Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice

Selection of final images & review (P4, M4, D4)

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10.

Theme or focus of image & reasons for choice1. The theme for the first image was to simply display the band. It was to show

them together and the inclusion of the guitar establishes the fact that they are a musical act. I wanted the three members to have different facial expressions and body languages, in order to give them their own distinct personalities. The member on the left is smiling off into the distance, while the one in the middle looks directly into the camera. The man on the right looks down in deadpan fashion; emotionlessly resting is arm on the man in the middle. I wanted a unique setting for some of the photo shoot and I

subsequently chose The Three Sisters forest for some woodland background. The trees and sky can be clearly seen in the background.

2. For this image, I decided that I wanted a close up of the band together. The focus of the image is on the band but, also the individual looks and expressions of each band members. I chose this image as I wanted to use different angles in my photography series and I liked the look of this low-angle shot. I also wanted to have photographs in my series that depicted each member of the band looking directly into the camera. I saw this on many music photographs during my research and thought that they looked good. This style also helps the viewer engage with the photograph.

3. I had long wanted to experiment with a black and white effect even before I had begun editing my images and I used the effect here. I wanted to have a few solo shots of individual band members and I wanted them to be as eye-catching as possible so, I subsequently edited the image in black and white while the guitar remained in colour. The guitar is the focal point of the image and helps ratify the fact that this is a music magazine. The image depicts the band member playing the guitar and embodies a musical feel and appearance. I wanted band members to use props during the shoot and I thought none would work better than a guitar.

4. For the fourth photograph I wanted to create a similar image to the first, where the three band members are together and expressing distinct personalities. Like the first image, the man on the left is the ‘cold’ member of the group and is looking in a different direction. The man in the middle is looking off into a different direction while smiling while the last member is smiling directly into the camera. The theme for this image was to generally display the band together on a plain surfaced background in order to not detract attention away from them.

5. For this image, I wanted a unique close up angle of the band members and elected to do one from the side, with all of the members looking off into the same distance. This creates a sense of unity within the band, as they had been displaying different emotions and body language in previous images. The image gets up close and personal with the band and gives a sense of intimacy for the viewer. The focus on this image is technically on the band member in the foreground as he is most prominent but, he is not in any way more eye-catching than the others.

6. This image is the same as the previous one but, I wanted to get it from a different angle and have all of the band members looking directly into the camera. The theme of this image is a close-up facial portrait to capture the band members together. By looking into the camera the band gain a connection with the viewer and a sense of closeness. This image is in a style to some professional music photographs I have seen and I based the style off of

them.

7. For this image, I once again used the theme of individuality in the band. I originally had all three of the band members but, I thought it would work better as a solo shot and so I cropped the others out. As the focus is on just one person, I made sure the subject took up the majority of the photograph. I also wanted to show the band members in different positions and the stance of this member is unique: resting his hands on the guitar and looking off into the distance. I also wanted more images with a greenery background and so I selected this photograph

8. The theme of this image was one of seriousness as the two band members look deadpan into the camera. I had previously focused on individual members and the band as a whole but in this one I used just two of the members. This was to create a different look and have a different appearance and style to the other images in the photography series.

9. For this image, I wanted a theme of the band and their music. So, I took a photograph of the three band members knelt down together, watching on while one of them plays music on the guitar. This creates a sense of bonding between the band members and shows them doing what they do- playing music. An image of them playing music together is the sort of image that a music magazine would use and a type that I saw during my research. I also wanted a different angle to my previous images and so chose the high-angled shot.

10. For the final image, I simply wanted a shot of the band playing around and joking with each other. I wanted a theme of fun and to show that they are not all serious and at the end of the day, simply want to have some fun and enjoy themselves. The focus is on the three band members having a laugh and it is supposed to be a lighter image in contrast to some of the more serious ones in the series.

Techniques used

I used a low aperture for all of my mages, with the f/stop setting ranging from 3.5 to 5. This resulted in a narrow depth of field. I think that this was a sensible choice as the majority of my images were only meant to be focused on elements in the foreground and therefore a higher aperture and wider depth of field was not required. This is evident in almost every image. In the fifth image, the band members are against a wall and the shot is from the side. The further away they get, the less sharper and clearer they appear. I think I could have used a higher f/stop for this one individual photograph. Apart from that, I think my aperture settings were appropriate and helped me produce some good, quality images.

My shutter speeds were at a consistent 1/160 sec throughout the photo shoot as I believe that it was a suitable speed that didn’t hinder the appearance of the images.

Apart from the eighth image, I kept the ISO at the same speed of 400. In the eight

image, I made the ISO 800. It was initially 400 throughout the shoot as the weather and lighting generally remained the same. I changed the ISO very briefly when it became slightly darker but, I changed it back once again a short while after.

I used the rule of thirds extensively when positioning the band members during the photo shoot. This is evident in practically every image apart from the two solo shots (images 3 and 7), even though in a way the rule appears in them. For the other images, I arranged the band members to be equally close to each other. This helped the images appear more aesthetically pleasing and easy to look at.

Strengths & suggested improvements1. I like the positioning of the band members and the background they have. I

think all of the colours work well together, including the band members and the various greenery. The band have unique poses and look like a professional musical act. I think that the image is slightly too bright however, and there is too much focus drawn to the subjects. It also looks slightly too manipulated, though this isn’t a huge flaw.

2. I think this image is OK but, I think it doesn’t look as professional as it could do. The idea of the low-down angle is good in my opinion but, the resulting photograph looks a little forced. The plain background doesn’t help the image and I think there should have been more changes made during the editing phase.

3. The third image in the series is one of my personal favourites and it is also the most unique. I think that the black and white effect is good but, the guitar doesn’t seem to stand out as much as I would have liked it too. The rest of the image also seems slightly bland and could have been given something extra during the editing process to help it stand out more.

