currently working at. I realise that my marks from level 1 do not count towards the final degree class but the mark I achieved means that I have produced work of a Class 2:1 standard.

I really hope that I can maintain this level of work, if not improve upon it.

The assessor comments mentioned that to improve I should:

• maintain and increase my contextual research.
• look at the work of others that I enjoy.
• develop my evaluative and reflective writing - looking at my own work and others.

I am really going to concentrate on these things and hopefully achieve a higher mark at the end of this course. I really look forward to progressing and I feel that the assessment has renewed my enthusiasm and inspired me to try to improve.

Photography in the News - 2012 in photos.

As we are rapidly approaching the end of the year I decided to look back over the past year in photographs, courtesy of www.boston.com.

I decided to select several images that caught my eye either by the memorable subject they portray or through their composition.

 

 

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy with two people stood in front depicting a snow fall as Rome was on high alert for a second Winter blast. (Massimo Percossi/EPA)

 

 

Taken in Eastern Siberia this shot shows a child whose eyelashes have been covered with  hoarfrost as the temperature reached minus 35 degrees Celsius. (Viktor Everstov/Reuters)



The Jubilee celebrations played a big part this year lasting four days to mark the Queen's 60th year. (Sang Tan Associated Press)

 

 And who could possibly forget the London Olympics! Athletes running past the Olympic flame on day one. (Daniel Ochoa De Olza/ Associated Press)

I included this multiple exposure photograph of Andy Murray as he serves against Novak Djokovic as I was particularly drawn to the pattern and repetition. I like the fact that you cannot tell who the tennis player is, and that does not matter the image. You also get a sense of movement through the photo. (Dylan Martinez /Reuters)



This photo really caught my eye because of the rich and vibrant use of green. To the left of the frame you can also spot a farmer as he walks through a paddy field near his home in Nepal. (Prakash Mathema/AFP/GettyImages)

Over the next year I intend to create my own album of images that will represent my 2013 so that I will be able to look back at the end of the year and remember places I have been to and things that I have seen.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/12/2012_year_in_pictures_part_i.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/12/2012_year_in_pictures_part_ii.html

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/12/2012_year_in_pictures_part_iii.html

Photography in the News - Landscape Photographer of the year 2012.

This week I have been looking at the Landscape Photographer of the year award, particularly as I have an interest in this area, but I am also keen to look at various photographic genres and the standard of work out there.

I found it particularly interesting that this years winner was then disqualified as the image he submitted violated contest rules for taking digital editing too far. Whilst it has been agreed that he was not trying to deceive the judges I do think that this is a fair result. I personally do not like to do much digital editing. I am happy to alter exposure, contrast or to crop an image but I like the photo to stay as close a representation to the shot scene as possible.

The new winner Simon Butterworth with his image in titled "Tenement buildings at Port Glasgow, Inverclyde" is a worthy winner.

 

 

I am particularly drawn to the repetition of pattern and how your eye moves diagonally across the frame. So much thought has gone into composition and the angle of the camera to produce this interesting shot.

I personally do not know how they managed to select a winner. I have taken a look through the winners list and the other entrants are equally as amazing! It would be interesting to know exactly what the judges are looking for and the criteria that must be met.

I would love to be able to enter a competition like this......maybe in the future, who knows.

 

Winners list viewed from http://www.take-a-view.co.uk/2012_winners.htm

 

Disqualification info and winners image taken from http://www.petapixel.com/2012/11/02/landscape-photographer-of-the-year-2012-stripped-of-title-for-too-much-shoppin/

 

 

 

Photography in the news - Everybody does have a twin.

This week I had a little help from my sister as it was her who had come across this article, and thought that I would be interested.

It is about a photographer, Francois Brunelle, who has studied peoples faces since he became a photographer in 1968 when he was 18. He has produced some amazing portraits of people who at  first glance seem to be twins, but are in fact unrelated. He says that "the portraits allow him to explore the intimate relationship between subjects and how they approach their remarkably similar appearances".

 

 

 

 

 

The project is called I'm not a look-a-like and shows people with North American and European backgrounds. People are still being invited to come forward until the project ends next year.

 

 

I love the idea of this project and studying peoples faces closely rather than randomly snapping you can really get a feel for the research that has lead up to each image. I am still working on creating my own personal project.

