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.