Shoot Ten - Work Diary

For this shoot, I decided to take my two friends to a playground and have them play around on the equipment as a 'reconnection to their childhood'. I wanted to capture them both being completely natural and messing around on the play area as I felt this would be a fun shoot and would also show a more carefree and innocent side of youth, as opposed to the more rebellious themes of alcohol and partying that I have shown before. I felt I was successful in this as I managed to get some pictures that I really enjoyed and the two girls were completely relaxed and natural in front of the camera, meaning I got some great candid pictures as well as ones where they posed.

This image was one that I really enjoyed. Whilst I was aiming more for candid pictures and in this she is posing, the face she is pulling is quite cheesy and very happy and I feel that this makes the image seem quite fun and cheery. I enjoy how I have managed to get this happy effect without the use of colour as often happiness is associated with bright and bold colours. This simply focusses on the mood of the girl as opposed to the emotion of the image overall.

Whilst I like this image as a whole, the girl within the picture has moved her face whilst I took it and therefore this area has blurred. Some of my images do have a slight blur as it has captured their movement and I do like this within the pictures from this shoot. However, with this image, the blur is in front of her face only and is quite extreme and I feel that this distracts you from looking at the image as a whole.

Shoot Nine - Work Diary

As I was admitted into hospital for a few days, I was unable to conduct any shoots outside surrounding my friends. I decided to use this to my advantage and, as I am a young person myself, conduct a shoot on myself. This shoot shows a more serious and perhaps more negative side of youth as my shoots so far have only shown a happy and carefree environment. I decided that I would capture my surroundings within the hospital to reflect the issue of youth and illness. I felt I was successful in this as I managed to capture exactly what my hospital surroundings were like and I really enjoyed the outcome on the images. 

This image is my favourite from the shoot as it shows exactly what I saw ahead of me when I sat in my bed. As you can see, the view is far from picturesque which I actually quite enjoy in this photo as it shows how dull being in hospital can really be. I like the use of depth of field in this image also as it is quite shallow, the duvet that is closest to the camera is blurred so that more focus is drawn towards the background of the image.

I did not like this image as much. I felt that it represented who I was as it had my name and date of birth, however I felt that the framing was off and that it would have looked better if my wrist was more central in the image. I also feel that the reflection of the light on the band is quite annoying as it slightly obscures the writing, making it unclear to read.

Shoot Eight - Work Diary

This shoot is a continuation from shoot seven as it is conducted in the same bedroom, however this shoot focuses on the bedroom itself and does not actually feature any people in the image. This shoot is inspired by Adrienne Salinger's bedroom series, however I am carrying mine out in just the one bedroom and it focuses on just the surroundings rather than the person in their bedroom. I wanted the images from this shoot to be in colour as previously I have just explored black and white, and want to see how I feel with coloured images for this theme. I feel I have been successful in this shoot as it definitely shows all aspects of her bedroom and we can clearly get a sense of who this girl is and what her interests are, for example, with her make up display we can tell that make up is an interest of hers. However, I preferred having black and white images for my project and so I will definitely continue with this theme in future shoots. I will also edit these images to be black and white if I choose to include them in my final 40 so they do not seem out of place.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 800, f8.

I really enjoy this image as it shows a lot of her belongings - particularly hair products. The bright colours of these objects make them pop against the white wall and dressing table and so your attention is immediately drawn to this area. Not only is there hair products, but in the centre of the table there is alcoholic drinks and shot glasses and so this image can still conform to rebellious stereotypes.

I do not like the effect that has been created by me using a birds eye view as I feel that the lamp is obscuring most of the view, and taking away from what I really wanted to be the focus of the image. I wanted to capture the objects sat on the table (the hairbrush, phone, purse, etc) but instead I feel that the lamp is the focal point of this image as it is so big and bright compared to that rest of the image.

Shoot Seven - Work Diary

For this shoot I decided to focus on just the one girl as I wanted to represent an individual rather than her as part of a group or a group as a whole. This shoot was conducted in the girl's bedroom to make it more personal as not only would you be able to see her belongings within the image, but I felt that it would make both the shoot and the image seem more relaxed. I feel I was successful in this as the girl was completely natural in front of the camera and I managed to get some images that I really liked. I also feel that I was successful in represent who this girl is as a person and her personality as I captured images of her doing activities that she would do normally, such as putting on make up and playing on her iPad.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 800, f8.

