18th March 2009

Wednesday Project Support with John and Andy


Andy Farringtons workshop

Today we looked at a few professional portrait photographers and a few amateur photographers. An important factor in editorial portraiture is that the image must stand up on it's own without text.



Harry Borden

Borden is an editorial photographer, his portraits are environmental, the surroundings of the subject are just as important as the subject.

http://www.harryborden.com/

Borden's portraits are original but timeless I feel. I really enjoy his work, both his black and white work and his colour images.


Nadav Kander

Kanders portraits do not have a steady style, his images vary in look.

http://www.nadavkander.com/

I like Kanders use of light, however personally I prefer his landscapes aesthetically.



Mark Tucker

Tuckers images are great examples of lifestyle portraits, showing a person living their life. There is very little eye contact between his adult subjects and the lens, there is a lack of connection. He uses lights and his images have a soft look to them. Tucker was one of the first people to use texture and overlay.

http://www.marktucker.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=16186&Akey=MPEGN7AE

Some of Tuckers images are very reminiscent of Diane Arbus' work.


Jody Ake

Ake uses the wet collodion process, an historic photographic technique which involves using a large format camera and glass plates.

http://www.jodyake.com/portraits.html


Out of these four professionals, my favourite images are those of Harry Borden.


Chris Parker off camera flash workshop

On full power a hot shoe mounted flash gun generates a pulse of light lasting approximately 1/750th of a second and the duration of the flash changes according to power.

Power Duration
1/1 1/750th
1/16th 1/6000th
1/32nd 1/10,000th

So for example, if your camera is set to ISO 100, f/2.8 and the flash is set on full power, then the difference that changing the shutter speed from 1/125th to 1/250th is going to have no effect.

Only by changing the aperture can you change the flash intensity on the image.

The effect of ambient light, such as daylight or constant lighting can be changed with both the aperture and shutter speed on the camera.

It is easier to see this when put into practice, balancing ambient light and flash to create fill in flash. e.g On location take a meter reading of the ambient light, using a light meter or camera. Have aperture set about f/2.8 (or widest on the lens you have). Underexpose the ambient by 2 stops using the shutter speed (be aware of your cameras shutter sync speed). Set the flash to match the aperture and ISO of the camera. Take the photograph, illuminating the subject with the flash. This technique is good for shooting into the sun.

17th March 2009

Weekly *Monthly* Picture Project

Four Faces.

Face filled frame, can be themed, single or individual images, can fit any category of People assignment. Do NOT use any extreme treatment, keep it simple as possible.

To be posted by 12am on 20th April.

16th March 2009

I decided to portray workers for this project rather than shirkers. I had originally wanted to seek out a stranger to photograph, but with one thing and another it ended up being quite last minute. I did however have a strong idea in my mind, of what kind of picture I wanted to create.

My inspiration were the images of Richard Billingham, showing the environment within portrait as it naturally is. Whether that be messy, clean, old fashioned or modern.

13th March 2009

Andy Farrington's friday class

This week with Andy we looked at lighting techniques, particularly the effect it has on the subject.

1. We set up a shoot outside using Cassie as a model. The lights were positioned at 45 degree angles, to the back and front of her on in a straight diagonal line. The first photograph is exposed at 1/125 @ F 5.6 ISO 200.
2. We set up a shoot outside using Cassie as a model. The lights were positioned at 45 degree angles, to the back and front of her on in a straight diagonal line. The second photograph is exposed at 1/125@ F 8 ISO 200.

We then moved inside of the studio. We set up the lights in the same way, with Hannah as our model.

1. This photograph has the same lighting set up as the previous images. It is exposed at 1/125 @ F5.6 ISO 200.
2. This photograph is without the back light. It is exposed at 1/125 @ F5.6 ISO 200.

1. This photograph has the same lighting set up as the previous images. It is exposed at 1/125 @ F8 ISO 200.
2. This photograph is without the back light. It is exposed at 1/125 @ F8 ISO 200.

10th March 2009

Weekly Picture Project

Workers and Shirkers.

To be posted no later than 12am 16th March 2009.

24th February 2009

Weekly Picture Project

To take a portrait of a classmate during the Friday trip to Liverpool Docks and Formby.

I have teamed up with Gemma Clark-Meyer.


Before edit


I upped the contrast and desaturated the image, added a vignette and a used the brush tool to over expose the buildings in the background, slightly more than I'd achieved with the camera.

After edit



I think this treatment suits the environment wonderfully. As for the relation between the photograph and its subject Gemma, I believe it works. Gemma was feeling uninspired by the surroundings at the Docks. She was however still shooting me for my portrait or at least she was trying too. I think I may have been making things slightly difficult, with my uncomfortableness in in front of the camera. She herself isn't at home in front of the camera, so to show her covering her face with her camera is fitting.

20th February 2009

I have posted the images on Flickr, it was suggested to me by a colleague that my favourite image would look better with a darkened sky. To achieve this I used the brush tool on Lightroom to slightly underexpose the clouds, giving it a more natural look than a gradiant would.

These are the before and after photographs.

17th February 2009

Self Portrait Shoot

For this shoot I knew I needed to find a location that meant something to me. I decided on Morecambe, my reason behind this and these photographs is that the sea is my safe haven. It is my place to be happy or sad, confused or content. It makes me calm, I do my best thinking by the sea. I was inspired and influenced by the first scene of Across The Universe by Julie Taymor.




In the scene Jude is sat by water singing the song Girl by the Beatles. I have tried to recreate the cold, sombre tone of the scene. I achieved this by enhancing the cold tones of the image and desaturated the image quite a bit.

Monday 9th February

Research

For my self portrait, I was looking at lots of different styles that I felt suited me as person, who I am and what I like. I was thinking about, music, books, films and art I enjoy and feel represent me.

I particularly like the work of artists Alberto Vargas and Gil Elvgren.

http://www.btinternet.com/~brmerc/vargas/Vargas.html

http://www.btinternet.com/~brmerc/elvgren/elvgren.html

So my first idea was to do a 40's/50's Pin-Up style self portrait. It seemed perfect because I enjoy and collect garments of and in the style of the era. This isn't a side of me that my classmates know and I liked the idea of showing a side of my persona that they don't see.

This led me to think of how my classmates do see me, which is most likely a nervous person who worries a lot. I decided that I would show the calm side of my nature.


Me at my most comfortable. I immediately knew I would like to photograph myself on or by a beach. I also had a strong sense of the look I was after, cool tones and desaturated. I was inspired by my favourite scene from the movie Across The Universe. I wanted to recreate the look of the first scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ddqlChVRw

Tues 3rd February

Weekly Picture Project Brief

Environmental Self Portrait. To show own persona, any lighting technique can be used.

See Richard Avedon, Neil Slavin, David LaChappelle, Nadav Kander and Josef Karsch for inspiration.

To be posted on 4001 Apertures by 12am on Monday 23rd February.

People

Wednesday 25th February

People Brief

Four study areas:

1- The face.
2- People at work or people at play.
3- Formal portrait.
4- Commercial portrait.

Lighting techniques:

Ambient
Strobe
Continuous
On-camera flash