Friday 24 May 2013

Ben this is an outstanding blog. You have made excellent use of a variety of Photoshop tools and filters. I particularly like the way you have made everyday ordinary objects look interesting and stimulating.

Mr Rees

Wednesday 22 May 2013


My Photography Project- Evaluation


 Theme 1- Concept- Close Ups

For my third and final theme, I have decided to pick close-ups as my theme. I did this because I found some sort of success when taking some close-ups in my previous theme ‘The start of spring’. So I decided to make whole theme out of taking close up photography. For this close up project I mainly took photographs of household objects so that it is completely different to my other themes and so it has its own identity. For the majority of the photographs I used the close up setting on my camera and then also the macro setting on my 75-300mm lens, but often I left out the macro setting so that I could get physically closer to the object. In some I have positioned either myself or the objects so to make the photograph more interesting and effective. I made different objects enter the image at different angles so to create a more diverse and interesting photograph. Alike my other photographs, I have used a wide variety of filters and alterations. I have included them once again so to create a better and much more interesting photograph. I would want to improve many photographs as some may be boring or out of place etc. I focused on the main subject in the photograph by using great amounts of detail and focusing on the foreground, but blurring out the background etc. to make the photographs work I used a variety of different techniques. In some I used some rule of thirds, and in some other I have used lines to create the image. The image, which contains lines, is adjacent to this. Overall I am happy with the photographs that I have created because I have clearly used a variety of different techniques and distances etc. I believe that I could improve my photographs by using a more interesting object, as things such as keys are not very exciting. This may question the photos effectiveness. Some people thought that my photographs were good because of the different angles and filters and alteration that I have used. But some others that that I should attempt to try to improve the exciting factor of the images. Many of my photographs are very similar to some professional examples of close up photography. I have used some very similar alterations and detail levels etc.
Theme 2- Event- The Start of Spring

For my second theme, my main subject was focused on ‘Nature’. I decided to use the main subject of Nature because spring was on the horizon.  So I decided to take advantage of the newly found plants, and flowers and of course the brighter weather. I decided to take the photographs that I have taken because it truly portrays nature and spring. The plants and the bright berries worked very well as photographs, which is why they are as effective as they are. To me the photographs that I have used represent a new start, of a new life. The bright and vibrant berries and plants are a sign of new life coming around yet again. I tried to focus attention on the nature/ the start of spring theme in many different ways and techniques. I think that the detail played a large role in creating an emphasise on the theme and the themes main subjects. It helped me to create large photograph so that more clear and eye catching attention could be encouraged. In many photographs I mainly focussed on the main subject, creating a blurred background, which creates more of a main focal point for the audience to look at. It is a way of telling the audience that this is where we want you to look. The light was also a valuable resource. It helped me to maximise detail, and to show where I wanted the main focal point to be. The light helped me to create a sort of contrast in some areas. It allowed for great bright and vibrant areas, but also some gloomy shaded parts. A battle between the lights and the darks. The composition allowed me to give the photographs their own unique appearance and identity. In this project I have used the photography technique of ‘Rule of Thirds’. This is when I position an object to the side of the photograph or the top or bottom depending if the object or horizontal or vertically positioned. I liked using different compositions in the form of positioning the different at different heights and areas of the screen. You can see this in this photograph where some plants are protruding to the near top to the photograph, when some are near the bottom. I like this effect as it gives an appearance of variation. I have also used some Extreme Close Ups so that the main subject is clearly shown. In some I have used a mixture of Extreme close ups and Rule of Thirds like in this example photograph. This gives a clear definition of the subject but also in a more interesting manner as it is positioned over to the right of the photograph frame. In many of my photographs it has become effective because of the detail and the lighting. The lighting is an extremely important factor in most of my photographs. It helps the focus and in the example photograph it brightens up the whole image giving some shine and glow. I have also added some filters to some photographs. I have used filters like glowing edges and I have altered the saturation on some photographs so that they stand out more. I am extremely pleased with the photographs that I have taken and also the photographs that I have altered using the cropping tool, Saturation, Brightness, and all round filters. I do feel that some photographs could be improved just by making them slightly more interesting and more things going on the image. Or maybe some could do with a boost in the detail so that they are not as blurry as they are at the moment. I believe that my favourite photograph is one image on the right. I love this Image and it is an altered version of a previously taken photograph. From the original I altered the saturation to make to whole image more vibrant and glowing. It helps to create an interesting and relaxing atmosphere and also very bright and eye catching. Also because the background is completely blurred out making a softer image resulting in maximum attention towards the main subjects. I believe that other people thought that my images appeared to look very crisp and professional looking. They say this because of the bright and vibrant appearance and that there is plenty to look at in many of my images. But others thought that some of my images might have been a bit too saturated. This is something that I have noticed in one or two of my images but I believe that the balance is acceptable.