This was my favourite image from the shoot. I really enjoy how she is blowing the smoke from her vape towards the camera lens, as it slightly obscures her face. This gives a feeling of mystery to the image as we cannot clearly make out her face. Although we cannot see her face properly, we still get an insight into who she is as we now know that she vapes. I think the tone in this image are also interesting as there is a high contrast between her clothing/hair and the rest of the image, which really makes her stand out against the white wall.

I did not like this image for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that you can slightly see her face in the mirror - I didn't want to capture her face in this image as I wanted there to be a slightly mysterious element to the photograph - much like the image above. I also don't like how there is a slight blur with her hair as she moved her head. I did not want to capture any movement during this shoot and so this image was not successful.

Shoot Six - Work Diary

For this shoot I decided to follow on from shoot one and focus on capturing an average night in for a group of girls. I felt that conducting a shoot like this would help portray a more realistic side of youth as this is a more regular occurrence than, for example, going to a party. During this shoot, I aimed to capture candid images of the two girls, as well as the surroundings and their activities. I feel that I was successful in including all of these elements in my images and so as a result this was a successful shoot.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 400, f8

This was my favourite image from the shoot as I felt it clearly represents the two subjects of the series. There is a card game being played and there is a drink visible next to one of the girls, which suggests that is a drinking game. This could represent youth as fun or rebellious, but the fact that there is just two girls sat on the floor playing this game suggests that it is a relaxed setting and this is purely for entertainment. The girl who is most visible in this image is eating an ice cream, which also suggests that these two people are just relaxing.

I did not like this image due to the girl in the top of the image moving her hands, which meant that this part of the photograph was blurry and therefore does not look right. If the hands were kept still, this image may have been successful. Not only this, but I feel that the top of the image is too heavily shadowed compared to the lighter tones in the middle and bottom of the image. I only wanted the cards to be illuminated but instead the bottom two thirds are illuminated. 

Shoot Five - Work Diary

For this shoot I wanted to focus on representing the style of today's youth, but wanted to find a way to  edit the photographs in an interesting and unique way and so decided to create a photo joiner out of different parts of peoples outfits. I felt that this was a captivating way of representing the different styles and fashions that different teenagers have created for themselves, whilst still showcasing my skills in editing. I am very happy with the outcome of this joiner as I feel that it shows the different styles very well and shows how contrasting each persons outfits are. As I only created the one joiner, I decided to use the separate images I took individually as well as I really enjoyed the outcome of those on their own and felt that they looked interesting as a cohesive body of work.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 200, f8 - I used the light meter to work out these settings.

I used a simple set up of two soft box lights for this shoot as I wanted to take close ups of people, and so I felt this was the most suitable option. It meant that, whatever angle I took the photo from, it was lit up evenly. By setting it up this way it meant I had enough room to more around and take images from different angles.

I feel that this image clearly shows the range of people that I photographed as I claimed to include a part of each model in some way. Through using a joiner, it closely shows the differences and similarities in the different clothing items and implies how each person represents themselves through the use of dress. Whilst I am proud of this outcome, I feel that I do want to focus more on documentary photography and the behaviours of youth.

This was an image I did not like. As mentioned above, I decided to use the individual photos I took as results from this shoot as I really enjoyed how they looked on their own as well as in the joiner. However, I felt that this image was very plain as the girl is wearing all black clothing and so there is nothing interesting happening/nothing to grab your attention. I also do not like how the lighting is off on the right of this photograph compared to the left.

Shoot Four - Work Diary

This shoot is part two to my third shoot and focusses on the belongings of others rather than myself. I did this to get a range of different representations and show how different or similar people represent themselves. I found some similarities with the objects used, for example, teddies and jewellery. This has shown that these items are popular with youth and people hold similar objects close to their hearts. It can also show how although people are similar, they can be completely different through the design and themes of the objects. I feel that this shoot was successful as it clearly displays the objects that were chosen to represent the owners and is similar to the last, so it is easy to see that the two shoots are linked.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 200, f8 - I used the light meter to work out these settings.

