Mapplethorpe Studio - Work Diary

When we went into the studio to do a Mapplethorpe inspired shoot I found that it was a lot more difficult than I originally thought it would be.  When I was shooting I sometimes forgot to pay attention to the lighting or the composition and so I had to re-shoot to ensure my photos were similar to Mapplethorpe's style.

This photo is of a classmate laying on the floor looking up at the ceiling against a black background despite its grey/blue appearance and although the subject is only in the lower half of the frame almost the lower third I don't feel that there is any wasted space.  This photo has quite a peaceful feel to it almost like the subject could be dead or resting.

This next photograph is of another of my classmates in front of the same background, I like the way that his forearm contrasts with the background and his jumper.  And having only half of him in the frame means that it qualifies as Mapplethorpe inspired.

If I was to do another Mapplethorpe inspired studio shoot I would like to experiment more with props as well as possibly a more specific subject/idea.  I also think looking for some more interesting portraits by Mapplethorpe to simulate and get more inspiration would be good.  Going back to the first photo a good idea could be to take photos of the subject in the same pose but in different locations and then possibly make a multiple imagery out of them.

Mapplethorpe Location - Work Diary

When I went out to do the Mapplethorpe inspired shoot I found it difficult to start even though I had looked at some his work before hand I found it difficult to find a suitable background for the photos.  This did get easier as I got into the shoot I started to get more confident about getting it right.

I think this photo is successful due to it's soft blurry background and the in focus subject partially out of frame following Mapplethorpe's style of interesting compositions without wasted frame space.

I think this is another good photo that I took I like the side view but not quite with full rotation so you can still see part of the opposite side of the person.  Although the frame is not filled by the subject there is still no wasted space following the style of Mapplethorpe.  This photo almost looks like she could be looking of at something out of frame.

If I was to shoot location Mapplethorpe again I would take some picture trying to show more of their personality be it through the use of body language and/or facial expressions as in all of my photos the people tend to have quite blank expressions.

Studio Contrast 2 - Work Diary

When we went into the studio to shoot contrast a second time I found it difficult to take a lot of pictures as we had already done the shoot once before, it was difficult to think of new ideas to photograph.  The fact that there was a girl and a boy in the group did help slightly giving an obvious contrast in gender.

This one has several contrasts the main two being the difference in gender and the two people facial expressions and stances but there is also contrast between their clothing and the white background and the fact that one is wearing a hat and sunglasses while the other is not.

This one also shows a contrast in gender but there are also several other layers of contrast including the fact that one is facing the camera and one is not.  Another contrast is the difference in hats one wearing a 'badass' beanie and the other a classy top hat.

If I was to do another contrast shoot in the studio I would do some better research into the topic in a attempt to gain more inspiration and look at more pictures of contrast to try and get some inspiration from other people's work.

Location Contrast 2 - Work Diary

For this I looked at the contrast between things in the light and things in the shade and found some more conceptual contrasts like the contrast between nature and man-made and other similar things.

This photo shows the contrast between the grass and the path but there is also contrast between their lighter and darker counterparts due to the lighting.

This photo show more of a conceptual contrast between the plant and the building behind it.  The plant is naturally made while the building isn't and was built there by humans.  The way the leaves of the plant almost frame the building behind it adds to the effect, enhancing the contrast slightly.

To improve I might look more into the contrast between natural and man-made as well as develop the light and shade contrasts as I feel some of these photographs look pretty good with the different exposure levels within the same picture.

Location Contrast - Work diary

For this I had to find things that contrasted, I tried to think of things that had more of a conceptual contrast as well as things with an obviously visible contrast.  To start of with it was a little difficult finding conceptual things but the more I walked around the more I noticed them.

This photo shows contrast between colour/tones as the persons hair is quite bright blonde and the hood of his jacket is black.

This one is slightly more conceptual as it is the contrast between open and closed doors something people generally see everyday but never really think about it.

If I was to shoot contrast again on location I might look at the contrast between things in the light and things in shade as well as try to find some more conceptually contrasting things.

Multiple Imagery - Work Diary

This was fairly simple after I had decided what to take the photos of in this case my feet.  I walked around and took photos of my feet on different types of ground like grass, brick, paving slabs and carpet and then edited them together into a 3 by 3 grid, I also took pictures of objects from different angles and drain covers.

This is one of my multiple imagery pieces after I have edited it shows the same bench just from several different angles.