 

 

Taken from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2247797/Twin-portraits-Quebec-photographer-Francois-Brunelle-takes-pictures-look-alikes.html

 

 

Photography in the news-Is smartphone journalism the way of the future?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/photography-blog/2012/nov/29/smartphone-journalism-photography
I actually gave this article a lot of thought and can see it from both perspectives. I have instagram myself but have never thought to use it to take 'serious' images, tending to instead use it to capture spur of the moment things in a light hearted way. The advantage of apps such as instagram is that they give you so much more freedom when shooting a scene. Aside from the fact that smartphones are easy to carry and so much lighter than a digital camera, they also remove having to think about which setting should be used so compostiton can be concentrated on. Like the article mentions, IPhones are inconspicuous,every other person has one so it is very easy to blend in as opposed to poking a lens in someones face.

But I also think that these kinds of apps remove the skill and techniques used to produce a beautiful image. I think that there is a time and a place for these apps and serious journalism may not be one of them. They make every other person a photographer, does this make a mockery of the profession if 'anyone' can do it??

 

 

 

 

Photography News-Reclaiming photos after Hurricane Sandy.

Week two of my personal project to read any articles etc that relate to photography in some way. So far so good! This week I came across an article on the World Photography Organisation website about how a teenager from Staten Island had taken it upon herself to collect hundreds of photographs that had been lost by their owners during the storm. The aim of this was to "help people save what are most often their most meaningful belongings". The found photos have been tacked on boards waiting to be reunited with their rightful owner's, and will be kept hold of until they are claimed.

I think that this is such a thoughtful thing to do. Now a days people really focus on material possessions but when you lose everything it is memories like these that are lost. Photos are irreplaceable and it can be heart breaking to lose them. I really hope that they find their way back to their owners.

http://www.worldphoto.org/news-and-events/wpo-news/reclaimed-photos-following-hurricane-sandy/ 

 

Photograph taken from - www.guardian.co.uk

Light from the Middle East: New Photography.

Light from the Middle East: New Photography is the first major exhibition of photography about the Middle East. The exhibition showcases more than 90 works from various artists across the area. It is currently showing at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I heard about it from receiving a leaflet from The Royal Photographic Society (with whom I am a member) and was keen to go. I am conscious of the fact that I do not view enough of other photographers work and I am hoping to change this. The exhibition opened 13th November and runs until 7th April 2013. I am aware for the foreseeable future that I will not be able to get sufficient time to visit London and view it in person so I have managed to access a lot of the images online. I am very aware that this is no where near the same as standing in front of the image but I was keen to view the exhibition. If I do get a chance to visit then I will update this post.

 

"The exhibition explores the ways in which these artists investigate the language and techniques of photography". It is divided into three sections, recording, reframing and resisting. Each section focuses on a different approach to photography.

 

Recording.

 

Photography is a way of recording various events in life as well as people and places. Photographs can trigger memories or reveal something the viewer may not have been able to see in person. They can mean many different things to many people as each person can interpret them differently. The photographers in the recording section use a variety of methods and techniques to explore how the camera can record a moment.

Newsha Tavakolian from the series 'Mothers of Martyrs' shows elderly Iranian women holding up images of their sons who had died decades before in the Iran-Iraq war. I think that it is such a strong idea behind these photographs. You get a sense of sadness but also that the mothers are proud of their sons.




Ahmed Mater 'Magnetism II' is part of a series produced to recreate well known scenes but on a different scale. This image represents "pilgrims circling the Ka'ba, the sacred building at the heart of the sanctuary at Mecca". This image refers to the spiritual force of Muslims being drawn to Mecca. The literal image shows a magnetic cube in the centre of iron fillings spiralling around it. This image in particular really inspires me to think about the meaning behind the photographs I am taking.

Reframing.

"The artists in this section appropriate or imitate images from the past in order to make statements about the present". The original source may be fashion photography or portraits, from paintings or photographs.



Here Hassan Hajjaj juxtaposes east and west in his image intitled 'Saida in Green'. It shows a young woman from the east wearing a traditional veil but its shows the logo of Louis Vuitton, a western designer. I find the contrast in this shot interesting as it has a good concept. Although I am sure I have seen similar ideas elsewhere.

Resisting.