Above is the lighting set up for this shoot. As I was taking pictures of small objects. I decided to use a table and bring the backdrop over the tabletop in order to get a clean background. I set up the soft box lights at different angles in order to get a good distribution of light as the way that I was stood did block the light at certain angles.

I really enjoy the outcome of this image as I think it clearly shows that it is a childhood toy. The way that the toy is positioned is so that it is sat like a real dog, and so adds some genuineness to the image. The use of a childhood toy and the simple colours of this image add a touch of innocence and nostalgia that many people can relate to and enjoy, so this photo would reach out to the viewer and draw them in through these emotions.

I did not like this image as it is not very clear that it is a choker and it does not really represent the owner in any way. I also feel that there is not enough going on in this image as the choker is just a plain black colour and I have positioned it so that it is simply stretched out in a line. I feel that this image could be made more interesting with some colour or if I had made a shape out of the choker, but this image just appears a bit boring in my opinion.

Shoot Three - Work Diary

My third shoot is one of two that I will be conducing as a series. These photographs focus on "prized possessions" or items that represent the owner as a person. For this shoot, I used my own items as I wanted to represent myself through my belongings. I wanted my images to be simple and focus entirely on the object itself without any distractions, so I took to the studio to conduct this photoshoot and used the tabletop and a white background as a base. This results in the viewer only looking at the object in the photo and allows them to get a real feeling of who I am as a person and what my interests are. I am pleased with the outcome of these photos as I feel that I was successful in getting the exact images I wanted and feel that they represent me well.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 200, f8 - I used the light meter to work out these settings.

Above is the lighting set up for this shoot. As I was taking pictures of small objects. I decided to use a table and bring the backdrop over the tabletop in order to get a clean background. I set up the soft box lights at different angles in order to get a good distribution of light as the way that I was stood did block the light at certain angles.

This image is my favourite from the shoot. I enjoy how the use of depth of field really brings your attention to the charms on the bracelet as this is the only thing in focus. Whilst the charms are facing upwards, you can still work out what they are and I feel that this also adds some uniqueness to the photograph. I feel that if all of the charms were facing the camera, it would seem too set up and artificial as this is usually how the bracelet usually would sit on my wrist and so seems more realistic. 

Whilst this image is simplistic and captures what I was looking for in my images, I feel that it is too simple as there isn't much going on with the object itself. I also feel like I should have focussed more on the placement and framing of the object as it is off centre and is slightly tilted, so the overall image appears slightly off. If the image was positioned right and was cropped closer to the ears, I feel that I would be much happier with it as I enjoy the pop of colour from the red against the white and black of the rest of the image.

Shoot Two - Work Diary

For this shoot, I decided to use the studio as I wanted to explore different ways that I could represent youth. For this, I used two models and decided to take different images to capture both their style and their friendship. I wanted these images to seem more natural as I did not want to give a false picture of who these girls are. I felt I was successful in this as I asked the two girls to just act naturally in front of the camera and joke around whilst I took images. One problem I found with this shoot was that sometimes the girls would seem to pose more than act naturally as the studio was a more formal space to take photographs and seemed too set up. As a result, I have decided to not use the studio to take these styles of photographs for my project. 

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 200, f5.6 - this was based on the light meter readings.

Above is the diagram for my lighting set up for this shoot. As it was a basic shoot where I simply took pictures of people in front of the camera, I used a simple set up with two softbox lights on either side of myself.

This was my favourite image from the shoot as it captures their friendship perfectly as they are laughing together and going in for a hug. This image is completely candid and so appears more raw. The expressions on their faces are genuine and so this image may be relatable to the viewer. I also enjoy how they are off centre as it seems less posed as a result.

Whilst I like this image, the girls do not have much expression or emotion on their faces and so it does not seem as fun or relaxed as the others. This image is an example of how some of my photographs seemed more set up or more tense due to being in the studio. I do not feel that this image looks how I intended my results to look. 