This is another one of my edited multiple imagery featuring different drain covers because why not?  I thought it might be slightly different to what other people would normally think of doing.

If I was to shoot for multiple imagery again I might look at other things like parts of building or sections of peoples faces or random objects which I find around the place.

Walk 2 - Work Diary

For this walk we had the same objectives as the first one them being autumn colours, back of heads and sense of a journey although we took a slightly different route than last time.  I managed to pay more equal attention to all three of them although the sense of journey photos did lack a bit I took more than on the first walk.

I think this photo is good as it shows the autumn colours against the white sky creating quite drastic contrast between the two and emphasises the colour of the leaves and trees.

This photo almost wraps all three objectives into one photo as you can see the path curving out of frame to an unknown location and the autumn colours of the tree and leaves over the persons shoulder and then it is obviously a back of head photo.

If I was to do another walk I might try to find some more unusually places to take photos of things and again try to pay equal attention to all of the objectives as well as possibly try to take more photo that contain all of the objectives.

Walk 1 - Work Diary

I really enjoyed this shoot as we got to go out of the college grounds to take photos, and there were lots of different photo opportunities rather than the same places each time.  For this we had three things to take photos of (Autumn colours, sense of a journey and back of heads) instead of the usually one which did make things a bit difficult as I had a tendency to focus more on one of them than all three.

This is a photo I took of autumn colours I think it is really effective as the lighting highlights some of the colours and leaves while others are kept in the dark by the shadows on either side.

This photo is one I took for back of heads I think the lighting coming from the front is quite effective giving the person a kind of aura and then the lens glare adds to the general feel of the photo.

If I was to do another walk with multiple thing to shoot I would try to pay equal attention to all of them instead of just one so that I end up with some good pictures for all rather than lots of one thing and next to none of another.

Studio Contrast - Work Diary

When we first went into the studio to shoot contrast I wasn't really sure what to take photographs of as we were inside and there was not as many options as when shooting on location, although it became easier further into the session to find contrasts between the people I was in the studio with.

I think this is one of the better photographs that I took the contrast is between the bright red background and Kier's dark clothing, as there is visibly a very dramatic contrast.

This is another of the photograph that I took during this session the contrast being between Kier having his hair up and Jess having her hair down as well as the contrast between their clothing, white and black.

If I was to shoot contrast in the studio again I may try to capture contrasts in peoples emotions not just their appearances.

Studio back of head Portraiture - Work Diary

For this as the title states I was in the studio taking photos of the backs of people heads instead of on location.  I used one of the studio cameras for this and after it was explained I found I knew what I needed to do and it was therefore slightly easier than the location shoot.

The pinky red background for this picture provides a solid outline of the subject with a good contrast between the black of his jacket and his blond hair.

I like this photo as the black background provides nice contrast between it and his hair but only just hints at the shape of his shoulders.

If I was to shoot this again I might look at trying to experiment with different hair styles and maybe introduce some props.

Location back of head Portraiture - Work Diary

For this as the title kinda suggest i went to different locations and took photos of the back of people heads.  I experimented with the placement of the subject within the frame (left, right,centre) and tried to make the background out of focus while keeping the subject in focus.  The following photo are the two I think are the best:

I like this photo with the nice soft blur to the background but the subject is in crisp clear focus.

Again the softly blurred background of this image makes for a nice composition as well as the way that her head is tilted upward slightly.

If i was going to shoot back of heads on location again I would maybe experiment with different hairstyles and play around with the background and aperture to achieve different looks and feels through my photographs.

Shape - Work Diary

Shape was a fairly easy formal element to shoot as it is a very common feature in pretty much everything.  Unlike some of the previous elements this one did not really need any explanation for me to understand the requirements.

This photo shows shape through both the oval shapes of the leaves and the water droplets on top of them with a rounded shape.

This photo shows shape through the circular frame of the ornament and the semi circle shape of the inside side pieces with the slightly round triangle.

If I was to shoot shape again I might look more at things like silhouettes of people and object as well as the shape of the objects themselves.

Photojoiner - Work Diary

When I went out to shoot this I found it slightly difficult to start off with as usually it's just take one picture of a whole object/person or a close-up shot but with this i had to try and split the object up into several sections and shoot each section individually so I could edit them together.  This didn't really work as when I came to edit them together they didm't fit and i ended up having to delete some and leave big white gaps in the final image.  The following are some of the individual photos I took for one part of Jess's face:

To improve I would try to take the photos more accurately when I split the object/person into sections so that when it comes to piecing them together it will actually work properly.