" The artists in this section question the idea that a photograph can tell the truth". Some of the artists have digitally altered the images or scratch and burn them. Some of the images created become indistinguishable and hard to interpret. This section rejects the idea that photography always shows the truth and accuracy.



John Jurayj 'Untitled (Large embassy with red mirror #1)' shows the brutality of war having been taken out on a photograph by burning holes in it. The holes have then been filled in with red, mirrored plexiglas.The actual image is a news photograph of the US embassy in Beirut that was bombed in 1984 which has then been enlarged so that it appears almost abstract. If you did not know the story behind it you would think that someone has made a serious of black and white rectangles and then added red dots all over it. Again I like that there is a story behind the image.



 Taraneh Hemami 'Most Wanted' explores how cultures are represented and identified. Here mugshots have been downloaded from the US government website just after 9/11 and have then been digitally altered so that features become unrecognisable and blurry. Hemami has then scratched over the print so that it is defaced further. What remains are headscarves etc which shows the stereotypical western view of Muslims. I think that this is clever how this has been done and does illustrate the concept well. I am wondering whether this is borderline racism but maybe that is the point Hemami is trying to make.


Generally looking through the whole exhibition it has made me think of the ideas behind the images I take. Should I be putting more thought into the stories behind them? I think that viewing these images has been a worthwhile exercise and really made me question the process I go though. It has made me want to undertake some kind of personal project and develop my own ideas and creativity.





http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-light-from-the-middle-east-new-photography/about-the-exhibition/


 

Photography In The News - Kate Middleton's Snaps.

I have been thinking about how photography appears in the news and decided that I should be paying more attention to how it features in society. I am going to try to pay more attention to "the bigger picture" and find articles/links/any piece of writing that relates to photography or a photographer, every week and then seriously consider and comment on it.

 

Kate Middleton has been in the news for the photographs that were made public of her and Prince William's Diamond Jubilee Tour taken back in September. She is apparently a keen photographer and took advantage of the trip to Borneo rainforest.

 

 

Personally I am not keen on the images she took and they have received mixed reviews. Some have called the images stunning where as others feel her black and white image of an orangutan in the trees looks like Rod Hull's Emu. I have to say that I am inclined to agree with the latter. I feel as though the photos show no real connection to the subject and to a certain extent she has just pointed and pressed. I also think that as a set of images some were taken in black and white where as a couple are in colour....there is no real continuity. The black and white images also seem as though they are trying to appear arty as opposed to having a real reason for them not being in colour. Absent from the shots are any people and I think including someone in the images would of made the photos stronger.

 

 

Taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/kate-middletons-borneo-photos_n_2170657.html#slide=1787803

Exercise: Your tolerance for noise

Noise appears on an photograph as a speckled effect, like salt and pepper; it can be black, coloured or bright. This depends on the scene and also the exposure. You can take several precautions to try and prevent noise occurring "the first and most obvious precaution is to use the lowest ISO setting possible. The second is to make use of the camera's noise reduction option for long exposures" (Mastering Digital Photography, Michael Freeman, Ilex, 2008).

The major cause of noise is there not being enough photons of light that strike the sensors receptors. This in turn causes a sampling error.

For this exercise we are to find a situation which fills the following criteria:

• Daylight indoors -as outdoor light is too bright for high ISO settings, too dark would need long exposure times.
• A combination of sharp detail an textureless areas, with some of the textureless area in shadow.

I set up my camera with the tripod so that each image would be as identical as possible, composition wise, so all I need to change is the ISO setting. I set the camera to the aperture priority setting so that the depth of field also stays the same. I experimented with the aperture and found that f4.8 was the best setting, focal length remained at 48mm.

My cameras range runs from 200 to 3200 so I took a photo at each ISO setting.

 

 

Full size at ISO 200.

 

Zoomed in area to compare noise levels.

 

ISO 200

 

 

ISO 250

ISO 320

ISO 400

ISO 500

ISO 640

ISO 800

ISO 1000

ISO 1250

ISO 1600

 

 

ISO 2000

 

 

 

ISO 2500

 

ISO 3200

Conclusion.