Theme 3- Portrait- Canine

For my fist them I have chosen to pick Portrait as my theme. Within the portrait theme, I have chose to take photographs of the canine variety. I decided to use canine as my theme as I own several dogs, meaning it is easy to take photographs. I mainly took photographs when on a walk as it involved alto of running for the dogs. This allowed me to take some very good action shots when running and jumping is taking place. Of course the main subject of my photographs are dogs. The running, jumping and energy filled animals allowed me to create a lot of exciting and interesting photographs. Something, which greatly aided me when taking these photographs, is the shutter speed of my cameras. Since I have 3.7 photographs per second speed I could take the image that I wanted at the correct moment. I took these photographs so that I could capture my dogs in a very good photograph, so that the moment is captured. I have used several different methods to allow attention to be focused on the main subject. A good composition is a good way of this is if you position the subject other than the centre then interest grows and the photograph is better. Like in the example photograph just to the side, I have placed the dog in the bottom left section of the photograph so that the attention draws towards it. I have used Rule of Thirds in this section so that the attention draws towards the dog, and also there is plenty of background in the photograph. Also having the dog quite large instantly let’s the audience know which area of the photograph is the main subject of focus. The lighting was a good contribution towards the final photograph as it allowed the detail to take a hold in the image. The lighting created shadows in some areas, which helps to create a good variation between the lights and the darks in the images. And the bold shadows create a more 3-dimensional appearance and interesting image. The focus of the camera allowed me to take photographs on moving objects. An example of this is the photograph of my dog shaking with water flying around the image. I could capture the ears flapping around the photograph, and also the water droplets flying off of the dog.


Overall I believe that my photography project has been a great success because I have used many different themes, techniques and alterations. This project has helped me learn an exceedingly large amount about photography and about how it works.





Theme 1- Concept- Close Ups

Some good photographs- Close Ups and Alterations


This is a close up photograph that I have taken. I took it of a pen with handwriting saying ‘Photography blog’ for an introduction to my first project. My first project is of close up photography. I wrote this in handwriting and using long strokes so to create a more personal image which would involve the audience more. I had positioned this on an angle so that it is that much more interesting and exciting. And I also positioned the pen on a slightly more extreme angle so that it differs slightly. I like the lighting in this photograph because it creates a very good shadow of the pen so that there are different colours and shades involved. I like the detail in the photograph. The main boy of the writing is in focus but some parts are more blurry and out of focus. This helps to make the photograph more interesting and exciting. The same goes for the pen.

This is an altered version of the original photograph. In this version I have used the filter ‘lighting and shadows’. Where I altered where the lighting enters from. In this image I used a program called ‘gimp’ which is a similar  version of Photoshop. I positioned the light source in the upper left of the photograph so that there is a greater shadow caused by the pen, and also that the shadow doesn't obscure or block any of the letters. I like that there is a very strong area of bright whites, and then a slow gradient back to the regular colours. This shadow and lighting effects in ‘gimp’ are much more different to those in Photoshop as there is a much softer gradient, opposed to the strong cut off point caused by the Photoshop version. I like this effect because it looks far more interesting and exciting rather than the regular lighting version.

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This is a close up photograph of some pencils that I have created. I used two different types of pencils in this so that there is a difference in colour. It helps to make it more interesting as there is a difference. I also like that the pencil has different levels of detail. This may be because they are at different distances from the camera. I like the shadows given off by pencils because it gives a sense of darkness on the white background.