4. I think that the fourth image is my least favourite of the series, as I think that it was over-edited and too patchy in places, where some of the colours seem strange and out of place. It is an OK set-up- I think the positions of the band members is good but, I think the editing phase let it down.

5. I think the fifth image is very good with the positions of the band members being fine as well as the editing. I think the image appears bold and almost gritty, while having the look of a photograph that would appear in a music magazine. I think the style and technical quality is very good and I also think that the various poses and emotions of the band members are great as well.

6. I think that this image is good as it is a close up intimate shot with the band and helps create a connection with the viewer, as they are looking directly into the camera. I think that editing is also of a good quality and is neither overdone nor underdone. I think that the framing of the image is very good and makes for a good portrait. The only thing I think could make it better is if it had something that could help it stand out, which could give it extra appeal.

7. I think that this image is a good individual shot of one of the band members and stands out. I also think that the positioning and framing of the subject is very good and helps increase the overall quality of the photograph. I think that a flaw of this image is that it has been edited slightly too much and the guitar stand out far too much than what I intended. Some of the colours like the green of the trees and the blue of the jumper are also a little too out of place.

8. I think that this image wasn’t too good as I think that it was too dark and the high angle shot and positioning of the subjects was unprofessional. I also once again think that the image was too heavily manipulated and made various elements of the photograph look strange and out of place (jumper, guitar faces).

9. The ninth image is a good one and I think the high angle shot works well here unlike in the eighth image. I thought that the editing, positioning of subjects and framing were very good in the photograph. However, I think that in general, the image doesn’t look very professional and looks rather amateurish. I think that if it had been a different location and I had edited it better, the image may have come out stronger.

10. The final image is too light in my opinion and the band members are over-exposed. The setting is OK as it is similar to the sixth image, but with different poses from the band members. I think that the poses and positioning of the band members is good but, the editing is not and I believe this is what brings down the photo.

Overall, I am generally satisfied with my images and I think that on the whole they are OK. The editing is good in places as are the themes and ideas for the images. However, the editing is also bad in places and some of the photographs look unprofessional. This effectively evens out my series.

Editing details1. For my first photography image, I cropped out the top of the frame because it

was generally plain and drew attention away from the focal point of the image- the three band members. By cropping the image I made it more concise and made the three band members take up the majority of the

photo. I then increased the brightness and contrast, to make the image stand out more and become more eye-catching. It helped brighten the three subject's clothes, the guitar and the trees, which went from being dull and grey to a rich green.

2. For this image’s edit I increased the contrast, as there was a large amount of brightness in the background that made the photo too bright and drained the image of colour. I also used the sharpness tool on the scarf on the left and the jacket on the right, in order to make it stand out more.

3. I had previously used a black and white effect on two of my landscape images and I decided to do so once again for this photograph. I used the polygonal lasso tool to select all visible parts of the guitar and cut and pasted them onto their own layer. I then made the original photo black and white. I used a black and white effect because I wanted some unique photographs in the series.

4. For this image I took the photograph on a plain wall background, in order to not draw attention away from the band members. I then changed the brightness and contrast along with the vibrancy, to bring out the colours on each person's clothing more. I cropped out some of the top of the photograph as it was plain and blank. By cropping I made the image more concise. When I first increased the vibrancy the two band members who were on the right had side had bright red lips, so I used the polygonal lasso tool to select those individual body parts and bring down their brightness. Lastly, I used the sharpening tool on the middle member's scarf and the right hand side member's jumper.

5. For the sixth image, I cropped a slight amount of wall from the top and side of the photograph. This was in order to make the image more compact and concise, as the plain wall didn't offer much to the overall picture. Once I had done that, I increased the brightness very slightly and the contrast much more. This helped to create an eye-catching, clearer image. It also helped enrich the colours in the image changing them from dull and flat to more distinct and eye-popping. Lastly, I used the sharpening tool on the jumper of the member on the right hand side.

6. I cropped the top of the photograph as the plain wall made the image seem too large, with the newer version looking more compact. I did not need to crop anything else as I had asked the three members to get close together. Following the crop, I increased the contrast a lot and the brightness slightly, like I had done with image 5. This brought out the colours in the image more and made it clearer and perkier.

7. n this image I originally wanted all three of the band's members to appear

but, the large gap between the two on the left hand side was too great and I didn't think it would work well the way it was. However, I thought that the member on the far left could work well in a solo shot so, I cropped out the rest of the image. I cropped it so he adequately fitted the frame. I did not want him to be too close-up and wanted him to have surrounding room in the photograph. Following the crop I greatly increased the vibrancy, which brought out his blue jumper and the greenery in the background. I also then used the sharpening tool on his guitar and glasses to make them stand out more.

8. For this image, I cropped out a part of the left hand side of the image as well as taking a bit off the top. This helped to create a more concise photograph, which is a theme I have followed throughout this photography series. Following this, I increased the contrast and brightness to make the image stand out more and to enrich the bland colours.

9. I cropped out a lot of the sides of the images as I wanted a more compact image that only focused on the band. As I have done with many of my other photographs, I then increased the contrast and brightness to bring out the colours in the image.

10. For this image edit, I cropped out a large amount of the wall above them so they are the key focal point of the image. I then increased the brightness and contrast to make the three members stand out more.

Capture LogSetting Shutter Speed ISO Aperture1.Manual

2.Manual

3.Manual

4.Manual

5.Manual

6.Manual

7.Manual

8.Manual

9.Manual

10.Manual

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

400

400

400

400

400

400

400

800

400

400

F/5

F/4

F/5

F/4

F/4.5

F/5

F/4

F/4.5

F/3.5

F/5