Equipment Post

Snoot: 
A snoot is a device used to shape and direct light.  It is generally used when the photographer wishes to create directional lighting for example lighting one side of a subjects face to create a sense of mystery.  Shoots featuring a snoot are "An eye for an eye", "The pen is mightier than the sword" and "Plenty more fish in the sea". 



Soft box:
A soft box is used to disperse light evenly across an image and is a standard piece of studio equipment when the photographer wishes to create an even tone with minimal shadows.  To create the minimum amount of shadows two or more lights can be set up with soft boxes facing the subject. Shoots featuring soft boxes are "Bite the bullet", "Lips are sealed", "Don't cry over spilt milk", "Physical manifestations", "Death" and "Two heads are better than one".



Photography gels:
Photography gels are used to alter the colouration of the image through altering the colouration of the light hitting the image.  Shoots featuring photography gels are "Plenty more fish in the sea" (blue) and "The pen is mightier than the sword" (red and blue).



Tripod: 
A tripod is what the camera is placed on in order to create a more stable shot and prevent camera shake and consequent image distortion.  All of my shoots feature either an actual tripod or a makeshift one if I am shooting at home.



Macro lens:
A macro lens allow for details to be perceived in a much higher quality in the final image as it acts as a magnifier allowing smaller elements of an image to be visible and adding detail that could be lost with a standard lens.  This lens is especially important when shooting smaller objects.  Shoots which used a macro lens are "Physical manifestations", "Death", "An eye for an eye" (for some shots) and "Plenty more fish in the sea".




Reflector:
A light reflector is used to bounce light on to the subject.  A light reflector is used in "Bite the bullet".

Master technique post

High key portraiture- A modern lighting technique with an absence of deep shadows based around the use of mid-tones such as greys and bright whites. The use of bright lighting and lack of shadows create a low element of contrast in the image.

Multiple exposure- In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be identical to each other.

Multiple flash- A camera which implements multiple flashes and an be used to find depth edges or create stylised images. This technique is similar to slow sync flash.

Slow sync- Slow sync flash is just another term for using your flash with a slow shutter speed. It helps you keep your subject sharp while capturing motion or a dark background.

Blur- Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single exposure, either due to rapid movement or long exposure.

Location portraiture- A portrait of a person or group of people taken on location (out of the studio).

Focal length- the distance between the centre of a lens or the curved mirror and its focus.

Animation- creating the illusion of movement by using editing software to place images in sequence to create a video clip or GIF.

Sequence- A single image which captures an event from it's start to it's finish by compiling several images.

Macro- A form of photography which provides large amounts of detail at a close range as well as making an object appear larger than life.

Wide angle close up- an image taken with a wide angle lens with a focal length approximately 18 or lower which creates a wider image plane.

Portfolio

Definition post

Surrealism- a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images.
Language- any nonverbal method of expression or communication.

Idiom- a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light ).

Flower language- The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers.

Final evaluation

My project has been focused around a fairly unexplored area of photography: the physical representation of idioms and symbolism in photography.  I chose to focus largely on surrealist photographers to begin with as a result of the fact that the images that I wished to create in my project were generally gory visual effects inspired by my interest in effects makeup.  The photographers which I found most useful at this original level of research include Kyle Thompson and Irving Penn.  I found the way that these photographers implemented studio setups to their stylistic advantage particularly interesting as this is my preferred location for shooting.  I was also interested in Penn's editorial still life work for Vogue as this showed an ability for a photographer to cross between photographical genres.  Thompson's work features more of the striking visual effects that I wished to include such as body paint and props such as hooks.  Another notable photographer who provided a great deal of influence to me was Miss Lakune who shoots portrait pieces based around bold and surreal visual effects pieces.

Over the course of this project I have further honed my skills in the studio exploring more challenging lighting set ups such as the incorporation of gels and low-key lighting to give shoots symbolic colourisation as well as how to achieve high-key set ups for more cleaner and editorial style images both of these techniques have been improved upon since last year.  Throughout this project I have also branched into shoots outside of the studio as can be seen in the "Love" shoot challenging me to be more creative with my lighting methods other challenging shoots have been self portraiture shoots which had to be undertaken due to the visual effects used to create the final image (here I used a remote to trigger my camera).  Framing was the most challenging aspect of these images and the images were able to be shot by myself using a remote.  My Photoshop CC 2014 skills were forced to develop over the course of this project as I was required to learn how to use the "clone stamp tool" as well as the spot healing brush to blend the edges of some of the prosthetics used in order to improve the appearance of the final images.

I have developed my photography skills since the beginning of my course and this can largely be seen through the way that my work has shifted more from casual or amateur style photography to a blend between fine art and politically charged messages.  This sphere of fine art has given me plenty of room to explore numerous techniques such as multiple flash which I enjoyed immensely in the beginning of the year so decided to revisist for my final shoot "Two heads are better than one" this shoot was challenging as it required me to direct my subject in the correct way to move to compliment the existing flashes image whilst being unable to see how the movement translated to camera until the end and under strict time constraints.  Political undertones have taken a far more subversive route this year compared to my work last year which was heavily featured around Feminism however it can still be seen in the connotations of shoots such as "Lips sealed" which focuses around the way that victims of abuse and rape are often shamed into silence.

When looking back on my work it is evident that I tend to try to spend the majority of my time in the studio and this is the reason that I would like to branch into documentary photography as one of the mediums for my next project where possible.  I feel that I will still be able to translate political undertones into my work through this medium and it will give me a chance to branch into another element of photography other than the studio based work which I am currently centred around.  I would also be interested in experimenting with either standard or instant film in my next project as I feel that this will give what I produce a more raw feel.

The genre of photography which I am most successful in and most comfortable with is studio portraiture which I was able to fully explore with a range of different lighting and editing techniques over the course of my project.  I feel that I have significantly improved my competence in the studio over the past year as well as my understanding of what different genres of photography entail such as surreal photography and the way that photography is linked to everyday life through both the images themselves and their connotations.

Print experiments

Text

1. Edit image as you wish (above image is edited with a reduced saturation and lowered brightness as well as curves).
2. Insert text using text tool.
3. Edit text size, coloration and positioning.

Black and White

1. Open image.
2. Crop as wished.
3. Alter saturation using adjustment layers.
4. Alter brightness using adjustment layers.
5. Alter lightness using adjustment layers.
6. Alter contrast using adjustment layers.
7. Alternatively alter each colours saturation individually using the saturation tool.

Layered saturation

1. Create 40cmx40cm white square background.
2. Open the image you wish to use in a separate tab.
3. Drag selected image into white square.
4. Repeat as many times as desired (four layers are used above).
5. Evenly shift layers to create a staggered or step like effect.
6. Reduce opacity of layers 2,3 and 4 in order to create semi-transparent layers (opacity approximately 40).
7. Alter layers saturation in order to create an interesting composition add new saturation layers between each layer of image.
8. Crop white background around edited image to create a 2x6 composition.