I really start to notice noise at ISO 640 quite considerably, although it is possible to pick it up earlier than this but I felt I could tolerate the level. I would not be happy using the full size image past ISO 800 as I feel that the noise level is quite obvious. Comparing the ISO 200 to the ISO 3200 image there is a much greater difference than I was expecting before I began this exercise. I am really enjoying learning about the more technical aspects of my camera as I feel that this is where I let myself down. I am aiming to do much more of my own research, reading around the subjects introduced, than I had done in the previous course as I feel that is the only way I will become more confident and be able to produce better photos.

References.

Mastering Digital Photography, Michael Freeman, Ilex, 2008

http://www.adorama.com/alc/article/12955




 

Exercise: Highlight Clipping

 

 

For this exercise I am to find a scene with a wide range of brightness. This was a challenge in itself as the weather has been so dull that I had postponed completing this assignment and had moved on to others. Luckily this weekend there has been a bright sunlight (accompanied by a harsh frost). I decided to pick the view over the stud that my house looks over, that way I do not have to be out in the -3 degrees for very long.

I did struggle with this exercise to start as I was not aware if my camera had a highlight clipping warning so it meant thoroughly going through my manual before even beginning. After a short while I managed to find the setting , and with some trial and error, managed to switch it on. I decided to find the setting where the highlight clipping warning just appears and then alter the exposure by adjusting the shutter speed.

First image where the highlight clipping warning showed.
1/400 f5.6 ISO 200 98mm WB Auto.

The next image shows the exposure increased by one f-stop which shows a much wider area of clipping.
1/320 f5.6 ISO 200 98mm WB Auto -1

I have then taken 3 further shots, each one decreasing by one f-stop.

1/500 f5.6 ISO 200 98mm WB Auto +1

1/640 f5.6 ISO 200 98mm WB Auto +2

 

 

1/800 f5.6 ISO 200 98mm WB Auto +3

 

 

 

When I first examined the areas of highlight on Photoshop I noticed how the clipped areas were much larger than they had appeared on my camera. Zooming in on the clipped areas of the first and second image I took the detail is pretty non existant with the colour of the sky being bleached out and you can see a definite line where white meets nearly white. The last three images the area of clipping is much smaller but the detail has again disappeared. The exposure decrease by 3 f-stops actually has no areas of highlight clipping present but I think that I should be aware of the shadown to the bottom right. The colours are much more saturated on this image too and overall I prefer it as it contains the most detail.

I have to say that this exercise has troubled me the most. It has very much been a learning process as I had to research highlight clipping a lot first to make sure that I thoroughly understood it, then I had to re read my manual to find the right settings and then on photoshop (which I only use for very basci editing) I then spent far too long working out where the button was to even show the clipped areas. I persevered with this much longer than I normally would as I tend to get disheartened quite quickly, and I am glad I did as I really feel this exercise has taught me a lot.

 

 

 

 

Exercise: Sensor Linear Capture

" Take any TIFF or JPEG image and open it in Photoshop Elements. Convert it to 16 bits per channel. Go to Image> Adjustments> Curves and make a curve".

 

My first problem was that when I opened Photoshop Elements that it would not allow me to convert to 16 bits per channel, it would only offer 8 bits per channel. In the end I downloaded a free trial of CS6 which luckily worked.

 

The image I chose was one I had used for a previous project producing a portrait. shown below is the original image.

 

 

 

I selected my image and then followed the instructions. The image then appeared as shown below.

 

 

 

As you can see the linear image here the tones are mainly squashed to the left pf the histogram.

 

I have then tried to create a curve using the linear image to try and make the image as close as possible to the original version. My best attempt at this is shown below.

 

 

 

Carrying out this exercise has shown me how a digital camera sensor captures an image in a basic 'linear' way and then converts it into the image that we see.

 

 

 



Assignment One - Workflow

Before beginning this assignment I carefully considered my topic to shoot and how it would fit in with the assignment criteria. I felt that my main options were to do street photography, use the images I had shot of Melford Hall or use my place of work. I decided that I wanted to explore street photography a bit more without the stress of shooting for an assignment hanging over my head. I tend to go into assignment mode and stop shooting as naturally. I also did not have the time to fit in travelling very far so I would need a subject closer to home that was more easily accessible. I then moved on to my Melford Hall option, but felt that this fit the previous exercise about editing much better. This then left me with the idea of using my place of work, which obviously had the added bonus that I am there most of the time so could easily fit in shooting, plus I feel comfortable in the surroundings.

