Health and Safety

Throughout the project I have borne in mind health and safety.  When going out on photo shoots in the outdoors and parking up at the side of a road, I made sure I didn't just throw the car anywhere it could cause a problem.  Likewise with myself, I made sure I was safely in verges and if I did need to be in the road, make sure nothing was coming.

With my camera also, I made sure I didn't run with it whilst around my neck otherwise a little fall could have caused me and the camera much damage.  I always had the camera around my neck never just holding it incase I dropped it.

Whilst in the studio, I took care to ensure there were no trip hazards, that I didn't touch the fronts of lights that were hot, that I didn't swing the lights around on their frames carelessly.   When my models were in the studio I made sure that if I put them on furniture or used props, I did so in a responsible manner.  Similarly when photographing Melissa I made sure we didn't stay out too long in the snow especially at the end when she was lying on the floor!   Also I stood on a stool to photograph her from above, so I made sure the stool was sturdy and that I did not lose my balance and topple on her !   She was grateful for this!!

Quality Checking

Through out the project after taking photographs I have viewed them actual size in the software to ensure they were not blurred or pixelated.   I reviewed all my photographs after taking them on the Canon software.  Also if I was on a photo shoot with one of my models, I would view the photographs on the camera to ensure I had obtained the one image I was happy with.   With 3 models I took about 300 photographs during each shoot so I had a good choice of image.    During the taking of photographs I would change settings on the camera if I thought an image too dark or light.  

With the printing, I have purchased a quality paper to ensure good colour results.   The paper was HP.

The last post .....Wednesday 26th January

It's 7.25 pm and this is the very last post for this project.  I have printed my final 6 images this evening and am happy with the results.   

Last update (hopefully!)

It is 9.04 pm Tuesday night and hand in night is tomorrow.  I feel I have done all I can.   I have just one photograph to mount this evening and then print out my 6 images tomorrow at College. 

Update - 10.40 pm 24th January

Have been working on blog since Friday pretty much non stop.  Computer has nearly blown up.  I thought I had a good plan of saving all my posts as draft and then re posting in order thinking they would then come up in the right order - they don't so pretty much a waste of time really !  All 6 prints done, all 4 manipulated done and ready for printing.  Due to lateness of finishing not going to be able to send them off for printing so have to do at College.  Feel like I am nearly there.  Working tomorrow so no time during day to do any more but tomorrow night that will be it.   

Lenses

The job of a lens is to control light.  It does this with the aperture setting on the lens.  I am not going to explain how the light works suffice to say that it in involved refraction and lots of other detailed information which is more than required for this task.  What I do understand though is the difference in the lenses and which one I would use for what I am photographing. 

There are 3 main types of lens for 35mm cameras: Standard, Wide Angle and Telephoto.  A standard lens has a focal length of 50mm; wide angle is anything with a focal length of less than 50mm typically 28mm and telephoto lens is anything greater than 50mm.   These lenses have different shapes and it is these shapes that dictate what can be captured.    For example at 50mm lens has a view of 45 to 50 degrees - I have heard a saying that a standard lens sees what you can see.  My eyes can't see clearly something that is say 300 yards away but with a telephoto lens my eyes could see clearly.  Similarly with a wide angle lens my eyes can't focus on something that expands to the left and right of my normal visiion however with a wide angle lens it can.


In addition there are also fish eye lens and macro lens.  A fish eye lens tends to give a distorted look to a photograph.  Macro lenses are for close up photography: good for insects, butterflies, tops of flowers or anywhere that you want to focus close to your subject.


On a lens you will see the make, the type of lens, the focal length range.


There is also a button for selecting whether you want the lens to auto focus or manual focus (unless you are using an old manual camera (on my first film SLR it was a totally manual camera so there was no AF/MF button)).


It is a good idea to protect your lens with a UV filter which can reduce reflections from non metalic surfaces such as glass and water.  You can also buy many different filters to give different effects to your photographs.  For film SLRs if you are using black and white film you can buy for example a red filter which can give a stormy look to your image.  Other filters include colour ones (yellow, green, orange, red, blue) which are predominatly for black and white, soft focus.  A tip I have been told is to carry vaseline around with you and this can be use on a lens to give a foggy/softer focus but I would only recommend this if you have a UV filter on and not put vaseline directly onto the lens.