This is the altered version of my original photograph. In this version I have cropped it slightly so that it looks more of a panoramic photograph. This may help to make the photograph more effective as it is different to many of my other photos.




This is the altered version for my cropped image. In this version I have changed it to a black and white colour scheme so that it is more exciting. It makes the shadows much darker which is an effective technique and one which I like.




This is another altered version of my photographs. In this image I have kept the cropped and black and white theme, and I have also altered where the light enters the scene. I did this so that I could create a lighter image on one side, and then a darker image where the shadows already are (right). I like this because it gives the photograph a shine and a white, modern appearance.










Theme 1- Concept- Close Ups

Some good Photos- Close Ups and Alterations


This is a close up photograph that I have created. To create this I used the ‘close up’ setting on my camera. This is so that I could get a lot of detail in the photograph. I purposely set part of the keys to be out of focus so that it is not all the same. I wanted a difference in the photograph. Personally I believe that this photograph is very dull mainly because of the boring colours. So I may alter this and increase its saturation to make it a bit warmer and colourful.



 This is the edited version of my original photograph where as I previously stated, I have increased the saturation. But I only increased it slightly so that the bronze key would stand out more and give the photograph a sense a colour. The reason I did not increase it more is so that I did not overpower the image with a strong bronze/ gold like colour.




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This is a close up photograph of some pens that I created. In this I tried to use the lines of the pens to my advantage to create a very effective photograph. To get the detail required in this photograph I used the ‘close up’ setting on my camera. I like that not everything in this photograph is in pure focus. For example, not all of the pens are in focus, mainly the nib is. The main area which I like is the writing as it helps to create a diverse atmosphere in the image, unlike any other that I have created. I like the colours used in this photograph. Most of them are dull but then you notice the shiny gold like colour on the end of the pen. This adds some colour into an otherwise boring image.

This is the altered version of my original photograph, which I altered using 'Gimp' (left). In this photograph I have adjusted the colour levels so that it is more effective. You can see the settings that I have used in the adjacent screenshot (below). I like this affect because it darkens most of the areas, but still allows the golden nib to shine and to create the centre of attention.























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Theme 2- Event- The start of spring


 Rule of Thirds



This is a photo that I have taken using the photo technique ‘Rule of Thirds’ (right). It is a photograph of a plant in a field. When taking the photograph, I tried to position the main subject that is a plant in the bottom right section/corner. I have chose to have the main subject in this position because it looks far more interesting than a centralized photo. I like this photograph because of the ‘Rule of Thirds’ technique that I used. But I also like the lighting in the photograph as you can easily see what is going on in large detail. I love the type of background which I have as it draws attention to the plant. I created this totally blurred background by using a close up setting on my camera, and then the ‘Macro’ setting on my lens. This helped me to give maximum detail into the plant, and less detail as possible in the background. This photo has been slightly cropped (below) so that the ‘Rule of Thirds’ is emphasised that much more.I have added in the 'Rule of Thirds' lines so that it is more visible.

 
This is a photo that I have taken using the photography technique of ‘Rule of Thirds’ (below). It is a photograph of a plant in a local field. I positioned the plant in the bottom right corner so that it allows the rest of the image to be open and free. This creates an empty like image apart from the soft gradients in the background. i created these gradients by using the close up setting on my camera, and then also using the macro setting on my lens so that maximum attention to detail could be achieved. This also helps to focus on the main visual image of the photograph and to tell the audience this too.
 





 


Theme 2- Event- The start of spring

Filters and Alterations

This is a photograph of a plant in a local field. I like this photograph because of the colours.  The angle, which I have taken the photograph in relation to the sun, make the main image a sort of silhouette. In this photograph I tried to use the basis of Rule of Thirds. I tried to position the photograph slightly off centre. I like the angle of which the plant is at in relation to the horizon and picture frame. I created a blurred background by using a close up setting on the camera and macro setting on the lense so that maximum detail is put into the plant, and as less as possible into the background. This helps it stand out against the blue and grey/white background, which is the sky. The colour differences of the horizon and the sky create an interest, as it is very bold. I like that the plant is a similar colour to the horizon/land as it protrudes out into the bright yet gloomy sky.

