InspirationMy inspiration came from a broad range of different things such as; Google Earth, friends, family, photography websites and different places. I got my main inspiration from simply walking around the school and spotting a glimpse of sun just shining on a set of flowers and thinking to myself that it would look good if I could capture it at the right angle. For example my picture of the barbed wire and the blue sky came from when I was walking past a building site and I saw the hard labour they were putting in to build the building and when I saw the barbed wire I knew that I could take a picture of it with a perfect blue sky in the background and it could create a really deep meaning to the image that isn’t just about labour but about how little freedom some people have in the world.

AreaIn this topic of photography the first areas that I really gained a liking to were Macro and Abstract. They were interesting and I really enjoyed getting up close with the camera to different insects and colourful plants. I chose abstract as it takes unusual images and makes them interesting and different and makes them appear in a different light to how you would have seem them before, such as my picture of the bulb, which is simply just a bulb but when you get up close and take a picture the bulb becomes fascinating the way it emits light and the way it binds all together. Due to this Abstract really caught my attention it helped me create fascinating things from such boring everyday items and made them actually worth looking at.

Equipment

- I used this camera mainly as it is the best for focusing in a close up scenario. I prefer this camera to the 1100D as it was easier to take Macro photos with the amount of detail I would like for the photos I was taking, for example the wasp photo was taken with this camera.

- I used this camera for my abstract photos such as my picture of my cat and the barbed wire, if I had the option I wouldn’t choose to use this camera as the camera has the ability to know whether it is in a dark room or not therefore resulting in a flash, however you are unable to turn this off so even if you don’t want this the camera will flash.

- I used Photoshop as it is the best software to edit photos on that I can use. I am able to add effects and change the contrast and brightness on my photos with Photoshop which is exactly what I need to do to make my photos how I want them.

Camera:Cannon 600D

Cannon 1100D

Software:Photoshop

EditingI used Photoshop to edit the photos that I felt needed editing. I edited three out of five photos of mine. I did this so that I could either enhance a photo such as my bulb, so that it focused mainly on the lighter part rather than the glass bulb itself also I edited the wasp photo so that it was zoomed in more on the wasp itself to maintain focus on the wasp instead of it’s surroundings. I darkened the leaves and plants around it as well to create an even greater focus.

How I Edited

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your photographs?• One strength is the detail in the photo of my cat, I find that it was very clear and it had a lot of detail• In my picture of the plant the detail wasn’t to the amount I would have liked and this meant that

the photo wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.

Are you pleased with them?Yes I am, I managed to capture the pictures in the way I wanted them and it meant that if there was a slight change I wanted to make I could edit it on Photoshop to make it better. I am pleased with them especially the picture of my cat due to the quality I was able to come out with.

How you improved as a photographer?I have improved in the ability of taking macro photos in good detail. I have learnt how to properly focus a camera and how to use the setting on the camera.

What would you change or do differently if you did this project again?I would focus more on taking abstract photos instead of macro as the images I used weren’t equally

spread between abstract and macro instead they were mainly macro so I only had a few abstract to choose from but I had a lot of macro to choose from for my project.

A Pitiful Perception

Macro/Abstract

I didn’t edit this photo as I felt I didn’t need too, this is because the main focus of the picture is in the centre of the cats face and the cat is staring directly into the camera, therefore I feel that the photo doesn’t need any changing.

I like this photo very much as I managed to capture the cat in a moment of stillness.

Abstract

I edited this photo in this way so the outer bulb would be less visible and that the light itself is more prominent and interesting.

This is my favourite abstract photo as it is so amazing how the bulb is swirled round and looks so vibrant.

Macro

I edited this photo like this so that the focus would be more on the wasp itself rather than the background plants.

I like this photo as the wasp is so close up and you can see it In such good detail

Abstract

I didn’t edit this photo as I felt the photo was complete and didn’t need any editing, I captured a moment which can really make you think about slavery and people that don’t get to enjoy freedom.

I really like this photo as it’s so plain however it can portray such a deep meaning to it.

Macro

I took this photo as I simply felt that I needed to capture a plant for my project, it’s my least favourite photo as it’s quite dull and not very interesting.

QuestionnaireWhich photo was your favourite? And why?The edited bulb because it was genuinely interesting to look at and very Abstract

What photo looked the best edited? And why?The bulb for the reasons mentioned above, plus its quality and primary focus on the light twirls

What photo is in your opinion the worst? And why?The berry/plant bush thing, mainly because I couldn’t identify what it was

What affects do you think I could add to any of the photos and why?Sticking to a certain theme and keeping it present throughout as it would give your complete album meaning and individuality By Andrew Goldman

QuestionnaireWhich photo was your favourite? And why?The wasp because it has lots of detail and is a perfect professional looking shot with a contrast of the white flower green blurred background and spectacular colours on the wasp. I also love the detail on one of the wings with the sun shimmering.

What photo looked the best edited? And why?The light one because it outlined the picture more clearly and you developed the colour well

What photo is in your opinion the worst? And why?The barbed wire because it isn’t in complete focus nor is it in the centre of the image, also to the left the sun/clouds are just beginning to fall into the picture

What affects do you think I could add to any of the photos and why?You could experiment with a contrast of colour and black and white. Or maybe in the barbed wire one have a few clouds in the background or a bit of landscape

By Elishia Selby

QuestionnaireWhich photo was your favourite? And why?Favourite picture was the wasp because it shows that you obviously had to be patient to take it

What photo looked the best edited? And why?I think the edited bulb was the best one because you can only see the inside of the bulb

What photo is in your opinion the worst? And why?It’s the plant berry one because it doesn’t really show much and is quite vague

What affects do you think I could add to any of the photos and why?Maybe experiment more with the editing and you could probably find new ways to make it better

By William Traynor

QuestionnaireWhich photo was your favourite? And why?The cat picture is my favourite as it looks really nice close up and his focused nicely.

What photo looked the best edited? And why?The light bulb as it looks most different. You can’t see the light bulb as easy. I really like the lights pattern

What photo is in your opinion the worst? And why?The berries as they are really simple

What affects do you think I could add to any of the photos and why?You could add a monochrome or contrast to the berries as otherwise they look too simple.

By Jordan Wardle

QuestionnaireWhich photo was your favourite? And why?Bulb because it is a cool shape and it is vibrant

What photo looked the best edited? And why?The bulb because it was makes it more interesting

What photo is in your opinion the worst? And why?The berries because they look dark and boring

What affects do you think I could add to any of the photos and why?I think you could have made the barbed wire different colours to add more liveliness

By Matt Wood

Questionnaire feedbackIn my questionnaire I found that the wasp and bulb picture was the favourite of the five as two people out of five said the cat was the best and another two out of five said the wasp was my best which I feel true as well they said they were apparently ‘professional looking’ and ‘interesting’. I had five people answer my questionnaire and they all said that my picture of the berries was my worst, which I also agree with. The feedback I gathered suggested that I should ‘add a monochrome or contrast’ to the berries and the barbed wire so they were more interesting and would be a nicer picture overall. To conclude I would say that my evaluation was a overall success as the people that answered my questionnaire like my photos and said that they were all nicely taken and were all effective and were all macro and abstract like I had planned.