Texture - Work Diary

When I was shooting photos for this I found it fairly difficult to get the correct lighting to actually be able to see the texture of a particular object but the longer I spent trying to do this the easier I found it.  These are the two photo I think are the best out of the ones I took:

 I like this one as you can clearly see the texture of the carpet and also the way the background and foreground is slightly out of focus means the focal point of the image is more on the carpet than anything else.

I like this photo and I think it is good as you can clearly see the pitted texture of the brick and the indent around it as well as the start of the other bricks around it.

If I was to shoot texture again I would possibly look at things from several different angles then select the best one afterwards.

Reflection - Work Diary

For this I looked mainly at reflections in windows and doors, I found that some things produce a double image as a reflection which in some cases was pretty cool but in others slightly annoying.

I think this is one of the best photos that I took, it kinda has a weird effect with the flash of the camera shining on the metal parts and looks just like someone is taking a picture of the viewer.

This is another photo I took that I really like, it looks like I could have just taken a picture of someone holding a camera except for the fact that the camera is the wrong way round.  It is in fact the reflection of me and the room in the screen of a mac.

If I was to go and shoot reflection again i might look at reflections in both still and moving water.  The moving water would create a slightly distorted effect to the reflection.

Movement - Work Diary

For this I went out with my camera which I had set to a long shutter speed so that the captured image would blur slightly when the camera moves or when shooting moving subjects.  I looked mainly at moving people but I did try moving the camera it's self in different ways to achieve a similar effect.  I had some problems with over exposure when I was shooting outside as I was using a longer shutter speed.

I think this is one of the best photo I took except for the background which isn't that good but the photo is clearly displaying movement with my model, Kier, spinning around on his chair.

I think this is another really good photo I took and you can clearly see the movement of the person walking.

If I was to photo movement again I would maybe try to get some 'models' to use in the photos and try mainly an indoor environment where I would be able to more easily control the lighting and therefore avoid over exposed photos easier.

Tone - Work Diary

When I went out to shoot tone I switched my camera's picture style to monochrome, so it would take photos in black & white(gray-scale).  I did this to created greater contrast and emphasis in the tones of the photos that I took.

I think this is one of the best photos I took, I really like the varying tones and contrast throughout the photo between all the different components like the reflections in the glass and the metal bars going across the building.

This is another photo I think is really good with the high tonal contrast between the white & the black.

I'm not entirely sure what I could do to improve upon my work if I was to go out and shoot tone again except possibly try out different angles of things I have already looked at.

Form - Work Diary

For this I went out and look at things that I could see part of, or the whole of, an object and the shadow it casts.  I think these are the two best photos that I took:

I think this photo is good as you can clearly see the 3 dimensional nature of the pillar as the right hand side is bright and the left hand side is dark/in shadow with its shadow extending from it.

This photo I think is good as you can see the light shining through the window and the shadow cast by the frame on the wall on the other side.

If I was to go out and shoot form again I would look at series of objects that are the same so there is a slightly different perspective on each ones form.

Depth - Work Diary

For this I looked at long things that I could get a good perspective of like paths, walls and stairs.  This element was relatively easy to think of good ideas but finding something to implement these ideas was a little more challenging.  These are the two photos I like the most out of the ones I took:

I Like this one as you can clearly see the depth in the vent like wall with all the gaps in it getting smaller /closer together the further back they are as well as the path getting smaller.

This one portrays depth well as the slide clearly gets smaller but i like this one as you can also see the depth in the reflection of the bottom of the slide.

If I was to take more photos for depth I might try to find some really long streets and/or something like railway tracks to get photos from standing in the middle of them.

Pattern - Work Diary

For this when I went out to take photos I looked at things like paved floors and buildings as they usually have a man-made pattern in them, I also looked at patterns within nature like flowers and leaves, the grain in wood.  Another thing I look at was parts of cars like headlights and radiator covers.

I think this photo portrays pattern well as the entire window section including the colours along the bottom is repeated.

This one contains obvious pattern of repeated triangles arrange into columns of alternate alignment.

If I was to go out and shoot pattern again I would look more at patterns in nature, things like flowers and snake/lizard skin.