 
This is the same photograph but with a filter over the top of the original to make it more interesting. In this photograph I have used the ‘Film grain’ filter for this image because it creates a good effect. The settings that I have used make the image, mainly the background more grainy and make it look although it fades better on the edges. Creating a softer photograph.  By creating a much more brighter background, there is a much greater difference between the lighter and darker areas which I believe to make the photograph look more interesting. The settings that I have used in this filter are below:
Grain: 2
Highlight Area: 20  

 
This is a filter, which I have added on top of the original photograph. The filter that I am using is called ‘Glowing edges’. The original settings that the ‘Glowing edges’ filter was on made the horizon show up as well as the main plant.  So I changed some settings so that only the plant was visible. I like this photograph because only the plant silhouette stands out, like the original but now with glowing edges. This is a good effect because it is very interesting. This is because the glowing plant stands out very easy against the blacked out background. This piece looks very abstract, which is why I like it. It is much different to most of my other photographs, which is why it is special, and stands out from the crowd. The settings that I have used for this filter are below.
Edge width: 2
Edge brightness: 5
Smoothness: 0


This is a filtered photograph which I created using the plastic wrap filter. I like the photograph with this filter on it because it helps to create some form of 3- Dimension. It lifts up the image of the plant and brings it forward slightly which helps to create some form of depth in the photograph. I also like that there is more of a shine, as the light is more visible. It seems to reflect off of the background, which is a good effect. I carefully selected the correct settings for this particular photograph because the correct balance between the settings is needed. In this I reduced the detail so that things like the horizon and the clouds flow a bit more smoothly. But not too much that the plant becomes distort and blurred. And I increased the smoothness slightly so that this would work a bit more. I altered the highlight strength so that things like the plant edges were a realistic strength and size. The settings that I have used are found below:
Highlight Strength: 11
Detail: 12
Smoothness: 15

 
In this photograph what I did is I changed the lighting effects. I have moved the lighting from the left and right to primarily the right and upper right. At first I positioned the light straight off to the right, no angles etc. But then I decided to create some more depth and interest. So I positioned a second lighting effect to the more upper right looking down on the plant itself.  You can see this more clearly in the screenshot of this process. I really like this effect as it lightens the one side of the photograph, but then also darkens and shadows the over side. This is a good effect because it adds yet some more complexity to the photograph and a more clear difference between the lights and the darks. Another reason, which I like, this photograph is because it seems that the plants is caught between the battle of light and dark, which is a very appealing sense, and idea. The screenshot of myself in the process of editing this photograph for this version can be found below.





Theme 2- Event- The start of spring

Filters and Alterations

This is the original photograph, which is of a dying flower (right). I have chosen to include some filters on this photograph because it is almost symmetrical. I thought it would be a good idea it could be more interesting than a normal photograph of any other plant or flower. I like the lighting in this photograph as you can see parts of the plant very easily but the shadows are also very effective.


 
In this photograph I am using the “Black and White’ effect.  I like this effect because it helps the photograph to look more rustic and it also helps to define the light and the dark areas. This effect and the setting I have used have slightly blurred and dissolved the background, which draws attention to the main plant/ flower. The settings that I have used can be found below.
Reds: -139
Yellows: -10
Greens: -35
Cyan:  244
Blues: -48
Magentas: -35

 
In this photograph I have altered the ‘Brightness and Contrast’ in Photoshop (right). I did this because I thought that the original was a bit boring, so it needs the extra boost to become more effective. The main reason that I like this is because the area around the plant has been darkened, but slightly brightening the centre. This makes a good contrast in the photograph and overall makes the photograph far more interesting and more appealing to look at. It also attracts attention to the centre of the photograph.  The settings, which I have used in this photograph, can be found below.
Brightness: -64
Contrast: 100