Shoot One - Work Diary

For the first shoot of my project, I decided to focus on two girls sitting together in a relaxed environment. By shooting in this scenario, it would show the real side of youth as it represents what they do in their everyday lives. My aim for this shoot was to capture more candid images rather than ones that seemed to posed as I didn't want to set anything up for my images - I wanted to get snapshots of genuine moments. I felt that I was successful in this as, for the majority of images, I did not ask the subjects in the images to pose for pictures or direct them in any way. In this sense, I feel that this shoot links very well to the work of Musa N. Nxumalo and I am pleased with this as I really enjoy his work and find a lot of inspiration from it. The few times I did direct the images, I was not a fan of the outcome in terms of what I was looking for and the style of photographs I wanted to take.

Camera settings: 1/125, ISO 400, f8

The image above is my favourite from the shoot. It is a raw moment of a girl looking through her belongings. We can see the mess around her on the floor which connotes a carefree attitude and suggests that she was perhaps too indulged in what she was doing to see what was around her. This image also suggests innocence and nostalgia as she is looking through her "memory box" and so is reconnecting with her childhood.

I did not like this image. I felt that it was too posed and did not fit the theme that I wanted for this shoot. I do not feel as though you can get a feel of her personality or who she is as a person as she is just sitting there drinking. I wanted my images to capture some form of genuine emotion but as this image was more posed than the others, it is not successful in this. 

Low Key Beauty - Work Diary

As a follow up from last lesson, we now focussed on low key lighting. To make this more interesting, we also explored the use of colour gels. I looked forward to experimenting with colour gels as this is not something I had used before but enjoyed the outcome of in images. I wanted to create images that had a good level of depth and dark tones, but still showed the vibrancy of the colours from the colour gels. I feel that I was successful in doing that as I took many pictures that I was very happy with and felt showed the exact outcome I hoped for. These images were taken without the fill light as the images that I took with the fill light removed the shadows and this is not something that I wanted.

This image was my favourite from the shoot. I feel that it shows exactly what I was hoping to capture - dark tones and vibrant colours from the colour gels. With the way that the lights were set up, the direction of the light was aimed towards his face, which means that this is where the most light is and so where your attention is drawn to. I further darkened the rest of the image by adding a vignette in Photoshop, which I feel ties the whole image together and created exactly the effect I wanted.

This image was taken with the fill light on and shows how the shadows in the image were removed. You can see how this is different from the image above as the whole picture is illuminated and this was not the style I was hoping to get. You can also see the light beam coming from one of the lights on the right of the photo, which I could have cropped out but this meant that the framing of the image would have changed and would be too close for what I liked.

Progression

If I were to recreate this shoot, I would try using different colours as I want to experiment with the mood and atmosphere that colour gels can create. I would also try using different models and having them all pose differently so that I could see how the shadows would change and create different effects.

Can I use this in my project?

I may be able to use this in my project as I plan on carrying out some shoots in the studio, but I don't know if this will suit my project more than high key lighting. I will experiment with it in terms of my theme but it may not be used to create my final images.

High Key Lighting - Work Diary

For this session we looked into the technique of high key lighting. I have used high key lighting in shoots before but I have never thought about the technique itself and never experimented with it.  This influenced my focus for this task - I wanted to focus more on experimenting with the lighting and set up of the shoot than the actual pictures I took. I wanted to gain more experience in setting up a shoot and learn how to create good quality photographs with high-key lighting. I feel that I was successful in following my goals for this shoot as I definitely have more knowledge in setting up a shoot for high-key lighting and now know how to perfectly set up lights for this technique.

This was my favourite photograph from the shoot. I feel that it is a great example of high-key lighting and that the image is vibrant and bold without the use of bright colours. As the background exposure was one stop higher than the foreground, it appears whiter and pulls all of your focus to the girl. This is exactly what I wanted from my images.

This was an image I did not like. When I begun my shoot, I had trouble getting my pictures at the right exposure and my images were coming out misty and therefore out of focus. The image above is an example of that. This was because my lens was dirty and I hadn't realised - once I cleaned it, I encountered no problems. But, this meant that my first few photographs were unusable.

