Final Pieces

Final Project Evaluation

When I first began Unit 2 I had a tough time trying to find ways to show evidence in ways that were interesting. I began with an idea of what I wanted to shoot but at the time I did not have the resources to do it. The result of this was a rather average shoot that was mainly full of repetitive examples of evidence in boring locations. In my second shoot I began to understand my environment more and had ideas about what I could do to show evidence in more interesting ways. It was after this point that I began to incorporate a better structure for my shoots by assigning specific genres of evidence such as graffiti or ageing to go out and photograph. I followed this simple structure up until shoot six when I thought that my work was about to start repeating itself unless I found other ways of expressing evidence without the same environment.

I looked to start setting up my own studio shoots while using photoshop to show more visually interesting examples of evidence. I looked at using photoshop to show evidence of ageing while using some contrast to produce a more visually interesting outcome. For my next shoot I wanted to think about the emotional weight of the subject that I was shooting instead of just photoshopping any image that I could take. I thought about lighting and emotion when I was shooting injury and how it would impact the individual that I was photographing. I used low-key lighting in order to show that the individual might try to hide while revealing the injuries. I was also able to incorporate some interesting formal elements such as form, tone and contrasts as well.

For my final two shoots I wanted to explore a topic in multiple ways to produce to visually different outcomes. I focused on movement for both shoots. For my first shoot I wanted to capture the same person/object  moving throughout the frame using photomontage. I was able to produce some interesting results that was able to feature some interesting formal elements such as tone. For my next shoot I knew that I would like to take my approach to movement in a different direction that would capture a more free flowing representation of movement. I looked at using multiple flash photography and different shutter speeds to accurately show the range of movement that I wanted. I was able to get some interesting results as I was able to successfully feature the same person interacting with them in different ways.

Overall I feel that I had a rough start to the project but as I began to gradually understand the subject and the different directions I wanted to go in, I began to produce a better and more consistent quality of work. After my first couple of shoots I was able to direct my focus in a way that forced me to experiment with different techniques. Incorporating the studio and photoshop along with my location shoots has caused me to produce some of my most visually diverse work that I have ever created.

Murray Becker

Murray Becker was a photographer whose career included photo journalism, sports photography,  and management of photographic services at the wire service. Becker has been considered one of the worlds most famous photographers largely due to his fifteen shot sequence that he took when the hindenburg disaster occurred as he was one out of only seven photographers able to capture the event.

This image focuses only on one person. We can gather that this man is clearly a baseball player, but instead of capturing the exact moment of the iconic event, Becker instead uses the emotion that the person is conveying in order to show the audience how much the moment means. Pattern can be seen within the image using lines. The uniform worn by the player has a striped pattern suggesting that he is a baseball player. The use of a dull background causes contrasts to be formed in an attempt to focus all attention on the player. The tone and form created in the image using sunlight causes the the emotion of the person to be more visible through the wrinkles on his face, showing examples of shock.

Becker has captured the exact moment of a massive event. He has captured the referee, the boxers and the crowd to show that this was a very important boxing game and the person on the floor has just been knocked out. Becker uses the ring and the boxers to create a contrast that causes the audiences eye to be immediately drawn to the important parts of the events. Contrast is a key element within this image. We can see another example of contrast as one boxer is wearing black shorts while the other is wearing white. This contrast suggests to the audience themes of good and evil, with good conquering evil in the fight.

Here we see a photograph taken at the exact moment that an airship exploded. The explosion appears fluorescent against the dreary sky, creating contrasts in the image. This causes the audiences attention to be directed straight to the explosion. The landscape of the city creates a clear contrast with the lighter tones of the sky. Tone is also a key feature within this image. The airship features dark shadows underneath the ship and progressively become lighter closer to the top, showing the audience its large scale. The black and white filter enhances the tone on the wreckage of the ship. Within this detail, the audience can see the damage that has been done to the ship.

This iconic image focuses on two people among a crowd. Becker attempts to show the emotion of the moment by having the two people kissing. This shows that this is a moment of victory. The black white filter highlight the contrast of the two people's clothing in the image and cause for attention to be drawn to them as a result. There are people littered throughout the background of the image. This can be used to show the depth within the image. The audience can clearly see how the people change over different distances, adding more depth to the image. The white colour is used to represent the more pure woman, while the darker colour is used to represent the more masculine male.