 
This is a filter, which I have added to a photograph(left). The filter that I have used is called ‘Glowing Edges’. I like this effect because it looks very abstract and fun. The lighter areas look very vibrant and colourful. Whilst the darker areas look far more hazy and blurred but they still look very effective as a photograph. I enjoy observing the diversity of colours used in this filter. The main reason that I like this photograph over some others is because it looks very symmetrical, and the fact that most of the background has disappeared through the editing process just helps emphasise the effect. The plant is the centre of attention and I believe that it increases interest. The settings for this filter can be found below:
Edge width: 6
Edge brightness: 20
Smoothness: 15



Theme 2- Event- The start of spring

Professional Comparison

My Image
-This is a photo that I have taken myself. In this photo I have taken a picture of a grouping of some plants for my theme of nature. I got the idea for this photo by a Professional photograph from the Internet which is very similar in the positioning, lighting and type of plants or elements used.
-To get this particular image, I changed the camera settings to ‘Close up’ and switched the camera lense setting to ‘Macro’. This was so that I could get the detail that wanted in the photograph, but also a blurred background.
-I wanted to have a blurred background so that all of the attention was focused on the plants up front. This helps to create some interest as the background looks like a gradient of different greens and browns, which is a good affect to have in my opinion.
-There is very good lighting in this photograph which helps to express the detail in the photograph. I like the affect on the plants like those on the bottom left, where half is bright, and the other half is darkened with shadows.
-I very much like the composition of the photo. This is because of the position of some of the particular plants. To start, on the right side, there are two plants branching over and meeting at the top, which I like because it looks very affective as a photograph. Another reason is like the plants on the right, there are two more plants interweaving through overs to meet on the opposite side of the photograph.  I am also a fan of this photograph because the majority of the plants are positioned off to the right side, which was the affect that I was trying to achieve whilst taking the photo.
-I love the simplicity of the photograph, as it simply is plants, made to look affective, by using a range of techniques. I have used Rule of Thirds in this photograph but I did not want to use it in an extreme way. I don’t want them far to a corner, just not centre. I got this idea from the photograph from the Internet.
-I believe it is a fairly good shot size. This is because there is plenty of room around the min objects, so it doesn’t look like they are jammed into a frame.
This is the slightly altered version of my own photograph. As you can see, the colours are much more vibrant and bright. I completed this so that it matches the professional example that little bit more.
Here are the Photoshop CS6 settings that I used:
Hue: +11       
Saturation: +55
Lightness: -3

Professional Image from Internet
-I like this photograph because also because of the simplicity factor. This photograph may still be far more complex than the photograph I taken, but the idea is very simple indeed. Yet taken very well to create a large amount of interest in the photograph.
-I like the focal points in the photograph. It is aimed more at the left side, with an exception of the plant on the right. Because it is only focusing on the closer plants, the background seems to gradually lose focus, which is a good affect.
-There is also good composition in the photograph, as I like how the large grouping of plants is on the left, and one lonely plant on the right. I find this interesting that this has been included as it helps to give the photograph a more unique appearance and feel.
-I feel that there are good lighting affects in the photograph as I like the bright tops of the plants, but then the darker and shadowed underneath of each plant. It helps us to see the detail and the sharpness of the plants etc.

Overall I believe that my photograph is very similar to the professional example. The lighting, composition, detail and the techniques used a similar. I do believe that the professional example is far more constructive than my photograph, and that the photographer probably thought far more about the elements of the photograph. But I very much like my photograph. The professional example has a slightly larger shot size than my own, and is much more complicated than my own. I believe that the professional photograph is slightly brighter than my own so I will try and alter my own photograph in Photoshop.
 


Theme 2- Event- The start of Spring

Some good photographs

This is a photograph of a yellow rose that I have taken (below). This photograph is quite a close up and I managed to get as close as I did by using the ‘close up’ setting on my camera, and then also the ‘macro’ setting on the lens. This allowed me to get very close but still keep the detail and the sharp, smooth corners and edges. I love the colours in this photograph because there is the faint yellow, and then the darker more deep yellows creeping up from the shadows. I think that the flower is well framed which make the photograph more effective.
 
