The aim of
this assignment is to draw on what we have learnt through this section of the
course. Take one person and create between five and seven portraits. They
should all be a different style and be from a different photographic session.
The main
problem I had encountered during this section of the course was convincing
people to pose for me; apparently my friends and family are more camera shy than
I originally thought. Luckily my sister has been on hand, as have a couple of
friends. So it fell to my sister to again be my subject, mainly because
everyone else objected, but also as I see her more frequently so finding time
to set aside for shoots would be easier.
When working
towards the assignment I had created a schedule which worked really well. I set
aside designated time each week to complete two, sometimes three, of the
assignments and do some course reading. However, I then took on two new
contracts for work and my sister went on holiday which only left a week for all
of the shoots and the write up. The last thing I wanted was for the assignment
to feel rushed in any way.
Planning the
shoots.
While my
sister (Abi) was away I used that time to plan the shoots so that I would have
everything arranged for when she came back. Unfortunately I did not know her
work schedule to plan around, but I obviously knew mine. I took inspiration for
a book I had just read (Basics Creative Photography 02: Context and Narrative by Martha Short) which really inspired me to try and tell a story through my portrait
series.
The course
notes state that the images should have a different type and style and I was
keen to show elements of Abi’s personality through the photos I took, in a way
that would make her feel comfortable and relaxed. I would return to one of the
locations I used for the exercise on “Thinking about location” where I have
previous photographed Abi in the hope that the familiar location would ease her
into the photographic sessions. My next shoot would be of her with her cats who
mean everything to her, followed by images shot in the garden of our childhood
home. Abi actually got engaged on holiday so I wanted to do another small shoot
which showed her ring off. The final shoot would be of her running on the heath
as we frequently do this and fitness is another important part of Abi’s life.
I carefully
considered what equipment I would need to take with me. I tend to work from an
18-105mm lens as I find it to be a good all-rounder. I do realise I am going to
have to add to it at some point though. I would take my tripod with my so I
would have it to hand just in case and I can always leave it in the car which
would be nearby.
Before
leaving for each shoot I will reset the camera settings, wipe my memory card to
guarantee that I will not run out of space, clean my camera lens, check the
memory space on my laptop so I will not run into any issues when transferring
the images over, charge my cameras battery and take a space with me.
The Shoots.
Elements of
the shoots went well. Shoot one was shot in the evening after Abi had finished
work. The area that the location is in can only really be accessed after 1pm as
the land is used by racehorses in training so this did interfere with my
schedule slightly. The sun had started to go down so I had to take several test
shots first to make sure the settings were correct as areas under the tree were
quite dark and I wanted to get the lighting right. Abi was a little self
conscious to start but started to relax once I reminded her we had shot here
several times before, and I was able to give her direction as to how I wanted
the images to look which seemed to put her at ease.
The second
shoot involved using her cats. Having previously worked with animals for over
eight years you would think I would understand the phrase “never work with
children or animals”. This probably proved to be my most challenging shoot. I
have already decided on the composition I was going for as Abi had mentioned
before that the cats like to sit in the window. However, once I arrived one of
the cats decided I was more interesting and would push her face into the lens.
Luckily the other cat was more cooperative and gradually with a bit of patience
and just allowing them to do what they wanted I was able to get shots of them
both that I was happy with. Looking back I think that this was the shoot that
Abi was most comfortable with.
Shoot three
in the garden of our childhood home went well. The main issue was the time of
day as the sun was high and it was quite bright. Again I just made sure that I
adjusted the settings accordingly.
The fourth
shoot ended up being combined with the third as they just flowed into each
other naturally and as Abi was becoming a lot more relaxed in front of the
camera I decided not to stick too rigidly to my plan. I think that you have to
be prepared to adapt to situations as they present themselves. I was originally
aiming to do a completely separate shoot linking to the fact that Abi has only
just got engaged. As the session naturally progressed Abi was actually coming
up with ideas herself and it was good to have input from my ‘subject’ as this
would lead to images that she was really happy with.
Shoot number
five had to be shot in a break in the rain. My main problem was keeping the
shot in focus as Abi ran towards me. The process became rather repetitive as
she had to repeatedly do the same thing over again until we found took photos
we were both happy with.
Downloading
the images.
I downloaded
all of the images onto my laptop in the pictures folder and then viewed them
all using Lightroom 4. I know many people prefer to label with just the date
but this 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>
PeopleandPlace> P+P Assignment1
I tried
various ideas with labelling on the art of photography course I studied first
but I find this much easier when looking for certain images on my laptop.
As I was
editing the image the photos I preferred were but into a different folder
called P+P Assignment 1 Edits.
Editing.
Technical
Edit.
I started
out with a total of 423 spread out quite evenly over the series of shoots.
Generally I edited out any shots that I immediately knew were wrong at the time
of shooting. I then edited out any shots that were technically not suitable,
for example, they may be slightly out of focus.
The Selects.