TASK 3 - Introduction to Depth of Field and Shutter Speed

For task 3 we had to produce 2 images of wide and narrow depth of field and 2 images using slow and fast shutter speeds. 

For wide and narrow depth of field I went out into the countryside and for the shutter speed tasks I went for traffic as it moved both fast and slow.   Using a slow shutter speed I was able to obtain a photograph of a car which blurred.  Using faster shutter speed I was able to freeze some cars.

With wide depth of field I aimed to get as much in the frame in focus as I could.  With narrow depth of field I aimed only to get the snout of the pig in focus and blur the background. 

My photographs are shown below and further details of camera settings are included.  The camera I used was the previously mentioned loan Canon 450d.  I did not use a tripod for any of these photographs. 

TASK 3 - Fast Shutter Speed

Using a fast shutter speed enabled me to capture moving cars and people on bikes and freeze the picture.   I have put a couple of the photographs below (which aren't spectacular but just show the results I obtained using a fast shutter speed of 400).   I took the photograhps in Shobnall Park on 23rd January at around 11.30 am.  It was a bright sunny day.  I took my loaned camera from College a Canon EOS 300d with lens 28-80mm.  Battery was fully charged and there was no spare.  Memory card was 2gb.   For the photograph of the runner below I set the camera settings to ISO 400; Shutter speed 1/400; focal length 28mm; aperture f5.0.   I would have preferred something moving much faster than this but I had to redo this photograph as my previous fast shutter speed image depicted a slow moving vehicle (a steam roller with fabulous steam coming out of it !). The light yesterday when I took this was not ideal as the photograph looks flat.

Manipulation Photograph 4 - Monkey

original image

This photograph of the monkey taken at Twycross Zoo was opened in Photoshop CS4.   I created a new document in Photoshop and gave it a green background by selecting the rectangular marquee tool I selected the whole page and then filled it with green using the bucket tool so I would have a green background.   Going back to the original photograph I then selected the rectangular marquee tool and selected the piece of the monkey that I wanted.  I then copied this image and pasted it into the newly created document with green background.  Initially I copied and pasted different parts of the monkey but finally decided that I would just use one piece of him and multiply it.  Before multiplying him I changed the colour by selecting Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation.   Once I had the desired colour, I clicked on the Layer, then on the drop down menu, clicked on Layer, Duplicate and I repeated this twice until I had 3 images of the monkey.  I have given the effect of uncovering the monkey bit by bit.   I then added text by selecting the Tool icon, changed the size to 60 and the colour to yellow.  I then centred this on the page by selecting the layer an dragging it to the centre.   I saved the file both as a PSD and JPEG.  I cannot upload PSD files onto this blog hence saving as JPEG.


My original photograph of the monkey is shown above.

Evaluation

I did this course because I wanted to focus on taking photographs again something I had not done for many years other than using compact cameras.  I feel I have achieved this.  

It's been an interesting 12 weeks: I have gone from feeling thrilled with my photographs to completely doubting my ability, asking myself am I colour blind because other people commented on the colour of my pictures - I think though that it is just other people can see things you can't.  My ability to receive constructive criticism has varied!

I have taken photographs of people which I love to do and I like to show them look relaxed and natural or humerous - not posed.   

I have used a variety of Canon digital cameras all borrowed.  In the beginning I was lucky enough to be offered a Canon 450d with 18-200 lens!   I had to give this back though as the owner wanted to use it as a backup camera!  I then borrowed cameras from College which was a EOS 300d.   I didn't use a tripod or other equipment.   Although I am grateful to have been loaned these cameras, I am now going to buy my own as switching from camera to camera although they are all Canon EOS did give some frustration especially in the studio for my last shoot in there (as described below). 