Progression

If I use high-key lighting again, I will ensure that my lens is cleaned as this majorly interfered with my shoot in the beginning. I will also try to incorporate more colours into my images as I focussed too much on whites during this shoot. I will also try and conduct a shoot where I focus on the actual images rather than the technique now that I have come to grips with it.

Can I use this in my project?

Whilst I had not planned on using this in my project as I am doing photo documentary, I could explore this technique alongside my current plan and I could use it to document the styles and fashions of youth culture today.

Multiple Flash - Work Diary

Today we were tasked with researching and conducting a shoot on multiple flash. I though this was an interesting technique as it is not one that I had heard of or tried out before. My focus for this task was to create unique images and create pictures that I felt successfully portrayed what multiple flash was and what kinds of images it is used for. I feel that I was successful in this as I am extremely pleased with my images and really enjoyed how this shoot went and the technique overall. As I was working in a group of three for this, we each took turns in conducting our shoots and so when it was my turn I had been able to overlook other shoots and get a feel of what I needed to do. Therefore, I did not encounter any problems in my shoot.

This image is my favourite from the shoot. To capture this image, I asked the person in the photograph to firstly stand still and look into the camera as I wanted to get a base image. I then asked her to take the union jack flag and move it around in front of her. The image is the final result of this. I really like how the vibrancy of the union jack stands out against the black background and their black clothing.

I did not like this image. The object in the photograph is very distorted and you can't work out what it actually is. I feel that this is due to me making too many flashes and the fact that the object has not moved much from its original position and so it just looks like the object has blurred.

Progression

If I were to do this technique again, I would try to experiment with the number of flashes I use when taking an image as this can determine the overall outcome of the image. I will also make sure that whatever the subject of the image is, there is enough movement so that each snapshot is distinct.

Can I use this in my project?

I cannot use this in my project as my photographs will be taken on location and this technique requires a studio and studio lighting.

Multiple Exposure - Work Diary

Today I explored the topic of multiple exposure. I have tried out this technique before, so I had an  idea of what to do and knew that this was a photographic style that I enjoyed. My aim for this lesson was simply to create photos that I was happy with, as I already understood how to create multiple exposure photographs. Although, I do want to attempt to create a photograph where the layers fade out into the white background as I was unable to do this when I have attempted to in the past.

This photograph is my favourite outcome of today. I achieved my aim of creating a photograph that blends into the background and so I am extremely happy with this image. I like how there are no gaps in the tree on the image that I used, so the image looks full and consistent.

I did not like this image. I feel as though the tree in the image I used is too sparse and so, overall, the picture looks incomplete. I also don't like how the sky was a blue-grey colour as it is quite inconsistent and looks patchy.

Progression

If I were to do this again, I would try and use more colourful pictures to layer on top of the portrait as I only managed to take pictures of trees - I would do this by taking pictures of different flowers as this would bring more vibrance into my pictures. I would also take pictures of different objects as I have only done these edits using plants before and so would like to try something new.

Can I use this in my project?

I am unable to include this in my project as I am conducting photo documentary and so this would not tie into that genre.

Location Portraiture - Work Diary

For this session I was tasked with conducting a location portraiture shoot. My focus for this task was to take pictures of people in town rather than people from class as I felt this would be more unique and different from what I usually do. I was successful in doing this, although it was quite difficult to find people who were willing to have their picture taken. Also, we were tasked with including a narrow depth of field in our images and this was something that I struggled with as, most of the time, the subject of the image was against a background that I could not create a distinct separation with (for example, the second image below). In the first image below, I have an example of where I edited the image so that it included a narrow depth of field.

This was my favourite image of the shoot. What I enjoy about this image is how I managed to capture the man in his workplace - you can see the tray behind him with needles and dishes and he is wearing gloves. Alongside this, we see a bed and a tattoo-style poster. From this, it is clear that this was taken in a piercing studio. The original image had a wide depth of field, which is not what I wanted. To create a shallow depth of field, I used the lasso tool to select the man, inverted the selection and then used the gaussian blur tool make the background slightly out of focus. I feel that I was successful in creating a shallow depth of field this way.