Reviewing
the shots again this time I removed any duplicates. When we had decided on a
pose for each of the portraits I took multiple shots with only minor changes to
composition or settings. I also edited out any photos which I felt did not show
Abi in the way I was hoping. My aim was to be quite harsh in my decisions as I
was conscious that I needed to get down to between five and seven shots.
First
Selects.
After
the previous rather strict edit I was left with 109 photos. I reviewed these
shots again, still with the final total in mind, and edited down to 25 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.
As I was unfortunately
rather tight on time I only had a one day gap before reviewing the choices I
had made. Ideally I would have liked longer as I did not want to regret any of
the decisions I had made. I tried to separate myself from the images and try to
view them as an outsider seeing them for the first time. Overall I am happy
with the photos I had selected. I think it is important to remember that some
professionals only have a turnaround of a few hours rather than days to
contemplate their shots. Below I have included a screenshot of my final 25.
A Final
Choice.
I went
through my final 25 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 five images that I particularly liked, one from each of the shoots
to create a series. I was conscious that I could have selected up to 7 but I
think that you shouldn’t just add images to a series to fill the brief.
Post
Processing.
I have just
recently started using Lightroom 4 for editing and am still really getting to
grips with it. I have been watching some YouTube tutorials to gain some tips as
well as experimenting on my own. Firstly I check the exposure of each image and
make minor adjustments with highlight or shadow clipping or cropping to improve
composition.
1.
1/125 f5.6 ISO 640 105mm WB Auto. I felt that a full body shot did
not work well as there were too many distractions within the frame. I wanted to
show some contrast between Abi and the texture of the tree, particularly with
the modern pattern of her dress and the tree which is hundreds of years old. I
think that it is important to mention that I did not specify what she wore.
Before we started the shoots we spoke about the various locations and what I
was hoping to achieve and she chose what she would wear for each one.
1.
1/80 f4.5 ISO 640 40mm WB Auto. I think that the ISO need not be
so high in this shot. The room was quite dark when I started shooting which is
why I chose that setting but when we moved to the window it was no longer
necessary. I got quite a bit of highlight clipping in the window which I
removed post production. There were also slight areas of shadow clipping in
Abi’s hair. I have cropped the left of the photo slightly to create a more
balanced frame. I love the composition
of this shot, little Bella chose to put her face up to Abi’s and I think you
can see how much Abi loves Bella.
1.
1/500 f5.6 ISO 250 105mm -2.0 EV WB Auto. This is one of my
favourite images in the series as Abi looks really relaxed. The sun was
particularly bright and I have tried to alter the camera settings to compensate
for that. I am very happy with the composition as it highlights her expression
beautifully.
1.
1/400 f5.6 ISO 250 52mm WB Auto. I was continuously assessing the
lighting conditions during this shoot more so than any of the others as the
position of the sun was changing and it often moved behind clouds. Abi chose
the composition of this photo herself. While I am happy with it I am not sure I
would replicate it if I was creating the series again. While it does show some
of her expression and her ring which is what I was hoping for, I don’t think
that it shows enough of her face to completely work......does it count as a
portrait in the conventional sense?
1.
1/640 f5.6 ISO640 105mm WB Auto. Having just rained, the light was
not ideal. I needed a higher ISO to compensate for this and the fact that I
needed a faster shutter speed to be able to clearly capture Abi running also
decreased the level of light. I am happy that I have managed to create an
active portrait and hope that it conveys Abi’s new found love of running.
Conclusion.
I actually
really enjoyed this assignment which did surprise me somewhat. I am generally
not a fan of shooting portraits but I really got into the projects leading up
to the assignment. I have tried to incorporate elements from the projects into
my final series. I have tried to carefully consider the locations I used and
how they linked to my subject and I have varied the lighting conditions in all
of my shoots whether it is under trees for dappled light, on an overcast day or
in bright sunshine. The final shoot was centred on creating an active portrait,
the poses have been varied and I have really tried to focus on expression.
The most
important thing for me was the story behind the photos and I really hope that
anyone viewing my images would get a glimpse into my sister’s life and her
personality. I realise that the series I have created is probably not
conventional style portraits but it is my style and shows how I approach
things.
As time went
on I became more efficient and gain confidence in giving instructions and was
less conscious of people watching me shoot. I think that I could have created a
bit more variation between shoots three and four but I feel that I made the
right decision at the time in allowing things to progress naturally.
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 think that my visual skills are better than
my technical skills. I do understand techniques but feel that I need to
practice more, maybe by creating my own personal projects.
Quality of
Outcome – I always try to show what I have learnt during the projects and show
these new skills in the following assignment. I always try to show my workflow
and would like to think that my notes are neat and concise.
Demonstration
of Creativity – At times I feel I could be more creative but once I come up
with an idea I can develop it. I could try to use my imagination more though.
Context – I
think that I am good at being able to stand back and reflect on my own work and
can often see areas that need improvement immediately. I always try to carry
out further research, view other students work, carry out further reading and
visit galleries whether in person or online.