I currently work for a veterinary referral centre which is in the grounds of Lanwades Park. In the centre of the grounds is a lovely house which has been used for weddings. The hall was completed in 1907 and was built by Mr. J.W. Larnach. He paid for it using the £5,450 winnings which had come from a £500 bet he had placed when his horse Jeddah won the 1898 Derby. It is built in the style of 16th Century properties with prominent red brick chimneys. King Edward VII actually stayed at Lanwades Hall when he attended the Newmarket Races.

Planning the shoot.

I had decided that I was going to go back to work at a weekend when the site would be much quieter so I would hopefully not get disturbed. I was hoping for a relatively nice day rather than wet weather which was more than likely at this time of year. I know the site well having worked there for just over seven years so had potential shots in mind as well as intending to walk around quite freely.

I thought about the equipment I would need to take with me. I currently only have the one lens at the moment, a 18-105mm, so that was a rather easy decision but I feel that this will be more than sufficient for what I will be shooting and is a good all round lens. I decided not to take my tripod with me, whilst it is light it only collapses up to a point and as the site is very large I did not want to carry it around for miles. I also did not feel that I would need it for the images I intended to take.

Before setting out I reset my camera settings, wiped my memory card so that I would not run out of space, made sure my camera lens was clean, checked the memory space on my laptop so that I would have room to transfer the images over and charged the cameras battery.

The Shoot.

The shoot did go as planned to a certain extent. I ended up making two trips over two consecutive weekends. The first weekend that I went the weather was quite bright but it was absolutely freezing cold. I really needed gloves on but I then could not alter the camera settings and had to keep taking them off. I had not picked the best time of day to go; the sun was high which meant that whichever angle I took it was in the wrong place making images appear over exposed when I was really looking for a richer colour. Altering the cameras exposure did little to help. I felt like the day had become a bit of a disaster so I returned home with around 20 images. I then set out the following weekend having really thought about what I was trying to achieve. I decided to head out earlier in the day as I felt the light would suit the topic much better. I also had the weather to contend with, we had had torrential rain all night and when I got up that morning the idea of working on the assignment did not seem promising. Luckily there was a break in the rain and as my kit was all ready, I headed out.  Shooting went much better than the previous week and I ended up with a total of 68 images before the weather became unbearable again. I was very happy with some of the images I produced, with everything still wet from the rain the colours were much glossier and had a better quality.

Downloading the images.

I downloaded all of the images onto my laptop in the pictures folder and then viewed them using Adobe Photoshop CS5. I know many people prefer to label using just the date but that means nothing to me. I personally prefer labelling the reason for shooting/occasion and include the date if necessary. So to find these images I search:

Pictures> Digital Photographic Process> DPP Assignment1.

I tried various ideas for labelling on the Art of Photography course I studied previously but I find this much easier when looking for certain images on my laptop.

Editing.

Technical Edit.

I started out with 68 images and viewed them all. I edited out any shots that were technically unusable such as those that were blurring and out of focus or the exposure may be incorrect. I then delete these images as they cannot be used for anything. I was quite surprised when I only deleted four images.

The Selects.

I was now left with 64 images. This time I went through all of the images again and edited out shots that I had several of. These images showed exactly the same scene but with a slight technical difference such as the exposure being altered for each one. I also removed images from my choices that I felt the composition really did not work.

First Selects.

From the previous edit I was left with 42 photos. I went through these images again bearing in mind that I could only select up to 12 images to submit. I was quite harsh and edited down to 20 photos which I then put into a separate folder so that when it came to review them I was only evaluating the images I felt strongly about rather than all of the shots I had taken.

Group and Review.

I leave the images a couple of days before reviewing my choices. I wanted to be more critical of them and feel that doing this helps. In the past I have been out on a shoot, come home and carried out the editing process all on the same day and then regretted my decisions. I wanted to almost be viewing the photos as an outsider with no link to the images. When I did review the shots I was happy with the choices I had made.

A Final Choice.

I went through my final 20 and decided that I needed to be harsh with myself and only submit the images that I really liked. I had put my first selects in a separate folder so they were easier to review again and edit down. In the end I found that I had seven images that I particularly liked. To begin with I felt conscious that the brief states 6-12 and that I should be including more photos but I do not think that you should start adding photos for the sake of it just to meet a quota. I very happy with the seven I have picked and feel that they give a broad but accurate view of the site I was shooting.