Summary:

Becker's images mainly focus on medium to full body shots of specific people and events. The black and white style of the images mix well and add to the tone of the picture in order to get your attention and focus it on a character or object in the photo. As a result of the black and white filter, we can see contrasts that have been created which catches the audience's attention. Becker shows evidence of historic events by showing the aftermath of the event in his photos.

Influence:

I was influenced by Becker's work in the sense that I began to consider the emotional weight of subjects that I was taking pictures of as well as the visual weight. I wanted to experiment in some shoots with the emotion that some of the people may be feeling and how I could best show that.

I attempted to tell a visual story through this image by trying to reflect emotion and attitudes into the image. I used a black background with a harsh light to bring the audience's attention to an injury. The dark tones are used to reflect the dark themes used while also reflecting how the person may attempt to hide it.

Shoot 10 Work Diary

I wanted to attempt to capture movement in a different way from my last shoot. I wanted to use multiple flash photography in order to capture a more visually interesting range of movement. I came across some issues with images being too bright or too dark but after experimenting with different examples of movement I was able to create some interesting examples.

This image shows a range of movement in a way that flows more naturally than static images would show. The black and white contrast allow for the image to be more noticeable in order to direct audiences attention to the movement of the person. The image is also able to depict how fast the person was travelling depending on the severity of the motion blur. Tone is used within this image in order to show journey. The person begins with a bright colour and begins to slowly grow darker and darker, the further he goes.

This image shows movement in a simple form. Three simple, static images are used to show the range of movement. This image focuses on the movement of an object as opposed to a person and is made more interesting by using the same person multiple times within the same image. The use of black and white highlight the contrasts within the image. The contrasts are used to highlight the person and their range of movements.

Progression:

If I were to do this shoot again I would like to experiment with different shutter speeds, lighting and backgrounds in order to create more varying styles of image. I would also look to create a more consistent image by adjusting the brightness and lights of the image in order to capture a better quality of image.

Connecting Essay 5

This image features pattern within a natural structure. The image depicts distance by showing the progression of the same object and the way it changes over a distance. A black and white filter is used  in order to enhance the shadows of the image while using form to show how the objects reduce in size over a distance.

My image attempts to show examples of pattern within common environments. We can see how pattern and repetition is used to create the effect of distance as we see the same objects change over different distances. A black and white filter is used in order to highlight some contrast between light and dark tones within the image. The contrasts cause the pattern and change in distance to be more  visually striking while drawing the audiences attention to certain objects within the frame.

Both of these images can be compared in a number of ways. They both use pattern and repetition in a way that conveys distance through objects changing. A black and white filter is used in both images and uses formal elements such as contrast and tone. Both of these formal elements allow for the audience's attention to be drawn while the form allows for greater detail in the objects that allow for a clearer difference of an object over different distances.

Connecting Essay 4

This image uses multiple flash photography in order to accurately show a range of movement that is made during a skateboard trick. The photographer uses the bright colour tones of the clothing and skin against a dark background in order to capture a clearer range of movement. Within the image, we can see a range of positions and poses in order to show the progression of the movement. The flash of the camera allows for a striking example of contrast to be created. As a result of this, the man is made the point of focus for the audience and they can more easily focus on the range of movements.

My image is an attempt to depict evidence of movement in a single picture. A black and white filter is used to create a clear contrast between the background and the person. This helps to better observe the range of movements that the person is moving in. Since the subject has been exposed to more light, the rage of movement appears to be less solid and is instead represented in aware of movement. The result of this gives the image a more flowing sense of movement as opposed to a more static range. We can also get a sense of the speed that the person is travelling at as the movement becomes more faded the faster the person is travelling.

Both images can be compared in a number of ways. A black and white filter is used to create a contrast between the background and the person within the image. This allows for the audience to better see the range of movements in the image. Light is used in both images to highlight the journey of the people, the first image shows the progression of movement from dark to light while my image shows the progression of movement from light to dark.

Shoot 10 Straight Images