I feel that I could have improved on the following:

• read thoroughly the handouts given.  One example of this is I only 2 nights ago read the whole of the blog handout and it says clearly "follow each other's blogs and critique each others' work".  I did not do this other than to have a look at one other persons.  By the same token though I did not receive any comments from anyone else in the class 
• listened more instead of thinking I generally knew what I was doing - example of this is I have got this week and realised my labelling is wrong !  
• asked if I didn't know - my own expectations of myself are high and my last time in the studio wasn't enjoyable as I was too embarrased to ask for help (that said I did get my pictures but I don't feel I used the settings as much as I could to get different effects

I feel that the course is too short for what we are expected to do.  I thought I was coming to learn photography but I have also ended up learning 

• how to use an Apple Mac - I didn't even know how to switch one on, or open a browser, or anything remotely related to Macs 
• how to use Photoshop software
• how to open a file in Photoshop
• how to create, populate and keep updated a Blog 
• how to view photographs from an external source 
• how to use lights in a studio (well OK how to switch them on and dump !) - I don't know the different names of them though
• about photographers I had never heard of at the beginning of the course.  I have visited exhibitions and talks which were fantastic.  I met and been photographed with Dennis Morris

I have gained some knowledge on working in the studio, but would not say I am confident in fact on my last (and first solo shoot) I felt like I had no idea what I was doing.  It didn't help that I had a camera that I had never used before and was too embarrased to ask for help.   I think the combination of this and doubting my ability and having a model with me (albeit a friend) I felt under pressure and was convinced they were going to be unusable.   The results though I was very pleased with and my model went away very happy with over 200 images of himself !  

I think because I did do black and white photographs 20 years ago and because I am someone who doesn't feel the need to have the newest gadgets going, I tend to fight progress !!  Hence when I have received feedback on my photographs I immediately think that it doesn't need manipulating.  I don't look at a photograph yet and think ooh i could do this or that in photoshop. 

I also didn't know why some photographs I took and uploaded onto my computer wouldn't view in explorer.  This is because I now know they were in RAW format and not JPEG.  I didn't even know the camera saved them in different formats.  I think is the a simple thing yet I have only just learnt it/realised it.  I could have done with learning about this, together with the sizes of files such as these. 

Peter Gennard is one photographer who has influenced my work - his talk as discussed in my research on him just inspired me to look for different things i.e. background and the scene you would maybe look at and not dream of taking a picture of.   I am including in this evaluation a photograph that I took in my on site launderette - it's nothing to do with people but I feel it shows his influence.   Also my photograph of Harvey against the white wall was down to his talk. 

The other artist who has influenced me is Sally Mann - not necessarily for her work but her attitutude to not moving to digital.   I have expressed in this blog my thoughts on how you seem to have to now manipulate your photographs in some way.  It seems no-one can look at a photograph and just say "that's good" (apart from my family!!).  After I finish this course I will start using my film SLR again, primarily black and white and developing my own films and printing my own photographs.  Who knows, the novelty may wear off quite quickly as I haven't done it for years but I want to try it again.  

I am pleased with my overall final photographs.  If I could change anything though it would be to have chosen a different theme, to have approached more people,  to get group shots not just inidividuals.   I would also have put my final images into a book had I given myself more time.  I did plan to print each of my 6 images A4 size and mount but have only done one to show presentation.  My final image is printed on A3 paper and again, given more time I would have like to have mounted/framed it.  

Presenting Images

There are many ways to present images and I feel that the presentation method depends on who it is for and  what it is for i.e. college assignment, photographic club.


If like I am doing now it is for a college assignment then something like photobooks, printed on photographic paper and mounted and/or framed.


I know from my photographic club experience of competitions and and exhibitions, photographs are mounted with mount board.   For exhibitions, they can additionally be framed in mirror plated frames.  In my experience the cost of mount board ranges from £1 to £2 for xxx size to xxx size.   Colour is a factor when mounting photographs.   Photographs can be simply placed on mount board or you can cut a frame out so that there is an angle to the frame.  I now have instructions on how to do this to obtain good results as opposed to my initial attempts which had angles going the wrong way and cut lines too long.