Post Processing.

Using Adobe Photoshop CS5 I then checking the exposure and making any minor adjustments such as cropping to improve composition. I was to submit the images as prints so as my printer will still not connect to my laptop I needed to burn the photos onto disc and have them printed off. This was actually a new experience for me as I am rather ashamed to say that I have never printed off any of my images! For the art of photography all of my work was submitted digitally. Looking back I should really have printed some of the photos out, even just for myself. I ended up using a self service kiosk to print my photos out for this assignment. I have to say that was a bit of an experience for myself and I am not sure that boots is really the ideal place to develop really good quality prints. I did not realise in some respects just how different the photos look printed out. On screen they all look very clear but looking at the prints in front of me you can pick out several flaws that I had not previously noticed. This assignment is really turning out to be a learning experience for me which I am really glad about.

1.      The Hall. 1/80 f5.6 ISO 400 35mm -0.7 WB Cloudy. I wanted to shoot an image of the Hall which showed its most distinctive features such as chimneys. The idea behind this shot was to try and create a picture frame effect around the scene using the bushes. I think that the shot came out quite well but it is let down by the gloomy uninteresting sky.

2.      The Wishing Well. 1/500 f5.6 ISO 500 105mm WB AUTO. This photo looked clear on the laptop but has a blurry finish on the print. I was very disappointed when I first saw this but after thinking about it, it reminded me of how things appear in a dream; there is something a bit secret garden about it. I actually think it is quite fitting as it is of the wishing well. I am sure other people will look at this shot and “out of focus, terrible shot” and part of me does agree. But, I love how the light has shone through the trees creating a dappled effect and using light is something I am trying to improve on which is why I have still included the shot.

3.      Fuchsia.  1/80 f8 ISO 400 75mm WB Cloudy. I did not just want to send endless images of the Hall but wanted to show the site as a whole. There are some lovely gardens and plants which are why I think the site is popular not just with dog walkers, but now also as it has become a wedding venue. This was taken on my second visit to shoot and the bright pink really caught my eye. On closer inspection you could see the raindrops on the ends of the flower. I really like this photo and think that the print also came out well. I love the glossy glass like appearance of the raindrops and how you can even see the pollen. If I had to pick fault I would say that maybe I should of adjusted the aperture slightly so that the background was not quite as blurred as I have made it.

4.      Tree lined pathway. 1/80 f5.6 ISO 400 75mm WB Cloudy. I chose this shot because from this vantage point you cannot see where the path leads. I like how the steps lead your eye up the frame and then the row of tree encourage your gaze along the pathway.

5.      Statue. 1/80 f5.6 ISO 400 40mm -0.7 WB Cloudy. Post production I have cropped this image slightly. Again with this image I wanted the trees to frame the bronze statue of the horse, dog and cat......the main animals that are treated here and that appear on the logo. There are many photographs of this statue and I wanted to try and produce an image of it that I had not seen before.

6.      Ponies. 1/80 f5.6 ISO 400 70mm -0.7 WB Cloudy. There are many ponies that live on the acres of land on the site. I took many photos of them but I was looking for something a bit more interesting than a pony’s portrait. Unfortunately I turned up when they were all having breakfast so nothing was more important to them than eating. When they did notice I was there they all wandered up to the fence and stood in a row with their heads through the fence. Whilst this did look quite comical it was not the natural image I was hoping for. Eventually they started to lose interest in me and began behaving naturally which is when I managed to take this photo. I was hoping that the print would come out better than it has because on my screen it looks nice and clear, I need to work out why this happens. Maybe the original image is not as clear as I think. I probably should have used a faster shutter speed considering my subject was unlikely to stay still for very long. The colours of the ponies got me thinking about contrast so whilst in Photoshop I decided to really up the contrast and convert the image to black and white. I think this suits it really well. I do not like converting to black and white for no reason, and even though I love black and white photography, I rarely do it. Here I feel that there is a reason behind doing so, rather than just trying to appear artistic, which I think is often the case.

