W5 - Photography Week

I admit that to begin with I wasn't sure about Photography, as before we started the week, I thought that it was probably the area which I knew the least about. So there was some trepidation.

We started quite intensely as well by immediately having access to 35mm film cameras and learning about Large Depth of Field  (where the background and the object are in focus as only a small amount of light enters into the camera, concentrating the image) and Small Depth of Field (the background isn't in focus, but the object in the forefront is as the camera is flooded by light, so the image isn't concentrated but spread over a shorter length). We had to go around college in small groups taking portrait shots of each other against interesting backgrounds with at least one L.D.O.F and S.D.O.F image.

Initially I was a bit confused as I'd never heard of these shots before or used a 35mm camera, which was a bit stressful as you can't see how your shot has turned out until you develop it later. But as we got onto the development process, my opinion started to change. To develop the photos the film was taken and returned to us as a film strip. We then used the exposure machine to set the scale and develop the film by applying light to photographic paper for a set amount of seconds. To test how many seconds this needed to be, as it changes for each image, we first had to do small tests on sections of the image, using an increasing amount of seconds so that we could see at which time the image was under, over or developed just right. After the light was applied the paper was fed into a developing machine and after 40 seconds, we had our finished image.

The Tests

 The Final Images

Large Depth of Field

Small Depth of Field

The image above also used a contrast. This was done by editing how much of each colour was let through in the light on the exposure machine. This increased the contrast between black and white, giving a darker depth of black which helps to accentuate areas of detail on this image.

We also did some work in the studio, looking at how movement can be captured on camera. This was done by turning all of the lights off in the studio, holding the shutter down and while a person moved around, turning a light on and off every few seconds. The position that the person was in while the light was turned on appeared on the film, with all of the other positions as well, creating a progression of movement. I really liked this process as the finished image looks like a series of key frames from an animation and it captures movement well. I couldn't believe that each new position didn't cover the old one, so I was really surprised by how good the image looks.

The Tests

The first test came out over developed as I forgot to close the aperture slightly so that the paper wasn't flooded by light.

The Final Image

I used an even darker contrast on this image which I really liked as it makes the positions and transitions look quite subtle.

Although working with 35mm film was sometimes a bit scary because you couldn't see the results straight away, I actually really liked using it because of the surprise of the developed photo. As you don't know what might happen, it makes you more careful but it means that the process is more creative and you value the image a lot more.

Photo-grams

We also got to make Photo-grams, which is where you can imprint the shapes of objects onto photo paper using the exposure machine. I really enjoyed this process as all that you had to do was position objects on photo paper under the exposure machine and apply light for a few seconds. After the quite technical development process of the Depth of Field images, these were really quite easy and fun to do as you could create them quickly, which encouraged creativity and experimentation.

The first image used netting and a plastic bottle, which I liked the effect of as it showed how the different textures, details and materials can be transferred to paper. The next two images came about almost accidentally as I mistakenly picked up two pieces of photo paper that were stuck together and so the image was developed onto both pieces, creating one developed and one under developed photo-gram. I quite like the under developed one though because it looks quite old and traditional especially as all of the objects used could be from the last century. This was meant to be more conceptual as well, showing maybe a theme of development, how experimentation led to the light bulb and this led onto film, but perhaps sensibilities can hinder such developments or those in the future.

I also tried extending an image over 3 pieces of photo paper. This was done simply by exposing them all to light at the same time.

I liked this continuation as it seems to show that even if you face distractions or if the duration of your journey is long and complicated, the final goal can always be seen clearly.

Chesterfield Observations

Also this week we had the task of going into Chesterfield's town centre and taking photos, using a digital camera, of people in the Market Place. We had to focus on taking interesting photos that contained elements of colour, juxtaposition, composition, interesting interaction and detail and we had to take at least 15 good photos (so at least 50 photos to sort through later). This sounded like a lot to me, but I ended up taking around 80 because you had to be so quick, as the people weren't posing, they kept moving, that often you ended up with several bad, blurry photos before you got a good one. After getting over the initial embarrassment of taking pictures of people without their permission I quite enjoyed this process as it made you look at everything around you (more critically) and it showed me the importance of just trying, as most of my best photos came about by accident.  I was a bit disturbed by what I saw on a Market Day, but the photos were worth it. 

After downloading them to a computer the 15 images that I selected were then edited using Photoshop, where tools like hue/saturation, levels, exposure, contrasts, vibrance and photo filter were used to make the photos look more professional and to convey the message of the images more. For instance I added a blue, cool filter on a few photos to create a more melancholy mood. 

Below are the 15 photos, complied in a photo album movie.

Although I initially found Photography quite hard as it was quite technical, I've really enjoyed Photography week as it's given me a different way to look at my surroundings and how to show this in a photo.