Practise Shot

I took this photograph a while ago when I used the lighting kit for the first time and have been meaning to upload it. 

The idea was to have the shoes, which are quite modern looking contrasting over the old fashioned carpet which encases the stairs of my house. They both have fussy patterns and the image is meant to be fun. It was difficult to actually take this image because I didn't actually have the Snoot with the lighting kit but I knew i wanted to take it with the Snoot, so I tried to imitate one. The result isn't fantastic but I feel the idea is there and I might try this out again. 

Rankin

The above image taken by Photographer Rankin is so simple yet striking. Even the model's underwear, which is all she is wearing is a nude colour, the backround is perfectly white and she seems to be lit from either side. Whats so amazing above this image is how Rankin took it and how she is posing. She leans back almost stretching her body as her arm reaches up and Rankin takes is from below this exaggerates this and conlflicts with the models proportions and is entirely what makes something so simple so interesting.

Metin Demiralay Photography

While researching other photographers and their work, I came across Turkish Photographer Metin Demiralay. I really like the composition and lighting in a lot of his images and decided to publish a few that I found striking.



What I like about the image above is the angle in which he took it, the way the sun glows around the model, the clarity and intesity of the sky and the colours of the image. It looks somewhat fake yet in contradiction so detailed and real.

(Above) I love the soft colours which blend in together behind her which compliment her colouring so well, yet keep her as the main focus as everything aside from the model is completly out of focus.

(Above) I found this image really striking and its because its so simple and he feel he really accentuated the model's long neck. Everytime I look at it, it reminds me of Botticelli's Ranaissance painting 'The Birth of Venus', in this painting Botticelli achieved perfect hormony and part of how he did this was by exaggerating the length of Venus's neck.

                                                        Botticelli, The Birth of Venus

                                                     Close up of Venus's long, elegant neck

(Above) I have been wanting to experiment in taking a photograph reflecting the effects of blinds for a while now and when i seen this photograph I liked it because of the tones of the image and the interesting effect the blinds have left.

(Above) I decided to add the above image because I think the subject is simple yet the composition is strong.



Bowl Light and 5D Cannon Mark 1

For the following images I used the Bowl light and placed it right opposite the couch, facing the models. The lighting now isnt as strong and harsh as the Snoot, yet not as soft as the Soft box. I decided to upload a few images which I took of Angela and Trish and liked while using the Bowl light.

The colours of the above image are less saturated and have a more washed out look. The colouring of the photographs are meant to somewhat reflect the emotion of the photograph. I find bright saturated colours relate more to emotionally uplifting photographs. The slightly washed out colours are meant to further convey the lack of expression on Angela's face. 

The colours in the above and  below image are now far more saturated. 

The above photograph is darker this time, which again, I find completly changes the mood in which you look at the image.

Snoot, 5D and Editing

For these photographs I decided to experiment with a bit of editing in Adobe Photoshop. I have print screened the changes and documented them in my blog for future reference.

The photographs were taken using a Snoot which is being pointed at the models from the right and a 5D Cannon Mark 1. All the edits in the following images have been produced for practise reasons and becoming more aware of the effects of changes.

ORIGINAL

PRINT SCREEN

EDITED VERSION

ORIGINAL

PRINT SCREEN



EDITED VERSION

PRINT SCREEN

EDITED VERSION

PRINT SCREEN

EDITED VERSION



Lighting Kit and Cannon 5D

These are some imagse which I took of Trish and Angela in my living room. For these I used a soft box which is on the left. Quite a few images were taken while I tried to make Angela and Trish feel comfortable sat on the couch with their picture being taken and these are a few I selected.

Lighting Kit and Cannon 5D

In the following images I am using the snoot again. This time however rather then straight ahead of the model as in the previous images it has been placed to the right side of Trish. This time I wanted to experiment using two models so Angela now took a seat at the table.

As you can see here I was struggling, I am unhappy with almost everything about this image. The strong shadow behind Angerla, the over exposure on Trish's face, the awkward shadowing on the wall and the darkness of the mirror.

FINAL IMAGE

After taking more images I was really liking the way the light was falling onto Angela. Here I moved the camera to have more focus on Angela and decreased the Aperature size to darken out the sides and keep the light on her. I like how Trish is still visible in the background yet completly underexposed with the focus solely on Angela. Again, (like in the previous experiment) there is meant to be a certain element of ambiguity to this image.

Now I wanted a portrait entirely dedicated to Angela. This image was taken after a few different experiments with aperature and positioning of the arms. I liked the darkness of it and how you could see the dots in this image yet when I looked at it I thought would could add something small, perhaps a dash of colour and suggested Angela applies red lipstick.

FINAL IMAGE

In this photograph Angela has applied the red lipstick, a subtle difference which I find effective. Her face is leant more towards the camera here that the previous try. The lightings dramatic and the shadows are deep and effective and I was quite happy with the turn out. I didn't edit these images, they are simply built on the manipulation of light which I'm fiding so interesting at the moment.

FINAL IMAGE

When Trish seen the dramatic lighting on Angela's picture she decided she wanted one taken using the same technique. Again the Snoot has been place opposite the subject and the camera is coming from the side. For trish I used a larger aperature which allowed more visibility of the table's wood grain her dress and the blondeness of her hair which contrasts so greatly to the darkness of the room and compliments the warmth of the wood.  



Lighting Kit

This weekend I booked out the lighting kit and a Cannon 5D Mark 1 in aid of practising, experimenting and fundamentally gaining confidence using the kit. I invited Trish and Angela over to my house as models offering them a print each as incentive. The idea with the following was to create an image that was ambiguous and related itself to some extent to a film. I asked Trish to sit comfortably at the head of the table with an expressionless face.

I used the snoot for this image because I wanted Trish to be the focus and her surroundings to be darkened; furthermore the snoot has the ability to add a dramatic element to the image. Originally I asked Trish to sit with her hands and forearms laid out on the table. However whilst taking the image and setting the lighting to my liking I realised I wasn’t convinced by the composition.

Next I asked her to place her arms by her side, this time however I felt there was too much space available and wanted her arms on the table however not as apparent and prominent as in the previous image.

FINAL IMAGE



Eventually I was happy with her arms resting comfortably on the table and her body slightly lent forward. I am quite happy with the set up of the image and the expression on her face which does not say a lot to the viewer. In editing I slightly increased the exposure and the blacks.

Deviant Art

While walking around Liverpool I couldn't help but notice how much art and graffiti was on their public walls. Much of it was vandalism and without me seeming like I condone foul play I liked several pieces. Not all of it was due to petty criminals, rather the people of Liverpool seem to have an interesting way of delivering messages in an artistic manner which is aesthetic and fun. The photos I have posted are not particularly amazing images but theyre images I captured along the way of pieces that cought my eye.