7. Trees. 1/80 f5.3 ISO 40075mm WB Cloudy. The whole site is full of beautiful trees and now that the weather has turned, and the leaves have changed from green and are starting to drop, I was struck by how much more interesting they look. My eye was immediately drawn to the gold of the leaves and how they contrasted with the green of the plant at the base of the tree trunk, as well as the green of the bushes in the background. I really love this shot even though it shows autumn in a stereotypical way.

Conclusion.

I have found this assignment particularly beneficial, being able to consider my workflow and analyse how I can tailor it to suit my needs. My workflow may differ from that of a professional photographer in the sense that I do not take as many images as a professional would. I think that a professional would also have a different editing process and I think that my method probably needs some work so that I am more efficient. As time has gone on I have started to take many more images than I would, tending in the past to only shoot images I knew I needed and generally doing away with editing. I have found this section of the course so interesting in particular developing my personal workflow.

In addition to working on this assignment I have also begun reading one of the set texts Mastering Digital Photography, Michael Freeman. I have really got in to it as I am trying to focus on lighting and my use of it at the moment. It has given me many ideas that I cannot wait to try out.

Reflection

Reading the assignment criteria I have tried to review how well I think that I have done.

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills – I feel that I have a fair grasp of techniques but I am obviously learning all of the time. I think that my observational skills are good and I always try to produce interesting compositions.

Quality of Outcome – I do try to apply the knowledge I have gained while studying with the OCA. I think that my work is presented neatly and coherently.

Demonstration of Creativity – I do try to be creative but I feel that there is room for improvement here and I need to try and use my imagination more.

Context – I think that I am good at reflecting on my work and can see areas I need to improve on. I carry out my own research, visit galleries, work on my own projects and undertake further reading.

Exercise: Editing.

"For this exercise you need to start with a set of recently shot images. Try to work with a reasonably large set of images, at least 50, all covering the same theme or location."

 

I chose to use images I had recently taken for the National Trust. I had just started volunteering as a photographer for their Melford Hall property and they had asked that I try to provide them with images of the hall all in portrait to fit on their leaflets. I managed to shoot 95 photos which I then needed to edit down to provide them with a handful of images.

 

Step one - the technical edit.

 

I removed any images that had obvious faults to them. Four were over exposed, mainly as the day was very bright......not ideal for what I was trying to do, two were out of focus which left me with 89. I currently have Photoshop elements 9. I view each image as a thumbnail, removing any images with faults from my main screen. For the technical edit I deleted any image that was not up to scratch, particularly as I shoot in RAW so I do not want vital memory space taken up. Also having just had to buy a new laptop I am trying to keep it much more organised than my old one.

 

 

Step two - the selects.

 

Here I have gone through all of the images and have tried to be quite ruthless. I wanted to halve the number of suitable images and managed to select 42 in the end that I felt more strongly about. I did this by removing any image that may appear similar to others I had taken. I had several of the same angle of the hall, the only difference was the exposure as I was unsure at the time how the image would turn out due to the exceptionally bright day.

 

 

Step three - the first selects.

 

 

 

I then edited down to seven images which was easier than I thought it would be as I think that you immediately get a feel for whether an image is right or not.

Notes to explain why I preferred these images (from left).

1. Shows the majority of the hall including its distinctive roof, without showing the scaffolding they currently have up.

2. Nice symmetrical image of the hall through the hedge so your eye is drawn up the frame to the doorway.

3. View through the trees, focusing on the roof meeting the skyline.

4. View through the trees showing part of the hall and gardens.

5. Shows a building in the grounds and the gardens.

6. The hall from a distance, through the flowers.

7.  View of the hall also reflected in the pond.

 

 

Step four - group and review.

 

As instructed I took a break of several days and then when back to review the images. I put the first selects  together which was easy as I had saved them all in one folder and then reviewed my choices. I then reviewed the images I had left out to make sure that I had made the right decisions and I still felt the same about the shots I had rejected.

 

 

Step five - a final choice.

 

Here I was to imagine that I could only select two images for publication.

 

 

 

I chose these two images, not only because I particularly like them and they were my favourites at the time of shooting, but also because they fill the criteria that I was originally shooting for. This was to produce images that show the hall with its distinctive roof, in portrait as opposed to the usual landscape images. Ideally I would of shot the images on a slightly more overcast day, as there was very little cloud in the sky the bricks have lost some of their deep red colour.