Whilst I like this image, I do not feel that it followed the task of location portraiture. As the man was cleaning the windows, he was unable to face me and so I was unsuccessful in getting a picture of him from the front. If I had taken the picture from the side, I would have been able to get a picture of his face. I do not feel as though this image is an example of portraiture and so I do not like it as part of this task.

Progression

If I were to focus on this topic again, I would try to ensure that I focus more on getting a shallow depth of field in my images by playing more with my camera settings and trying to take the image against a background that has a distinct contrast against the subject. I will also ensure that the people that I take images of are able to face me and are not distracted as this was a problem with a couple of people that I took pictures of and so I was limited with what images I could use for my straight images.

Can I use this in my project?

I will be able to use this technique in my project as I am doing documentary photography and will be focussing on people within my image, which will result in location portraiture being a large part of my project.

Animated Gif - Work Diary

For this topic I was tasked with creating an animated gif with Photoshop. I had created a gif through Photoshop in the past and so I was able to get on with this task easily and feel as though I was successful in this session. I decided I wanted four images in my gif and I wanted each image to last for 5 frames. I wanted the images in my gif to all relate and be from the same shoots, otherwise they would look too choppy and random. I only created two gifs and I feel as though I was successful with both, I much prefer one to the other. These gifs are below.

This was the gif that I enjoyed. I felt that the images I used went well together and the looping of this gif is smooth. I feel as though this goes so well together due to the greens and reds throughout the image as it all appears as more of a theme and overall appears to be more synced. I feel like this gif is good at showcasing nature in different forms.

Whilst I was successful in creating a gif with these images, I am not happy with the overall look of it.  I feel like this is because of the different colours as they do not compliment each other and so the gif does not transition smoothly. I also feel as though the position of the girls in the photographs makes the gif look choppy because they are all at different points in the frame.

Progression

If I were to create a gif again I would ensure that the images I use compliment each other with how the subject of the image is positioned. I also will ensure that the colours in each frame are similar so that the transition of the gif is smoother. Another thing I will do is make the images last for 10 frames instead of 5 as I feel like it moves too fast and you can't make the image out properly.

Can I use this in my project?

I will try and include this in at least one of my shoots for my project as I think it is an interesting technique, but I may not be able to as my shoots will be mostly documentary which I do not want to create gifs out of.

Macro - Work Diary

During this session we were tasked with taking images with a macro lens. My focus for this task was simply to get good quality images that show an extremely narrow depth of field as a result of the macro lens as I have always enjoyed how macro images look and so looked forward to experimenting with this technique. I feel that I was successful with this as I was able to take lots of images that I liked and there wasn't many that I didn't enjoy the outcome of. Although, I did struggle slightly with focussing on the right part of the image or the part that I wanted to be in focus as I was not used to working with a macro lens and so this was something completely new for me.

This was my favourite image from the shoot. I liked how it looked slightly creepy as it had been surrounded in darkness and the doll has a blank stare on its face. I feel that this image was successful in showing the macro technique as the doll's face and hair are in focus, but the neck down is out of focus. I like how the bright colours contrast against the black background as I feel this really makes the image pop. 

This was an image that I did not like. This is an example of how I struggled with the focussing on the camera as the whole image appears to be out of focus. I also feel as though it does not stand out much against the background in terms of colour as the padlock is completely silver (apart from the yellow circle) and so it is quite boring. If it were in focus, it may have looked better but I feel as though I should have chosen a different object to take a picture of. 

Progression

If I were to do this shoot again, I would spend more time choosing what I want to take pictures of as I feel as though I could've taken a wider variety of pictures and found objects with more colour/that were more interesting. I also would try out using a macro lens when taking portraits and taking close ups of peoples eyes as I enjoy how macro images of eyes look and so would like to have a go at this myself.

Can I use this in my project?

I will not be using this in my project as I am doing documentary photography and I am focussing on taking candid photographs of people. Due to this, I am unable to use macro photography as I feel as though you need to take your time and perfectly set up what you are taking a picture of.