4 Elements and Movement

Whilst researching different types of movement in photography I came across Aliza Razell who used water-colour and photography mixed into one in her 365 project. 

 I really enjoyed her use of colour and space for example in her picture above there is a running colour scheme of oranges (seen in the clouds and wings) and also green (seen in the wings and ground) this is important in her photos as the use of colour ties in her water-colour with the photograph. I also like how the painting creates a sense of movement in her project and particularly this photo. This is because the wings suggest the initial static movement but then the extra dots around the wings imply that the girl is actually moving and you can see where she is moving to. The pose of the girl also reinforces this as her toes are pointing backwards and her arms are slightly out-stretched.

I was insipired by this project to think outside of the box when thinking of a concept for my images, I knew I wanted to include nature like Aliza Razell, however I know I'm not as good as painting like her, so I decided to use aspects of her projects like how she explored the use of the 4 elements in her work. This lead me to try different angles and perspectives on the elements. For example for air I did a high-angled shot of birds flying and a low angled shot of fire. Normally fire is seen as more powerful and dangerous than air and this juxtaposes my high angled and low angled shots.

EB Griffith

During a lecture we were shown a picture of trees using a slow shutter speed where the trunks were the main focus I really liked this take on photographing nature and trees so I went and researched it some more.

On photographer Griffith's blog he spoke about trying different shutter speeds to capture nature and trees included he used a 1/6 second speed with a medium amount of movement with the camera moving upwards. He spoke about not deviating from the course of the trees otherwise the photo would be a complete blur and there would be no definition.
Here is one of his photos:

With all of this in mind I went try this technique out. I found that as it was a bright day the longer the shutter speed the more over exposed the shot became and then in consequence nothing was in focus. Griffith also mentioned using an upward motion but I found this tricky as I kept having too much sky in my shot and then not enough trees or too much ground and then again not enough tree, so then I tried a downward motion where I had the correct balance. I did find it very difficult to keep the trunks of the trees in focus as I was a long distance away from them so I had to keep changing the aperture and the lens focus to see what worked well. Overall I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with my final shot, I would try and get closer to the trees next time and go on a darker day to try different shutter speeds and make other tree parts in focus and then see how it compares with my original shots. I ended up discarding this photo in my final four also because I felt when I went to re-shoot that I actually did not like these photos in the end and I felt as if I could've done better using a different subject matter however I did learn a lot from taking these photos forever getting the right aperture/ shutter speed when shooting outdoors and ensuring the camera is secure on the tripod. 

Final Shot

Over exposed and out of focus shot.

Daniel Crooks- Movement

Daniel Crooks filmed a man performing Tai Chi and then replayed it back to get this image which is called Static no.12 (seek stillness in movement) done in 2009-10. I like this photo because I found it really interesting to capture this type of movement in a still image as I have never seen it so clearly done. I enjoy the fact that you can see all of his body in each movement the man performs for example in the second movement you can't see his legs but you can see his body. I also find the image quite natural as Crooks took and image of a man in a park just going about his normal routine rather than bringing someone to a location and telling them to perform Tai Chi. However Crooks did have to rearrange the original movement to create the final photograph which would explain how he created the fluid movement whilst being so clear.



I took inspiration from Crooks by taking a photo of a person moving. In my picture you see somebody jumping in which the movement is captured in the mid air. I feel as if the picture could have been better if I used a longer shutter speed to create a picture of the full movement like Crooks did. I do like my photo however as it has a long depth of field which means the background of the trees are all in focus compared to the movement. If I were to re-take the image again I would shoot it in the dark and use a spot light on the action. This will then allow me to capture the full motion of the jump as well as having the main focus on the movement. I would also ensure that the whole of the girl is in the picture meaning her hand would not be out of shot, this could have easily be done by expanding the tripod but I found it difficult to judge how high she could jump as it varied each time.

I chose this shot over this shot because I felt it captured more of the motion of her movement and it was in better focus. I also liked the shot of the background in the top image over the bottom. 

However I did later decide not to use this picture in my final choice as I felt that the blur in the picture was unprofessional and I felt as if I could do better. I also did not like the fact that the countryside behind the 'jumper' was slanted so therefore I discarded the photo and chose another one to represent earth.

