Work Diary

During this lesson we also went in the studio to photograph in Mapplethorpe’s style. I found this slightly easier than photographing on location as the background was plain and simple and also because Mapplethorpe tended to photograph in a studio so our studio photographs were closer to his style. I found this very interesting as we could use the different backgrounds however I found that my favourite background was the black because this was closer to his style. I also had the idea of using some props in the studio and the only reason we didn’t get around to this was because we ran out of time.

This is one of my Mapplethorpe studio images, I like this image because I think it shows lots of emotion and is also very similar to Mapplethorpes images. To produce this I photographed in the studio however I turnt off one light to create the shadow on his face. I think this is effective because it shows more form and also makes it more similar to Mapplethorpe's work. 

This is another of my studio Mapplethorpe images, I like this image because Ellie is looking off to the distance and this makes her look very dramatic, I also like how I have zoomed out slightly for this so that she fits directly in the middle of the composition. To improve this I think I could have changed the editing for the black and white effect as I think her face looks very dull where I could have made it slightly brighter as this would be closer to Mapplethorpe's style. 

Progress

If I was to photograph in Mapplethorpe’s style using the studio again I would like to have more time in there as I felt I had more ideas however ran out of time, more time would also mean that I could have experimented with different backdrops as I was only able to use the black backdrop however Mapplethorpe sometimes used a white backdrop. I would also like to use a few props as Mapplethorpe occasionally used props within his work such as weapons or chairs. 

Work Diary

During this lesson we photographed studio contrast again, I found this slightly easier than last time as we photographed in a particular order which meant I knew which images were my own this time and we also had a better understanding on how we could show studio contrast. I felt like my ideas this time were much better than my ideas in the last shoot and I am much happier with the images. From this session however I do not have too many images as we ran out of time in the studio.

This is one of my studio contrast images, this image shows contrast because George (left) appears to be happy and Josh (right) appears to be sad. I like this image because I think the composition is good as there is very little wasted space and I also like the meaning under the contrast. To improve this image I could have used a different backdrop as Josh is wearing all black so it is difficult to see his clothes. 

This is another of my studio contrast images, this shows contrast because not only are they different sex's but Ellie is facing forward and George is facing backwards so they are looking in different directions, I like this image because all the tones within the image are very similar for example George and Ellie are both wearing Greys and Blacks, their hairs are both dark and the back drop is also black. 

Progress

I will need to photograph studio contrast again due to the fact that I have no straight images from the first time we photographed studio contrast however before I do this I would like to write a list of ways I can show contrast whilst in the studio as I find that once I am in the studio I have forgotten all of my ideas. I will also hope to have longer in the studio as I feel that I do not end up with a wide enough variety of images as I would like to use a few different coloured backdrops however this does not always happen as very often we run out of time.

Straight Images

Straight Images

Straight Images

Work Diary

Monday 3rd November 

During this lesson we started contrast, during the beginning of the lesson we created an online mind map on contrast showing the different types of contrast and also the ways we could show these. After completing this we went into the studio in groups to photograph studio contrast. We were given some examples on what we could photograph for studio contrast however I found it very difficult to show contrast within my studio photographs. I did not complete many photos as I was struggling to think of things to do. 

Progress

If I was to complete this lesson again I would look up some examples of things I can do in the studio as I struggled with this and I would also make sure as a group that we photographed our images in a certain order as once we were back in the class room I could not remember which of the images were mine. I will need to go into the studio to photograph contrast again because I do not have very many photos and I am also very unsure of which of the group images I took. 

Work Diary

Monday 20th October

Today we were tasked to take portrait photos in the studio. I liked this task as I would like to start using to studio more and get more familiar with the equipment. We photographed the back of peoples heads rather than they're faces however as we wanted to focus more on the composition in general than the faces and facial expressions. I found this task reasonably easy and also enjoyed working in the studio however found we had very little time to take photos of all of the models with a variety of backgrounds.

This is one of my back of the head studio portraits, I like this image because it is slightly interesting how he is to the left instead of directly in the middle and I also like how he is facing straight forward so his head is at a straight angle. To improve this picture I need to change the levels and curves and also use the clone tool to cover up the dark spots on the backdrop.

This is another of my studio portraits. I like the image because similarly to my image above, the head is to the left of the picture and this one is also slightly closer and more zoomed in however I would need to retake this image as it is blurry. 

Progress

If I was to have more time in the studio I would try and take more images with a variety of background colours as the majority of my backgrounds are white. I would also experiment with my shot angles as it may make the composition more interesting and next time I would also maybe take two photos of each position as one may be blurry so I can use the other. 

Straight Images

Straight Images