This is a photograph that I have taken of a flower (below). In this photograph I have positioned the main flower to the right side of the frame in order to create a bit more excitement and a more unique image. In this I focused on the main flower so that the rest of the background was blurred creating a more washed and lass cramped photograph. There is lots of yellow in this photograph, which creates a theme, but then the vibrant purple centre really does stand out against the yellow. The lighting is very good in this photograph and is also very simple as not much is going on.
 








Theme 3- Portrait- Canine

Filters and Alterations
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This is a photograph of a dog that I have created (right).  I decided to take the photo of a dog in a very energy filled position. A dog like this is far more interesting that a regular dog just sitting there looking at the camera. I like that the ball is captured flying through the air also as it adds a whole new element. A burst of bright yellows in front of the gloomy grey sky in the background. I did not really like the framing of this photograph because it was a bit to far away and not very involved. But then I had an idea that I should crop the image, so I cropped it in Photoshop into more of a panoramic photograph.  This involves the audience far more as they are slightly closer and it is just a much better photograph. The cropped image (below) looks like a canted angle much more than the original photograph because it is more narrow. This is the technique which i was trying to achieve when taking the photograph because techniques such as the canted angle make photographs more effective.











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This is the original photograph that I taken (right). It is of my dog in a field. I like this photograph because it follows the Rule of Thirds. And I also like the fact that the dog is focused upon and the background is blurred so that the audience know which is the main area of focus. I like the angle because it makes you feel more for the animal as you can see and experience what it is. But I do feel that it is not bright enough. I may edit this in Photoshop so that it looks more interesting.

This is the edited version of the photograph (below). In this is have increased the Vibrance and Saturation. This gives the photograph more of an interesting appearance because the dog looks very golden and colour full. This version of the photograph will catch the eye of the audience far more that the photograph.  The setting for the vibrance and saturation can be found below:
Vibrance: -9
Saturation: +35
























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This is the original image of a running dog through a field (right)  The lighting on this photograph is also good because the dog is clearly bright which shows the audience what the main subject is. I enjoy the fun factor involved as the dog’s ears are airborne as well as some specks of water in the air behind the dog. I focused on the dog so to blur the majority of the background behind the dog so that maximum audience attention can be focused on the dog.
. I like this photograph because it captures the dog perfectly with no image blur.

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This is an edited version of my photograph where I have used the ‘shadows and highlights’ filter (left). The settings that I have chosen create a more abstract photograph, which totally changes the perspective. I chose these settings purposely so that I could keep the yellow colour in the ball, which stands out very well in this filter. It seems although all of the colour that is present in the mouth has been preserved resulting in a more interesting photo. The setting that I have chosen can be found below:
Shadows: 55
Highlights: 100
 
--> This is a photograph that I edited using Photoshop (right) . In this version of the photograph I have added the ‘black and white’ filter alteration. I did this so that the photograph is a bit more interesting and effective. I like this alteration as it shows the dog more easily as being the main subject of the photograph. Using the black and white alter settings I managed to darken the majority of the surrounding area
whilst leaving the dog a bit brighter, thus making the dog stand out more. The setting for this filter can be found below:
Reds: 21
Yellows: -40
Greens: -35
Cyan: 140
Blues: 114
Magentas: 68

 
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This is an edited version of an original photograph (left). In this edited version I have edited the direction and the strength of the lighting effects. I did this so that the photograph is far more interesting and exciting.  I completed this alteration by positioning some shapes to affect the lighting strength and direction. You can get a more clear indication of this process by the looking at the adjacent screenshot of me completing this alteration.
 




















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This is the original photograph that I taken of a sprinting dog (right). I like this photograph because it expresses energy. I love the framing in this photograph because only the front half of the dog is being exposed. But like another photographer, I believe that the lighting is a bit dull so I may edit this in Photoshop so that it is more bright and vibrant.




This is the edited Photoshop version of my photograph (left). In this photograph like the other photograph I have edited the Vibrance and Saturation. It gives the appearance of a very golden and crisp dog.  The setting of this altered photograph can be found below:
Vibrance: +100        
Saturation:+35