For personal use, there are now so many ways to present photographs in every day objects including: mouse mats, bags, roller blinds, coasters, calendars, clothing, books.... the list is endless.  There are also many many companies offering the above services, at a range of prices.  


To print at College an A3 sheet costs £3.50 onto photographic paper.
To print A3 at PHOTOBOX.CO.UK (http://www.photobox.co.uk/shop/prints/) it costs £7.49 plus postage
To print A3 at DSCOLOUR LABS.CO.UK (http://www.dscolourlabs.co.uk/online_photo_printing.cfm) it is £1.10 plus postage 


For my presentation, I uploaded one of my prints to DSCOLOUR LABS.  For an A4 print on matt paper I paid 65p plus postage.   I am happy with the quality and the service.   The only drawback with this website is that you can't save your upload for example if you get interrupted and need to take a break you can't go back to it later so you either have to start again or finish the job and then start again but you pay two lots of postage that way.   There probably is a way around it but I didn't find it.


As I have run out of time to send the rest of the prints off to DSCOLOUR LABS I have created an A3 sheet in photoshop and then put the images onto it so I have all 6 final prints together as shown below.   I am struggling though to put text labels on.  On the Harvey picture it is no problem however on the other 5 images the text label goes behind the image so it can't be seen.  Experience tells me that there is somewhere in Photoshop a switch that you can apply to put the label on top of the photograph.  I just need help finding it !!   To place the images, I switched on the grid so I could see exactly where each photograph was being placed so I could line them up and also ensure they are the same size.   Since writing the above, I have now completely redone the A3 sheet.  I have not put labels on as was advised they didn't look good.   To obtain the document below, I created a new PSD document size of 20 x 20 cm.  I then dragged the first photograph onto that document, flattened it and then dragged it onto my A3 sheet.  By dragging each photograph onto the 20 x 20 document this would keep them all the same size.  However, the photograph of Melissa would not fit on 20 x 20 so I created a 20 x 30 and followed the same procedure.   I then did the same for the landscape documents.  Once they were all on the A3 sheet I moved them around and put them at angles until I got the final presented image shown below.  

Manipulation Photograph 3 - Pig

 My pig photograph was taken in Uttoxeter when I was doing the depth of field task.   To achieve this manipulated image I opened the original photograph in Photoshop CS4.  Using the text tool, I drew a text box on the body of the pig and entered pork related food that this lovelly porker is killed for.   I repeated this near his belly and also on his leg, changing the horizontal to vertical for the leg.   Then I changed the colour of the whole photograph by selecting a filter which I did not record down.   I have not been good at doing this on some of the manipulation tasks due to sheer excitement of seeing the result and then just forgetting to note it down. 

In preparation for presentation, I placed both the manipulated image and the original image into a new Photoshop document A3 size and added text using the text tool.   Both the presentation document and final image are shown below.

For Presentation and Printing on A3 paper with original photograph 



Photograph 4 - Greek God Vitor - The Photo Shoot

The above 2 pictures show the first set up with white background and one of the lamps with the umbrella attached.  

Things I learnt during the shoot:

• if you don't stand in the correct position to take your picture you end up including background that is not supposed to be there
• don't stand in front of the umbrella
• try to build a rapport with the model and ask the model what you want them to do i.e. put flower between teeth, bite apple...
• watch for trip hazards
• don't rush - I was partly doing this because there were many other people waiting to use the wireless flash unit
• I got more experience of working with a setting that is lit with lights - this is only my second time, the first being in the studio

Photo 2 - Duncan Aged 21



With only lighting to the front of Duncan



With lighting behind and in front

Duncan's photograph was taken during a studio session at College on 13th January.  He arrived promptly at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 12th January.  I asked Duncan to bring a change of clothes with him.  The studio was set up with white backdrop and 4 studio lights.   The camera I used was a Canon EOS 5D with a lens 24-105mm and it was the first time I had used this model.  The camera was charged up and ready to use.  There was a remote flash unit on the camera which released the studio lights when I pressed the shutter release button.  For my selected photograph I had all four studio lights on which gave light directly onto the yellow board that Duncan was standing in front of and also the two lights focusing directly at Duncan.   Without the lighting on the board and using the same settings, the photograph came out a completely different colour (as shown above)

