Assignment One: A Portrait.

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.