Found Object Final

Here is my first draft final triptych for the found object project:

The last straw standing

I have decided to use the same objects in each picture and then re-organise them into an almost story telling order showing how at first you are strangers then the connection and then the loss.

     The triptych was taken on a white background which is creased, I decided to keep the background creased to show and reinforce the dirtiness of the objects (as I found them on the floor) by not having a  perfectly pristine image. Furthermore I also added the black and white filter to add to the'dirty' effect in the triptych.
      I also tried to include strong shadows which formed on the white background, I decided this after I researched into still life photography. I liked the way how objects stand out even more when there is a shadow behind them. I feel as if the shadows have worked well within the images as they have added to the overall tone and enhanced the objects, as the shadows are so prominent. 

     I feel as if the third image is the least strong as it is not entirely in focus compared to the other two images, I think I could've focused the 'VK' bottle top better which would've made the whole image stronger as a three. I like the middle image the best as I think the gleam one the top of the straws are a good focal point for the whole image as a three. I also think the middle image has the best shadow as it's just off the middle which can be easily seen by the viewer. The bottle top is also in a prime position to be seen and it is lit up due to the direction of the light being directly aimed towards it.

Stephanie Gonot

   

When researching modern still life photography I came across Stephanie Gonot's work. I became inspired by the use of colour in her photographs and the way she brought the objects away from their conventional places in life. For example in one of her images she captured cereal spilling around a bowl, but instead of keeping it in a bowl she placed the in grass instead. I  liked this concept because it gave the viewer more to think about when looking at her work and it produced a lasting thought about her work. I also enjoyed her image of jewellery on a concrete style background, this again is an example of taking everyday objects and placing them somewhere you might not expect to find them. The grey of the concrete makes the image almost 3D because it allows the shadows to create a visual where the objects look like they are being pushed upwards which is a enjoyable and creative technique. I also like the fact that this background lets the colours and the shape of the jewellery be prominent which is important when it comes to commercial- still life photography as the picture is there to sell, even though my picture will not be selling anything, it is still important to ensure that the main object of the photo doesn't get lost into the background. Furthermore I found  photograph using the stripy background interesting as I wouldn't have thought about choosing a patterned background, however when I tried to use this idea you could barely see my objects as the background was too over powering; the bike and guitar in her pictures are rather big and this is why her placement works. I was also inspired by the way the objects were placed onto the background; for example they are straight and in normal positions that the objects would be seen in everyday.

 Here is some of my attempts taken from the idea of taking found objects and moving them to a different place where you wouldn't expect to find them. I tried to create my own studio by using a white pillow case which was creased. I kept the creases in the pillow case to add texture like Stephanie Gonot's photo where she had a gravel-like back drop. Her images are also full of colour which, resembles the objects in her pictures such as cereal which is naturally colourful; my objects on the other hand are not naturally colourful so this is why I went for a colour scheme of black and white whereas she enhanced the natural colours.

Stanko Abadžić

Abadžić is a Croatian photographer who has produced many projects in many cities across Europe such as Paris. I, however became inspired by his still life images in his project 'Marginalia' I enjoyed his use of defined shadows from the objects he chose to photography. For example the image below 'Fork and Plate'  the shadow of the fork dominates the image and is the main focal point, this has been created by using a sharp light coming from the top of the image, rather than using natural light which he has used in other projects. I also enjoyed the positioning of the camera and the angle it captures the plate at, as it is looking down at the objects from a higher angle. In this way the shadows become even more enhanced and gives the overall image a harsh and defined feel. The added effect of the black and white edit, also shows the real detail and simplicity of the overall image which I also found interesting; especially because I haven't found many other black and white still-life photographs. http://sabadzic.net.amis.hr/portfolio-marginalia.html 

I tried to re-create my own black and white shadowed piece using straws which i found along the streets in a gutter. I positioned them in a way which created a cross and therefore an interesting shadow. I then set up the lighting; in which pointed directly at the straws so the shadow was behind them, however I wanted the shadow to be quite small and thick so the it was easily recognisable and the viwee had no trouble noticing it, like in  Abadžić's piece. This is my attempt:

I liked this photograph due to the success of the shadow, however I dislike it as the object itself is slanted and therefore the overall composition of the piece does not work well. I also feel the shot is overexposed as the shot is rather dark, I did want this shot to be dark to create the shadow but I should've changed the aperture

 to get the right exposure