My final chosen photograph is shown below.   I particularly like this one even though Duncan's hair is not fully in the frame.  The position of him to the right of the frame I feel is effective as there that fabulous yellow colour to the left of him.  The blue of his t-shirt against the yellow I feel also works.  The colouring of this photograph is something that some of my researched photographers have (James Mollison, Steve McCurry).  The scar on his forehead is clearly visible and just adds a bit of character.  I have cropped this photograph as to the right of Duncan was where the yellow board ended and the white backdrop started so I have closely cropped this taking off his right shoulder.   The settings on this photograph are: ISO 100; shutter speed 1/60; f8.0 and focal length of 75mm.  

Age Group 11-21

Taking these photographs of Duncan is an experience I was not 100% comfortable with as the camera I was given to use was one I was not familar with and I was having a few weeks as previously described where I was unconfident.  However I was pleasantly surprised when I uploaded them to the computer as I had a few hundred photographs which weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be.  Duncan was a very easy person to work with.  He did as asked and was very at ease and happy to try things.  

This photograph relates to my theme of age as Duncan falls into the 12-21 age bracket.

Manipulated Photograph 2 - Sheep

Distorted with Twirl and angle set to -95 then Lens Correction (remve distortion -39)

Inverted Sheep

To get this image I have used PHotoshop CS4 which is what I have at home.   I opened the original photograph which was taken in the recent snow fall.  I selected Filter, Distort, and changed the angle settings to various numbers including -306 which gave a completely distorted image of the sheep in the fore front of the photograph.   I settled on -96 as I like the size that previously mentioned sheep becomes.   The snowy land on which they stand looks curved and the other sheep are still easily identifiable.  The tree at the top left of the picture is curving to the right.   I have not changed the colour of the photograph but I have inverted it which it gives the look of a hand drawn pencil drawing. 


A mistake I (or the computer) keeps making is to save the photographs as PSD files which I cannot upload to this blog.   Also, I am not sure why but when I have uploaded a couple of pictures and then I decide to ADD another and upload I cannot select BROWSE to look for any more pictures.  It's as though the computer says you've got two I can't cope with any more.   So I have on this and other occassions had to create two POSTS of the same things but ensure I UPLOAD the extra pictures I want !  The above final image (inverted) is something I would be attracted in a gallery and would hang on my wall and that to me is what my photography is about.  Would I hang it on my wall? Yes I would.

I then created a new Photoshop document into which I placed the original photograph before any manipulation took place, the distorted photograph and then the final inverted image.   After placing into the document, I added text using the text toolbar and saved the document as a PSD and JPEG. 

Saturday 15th January - Update

Have 2 evenings left at College on photography course.   I have the following to do:

• print/present 5 photographs of people
• print/present 4 photographs that I have (or am altering)
• go through blog to ensure all text is correct and insert anything missing i.e. camera settings
• take 1 more picture ?
• finish off research on Henri Carter Bresson and Annie Liebovitz

Then I can relax.

Sunday 9th January 2011 - Update

Ok so a few weeks to go and been feeling a bit despondent about my photographs.  Doubting my ability, and doubting all the pictures I've taken and so far selected for my 6 photographs.   Doubting I know what I am doing and feel the need to go over the basics again.  Am going to press on as I will complete this.   Only 2 or 3 weeks to go to complete everything. 

Manipulated Photograph 1 - Cow

For my photograph of this cow in a field in Dunstall I wanted a colouring effect similar to Andy Warhol's cow pictures.  I have achieved this by using Photoshop CS4.   I opened the original photograph which was saved as a JPEG.  I then selected Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation.  I first selected RED from the drop down box which automatically comes up with MASTER.   By doing this when I then move the HUT/SATURATION levels I can obtain the results shown below.   The hue relates to the colour on the spectrum i.e. RED, GREEN, BLUE and the saturation relates to the intensity of the colour.   There is also a brightness button in here which makes the image lighter or darker.   I did two manipulations as I couldn't decide which one I liked and ended up doing 4 because one of my researched photographers is Andy Warhol and his cow images are vivid, playful and simple.   Again, something I would hang on my wall.   The final thing I did was to create a new photoshop document A3 size (I selected Preset of  international paper to get A3).  Using the Place option, I placed all 4 manipulated images and the original image.   Finally I inserted some text using the text tool.  I flattened the layers and then saved the document as a PSD and JPEG.  

 



Original Photograph



Research 10 - Henri Cartier Bresson

Born in 1908 Henri Cartier Bresson is French and photographed famous people and ordinary people whom he chose because of their striking and unusual features (quote from An Inner Silience: The Portraits of Henri Cartier- Bresson).  He said "Above all i look for an inner silence.  I seek to translate the personality and not an expression".    Looking through these photographs, I feel they show a lot of quite gloomy, depressed and miserable people.  Only a few people look happy or relaxed.   I wonder if indeed this was the personality of these people as he had tried to capture.   They are all black and white given the time of photography; the portraits overall place the subject in the bottom two third of the picture.  On further investigation though some of his other work not in this book is uplifting and makes you go wow like the photograph below of a young boy in Paris carrying two bottles of wine.  He is so proud with his head held high.  The children behind him looking at him (or is at the photographer!).   His stick thin legs look so delicate.

Another of his photographs is taken in a prisoner of war camp in Dessau in 1945 - titled Dessau, Germany.   I have read it is the moment when a prisioner of war meets the woman who "denounced" her and brought her to the camp.  before I knew this and I had just looked at a picture I thought it could be a scene from a film with the way the prison is protuding her chest out and almost shaking it in a comical way.  However it is not comical, but a very tragic scene.  The guard who had denounced her has a look of a naughty child pouting who is about to be told off.  The faces of the other prisoners have different expressions : the man in the striped pyjamas hands on hips, others craning their necks for a look and the man sitting down who has no expression whatsoever his eyes covered up with glasses.  The photograph is clearly black and white given the date it was taken and it was a gelatine silver print size 17 x 24 cms. 

Photograph copied from site below:

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/photographs/dessau_germany_henri_cartier_bresson/objectview_enlarge.aspx?page=544&sort=0&sortdir=asc&keyword=&fp=1&dd1=19&dd2=0&vw=1&collID=19&OID=190016994&vT=1&hi=0&ov=0

Together with Robert Capa, David Seymour and William Vandivert, George Rodger, he formed Magnum group which was a co-operative photograph agency owned by all of them.  This group assigned each of its photographers to different parts of the world and Cartier Bresson' was assigned to India and China.  Whilst in India he photographed Ghandi's funeral.  

Research 9 - Annie Leibovitz

One of the first things I heard about Annie Liebovitz is her financial problems.   She is an American portrait photographer and her first photographs taken with her very first camera were up Mount Fuji.   She then went to live on a Kibutz in Israel and after returning to America during the time of the Vietman war and anti war rallies.   Liebovitz photographed the campaigners and took these along with photographs of Israel to the art director Rolling Stone magazine and her first picture was published on the front page in 1970.  Shortly after she became chief photographer at Rolling Stone magazine.  Information taken from Annie Liebovitz book "                   ". 

Annie Liebovitz (copied from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/life-through-a-lens/16/)

She has photographed famous people including Queen Elizabeth II, Barak Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, Ella Fitzgerald; she has photographed the war in Sarajevo; worked for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines. She has also photographed domestic violence victims, students

Her photograph of Whoopi Goldberg is great fun.  Taken in a bath of milk in Whoopi's neighbour's bath, it was filled with heated milk.  The idea that Leibevitz had was based on one of Whoopi's characters who thinks that she was white underneath her black skin

Martina Navratilova (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/navratilova.html)

 I wonder if the above photograph of Martina Navratilova was one of the extravagent photo shoots that Liebovitz is supposed to spent vast amounts of money on.  It certainly is not your average studio

Domestic Violence Victim (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/violence.html)

I also love one of her impromptu shots of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon.  They were dressed in drag and this was based on their roles in Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot.  Again the picture is humerous.  The looks on the faces of Tony and Jack tell a story; the pale colours of their scant clothing contrasted with their stronger make up works well.   The detail on their bodies from hairy arms to top of Jack's arm being white and the bottom half tanned; their bodies are not toned and fit which is just so natural.


The drag racer photograph below does absolutely nothing for me however, I have included it to show the variety of Liebovitz's work.   I can't say there is anything I like about it I can only tell you what I don't.  The colour isn't very bright however there is red orange and a splash of blue.   I don't look at the photograph and instantly go to the face of the driver instead I looked and thought what is it?  The wheel at the rear of the racing car with smoke billowing out ann under the car is brilliant.

Drag Car Racer (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/powell.html)





Follower of Yoruba religion and her family (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/romera.html)

My favourite photograph of Annie Liebovitz is this one.  There are not many different tones in the photograph but it works: the clothing and the colour of the sand are extremely close but they still stand out from the sand.  The dress of the mother appears to have a very feint pattern on it whilst the two older girls have clean crisp white cotton dresses on (their Sunday best?).  The expression on the face of the child being carried with a slight scowl or confused look.  The 2 older children are all looking directly the camera, the one to the right has a look of protecting the family.  They are all holding onto each other and fill the frame with the girl on the right being chopped off but to me that still works.   The triangle of the sea meeting sand to the left of the photograph is not distracting in any way nor is the object that is behind the sleeve of the mother as I didn't see it for ages. 


Her photographs have been published in the New York Times, in her own books, in Vanity Fair magazine and has exhibited all over the world.

Photograph 5 - Michael - Age range 42-51

Michael is a friend who had asked me to take some photographs of him for use on a website so it was ideal for both of us.   I took the photographs in Yoxall a place we both know and it was a bright sunny day.   Armed with my loaned Canon 450d camera, I took about 15 shots of Michael as I was pleased with what I had.   I stood Michael against the wall and took photos of him flat against the wall, leaning against the wall and changing directions.  I differed the amount of wall I included as well.  

The final photograph I have selected of Michael is shown below, together with an example of the different angle I shot.  The camera settings for the final picture are: ISO 200; shutter speed 1/125; aperture f8 and focal length 18mm. 

FInal image of Michael chosen as one of my 6

Photograph 3 - Melissa Aged 27

This photograph of Melissa is the one I have chosen at one of my 6.   I particularly like this composition because it's not a standard pose.  Melissa offered to lie in the snow and do an angel pose so not one to look a gifthorse in the mouth I agreed.   I lay her down on the vintage curtain I had taken with me and then tried to tuck it in under her dress.  However it couldn't be tucked in under her head without putting her head directly on the snow and thought she was on the floor at her suggestion, there are limits !!  I stood on a stool above Melissa to try and achieve a look that I was looking down on her and I feel I have achieved what I wanted to.   The settings on the camera for this photograph are: ISO 800; shutter speed 1/80; f8.0; focal length 18mm.    I tried user a longer focal length but didn't her her whole body in.   I arrange her hair to get it to fall over her arms and also ensured her nails were on show as they were colourful.  One thing I wasn't able to do was to completely hide the bra straps.  We did keep moving them throughout the shoot but they kept moving everytime she did !   So they are there for all to see.  I know they could be removed in Photoshop but I am not experienced enough to do this. 

Update - Sunday 2nd January 2011 !!

I have not had a camera over Christmas due to my friend having his back and not being able to get one at college so need to get one when back at College Wednesday.   Have 3 more pictures to take and will probably do them in the studio.   I am reading through my blog post by post, checking for missing information or errors - big job as lots of posts.   Have had 1 photo printed with a job lot I sent off before Christmas and also have the mount board for presentation.    I feel I know what I have left to do, but after such a long break it's going to be an effort to get moving again hence coming on tonight to try and get started :-o


here goes....