The technique used for this shoot was ICM, a technique where you deliberately move the camera whilst taking each shot to create an artistic, unique result.
During this shoot, i used my Canon camera 200D at a shutter speed of 2 to create more movement. They were taken with fake flowers inside arranged with other plants to incorporate more texture and colour. To ensure the image was fully focused on the plants, you should capture at a close up angle experimenting with different types of movement. When taking this shoot and viewing the end results, i can see that my biggest strength was moving the camera to show the image in a blurry type way creating a great level of colour and movement. However next time i will shoot alot closer to prevent backround mess and get reflections. To further improve, i will decrease the shutter speed so more movement is made rather than looking like an ordinary image. |
This image stands out to me as unlike my other ones, alot more light has been let in, resulting in a more vibrant finish. A minimal amount of shallow depth of field has been implied in this image to focus the viewers eyes on the leaves directly in front. Central to this image, the subject is placed , and immediately you are drawn to the intruquite line and detail presented. Post editing, adjustments such as curves and levels have been altered to present a larger contrast between the fore and background. Using the monochromatic setting, it has brought a range of tones, hues and shades to assure the base colour from not fading away and keep in place.
My final edited image using the monochromatic lens and Pixlr, has a few similarities with my first one however a few techniques have been changed. This image stands as one of my personal favourites as the way the plants have been faced results it in a seamless finish. The miserable weather made this photo the extra bit more successful and helped the leaves in the spotlight. Rather than having just one focus, this image has 2 which are both are as eye catching as one another and work together well while still being minimal. I used the app to expand the exposure and reduce the brightness so I could produce a balanced outcome.
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“I want the stark beauty that a lens can so exactly render presented without interference of artistic effect.” – Edward Weston
SUBJECT.
The Photographer of this well known image is called Edward Weston. The pepper used in this shot was shot in the 1930's and is called pepper No.30. The genre of this photograph is still life as the movement it holds is subtle and to a minimal. The props shown in this image consist of a green pepper rich in black and white tones to inhance the shapes and curves whilst still being in monochrome. ELEMENTS. The composition of this photo has the pepper placed directly in the foreground to create a striking result. There has been a brilliant use of the rule of thirds ensuring the object is levelled out throughout the image whilst keeping the abstract feel. The viewers eye is lead around the photo aswell as right in front because of the composition and perspective Edward has used. The perspective that Weston has taken the photo from is at eye level. This perspective is effective because it implies the huge amount of focus needed to incorporate a wider range of elements. The photographer employs a range of visual elements in his work The most striking elements are the extraordinary use of tone and line to transform the pepper into a bodily figure. The lines are laid down in a curtain like way to imitate the movement of a human spine. The tone helps contrast between the dark and light colours, clearly outlining the figure. MEDIA. The photo has been taken from a short distance so Weston could capture the pepper in its best form. The pepper is in the main field of view and the main focal point blocking out any extras the background could've had. The object {pepper} has taken up a huge majority of the photograph ensuring the viewers eyes are lead directly to it. Dark tones and hues are invaded from the images corners as an outline portraying any additional detail it has to offer. This photo has been taken using photographic film to further increase the texture and because view cameras are one of the very few digital cameras to approach the resolution quality of a 10"x8" frame. Edward used a tin funnel as his source of light diffusing light upon the pepper which rendered it 3 dimensional and perfectly added reflections. This creates an atmosphere because of the subtle contrast between the highlights and shadows resulting in a perfectly balanced outcome. To emulate this photograph myself, i would need to achieve the same sort of monochromatic finish and use a green pepper in a 10"x8" frame . Additionally i would also need to research his techniques and process of editing once he's shot the photo. |
INTENT.
I feel the photo conveys a message of abstract and expressive as although his images are ordinary, they have a deeper understanding behind them. It does this by taking items so random and unappealing and by taking these images, he transforms and reveals the beauty of them instead. The form of the pepper and the peculiar way its structured helps incorporate this theme in his work in order for others to picture the given message in a unique way. Our theme is Abstract and by Pepper No. 30, Edward has included this by converting the weird into wonderful. I applaud Weston for the creativity and thought behind this image and if he were to create more i would encourage him to create a selection and have him produce photos from all different angles. |
Low Key photography is a challenging technique used by photographers which is often confused with high key. Low Key images are ones which hold a dramatic effect, catching emotion and expression within the shot. To shoot these types of images with a camera, a tripod is encouraged to ensure your shooting on a steady surface minimalizing shakiness. To create the effect of the the light peeking through the darkness, a dark setting is essential and a natural or artificial light to create a perfect finish. It is recommended to capture images using a faster shutter speed and even a pop of colour could further improve the image, bringing it to life.
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The artist which has inspired me to carry out this shoot was Edward Weston due to the professional level of detail and elements incorporated in his work. Just as he used a range of elements and techniques to create a successful image like pepper no.30, i studied his method and tried my best to resemble it. The shoot will take place at any part of day but preferably when no extra light will interfere with the photograph so on a bright day, blinds would help avoid this problem. The props used will be a small variety of vegetables to shoot with, ones that would benefit if it was a little out the ordinary to really replicate the abstract properties. For the camera to block out any unnecessary equipment or extras, 3 black pieces of card formed in an L shape will create the bottom and sides a solid , matte colour. The lighting conditions you will need are a dark setting and shot experimenting with low key photography. My subject will be facing the light source at a slanted angle so it shines in the right places, adding tones, highlights and contrasts where needed. The camera settings will need to be switched to monochrome and be shot inside for maximum balance. I shot using a Canon camera DSLR 200D because I am impressed with the intriquite details it captures and set to manual mode on a low IOS setting.
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If i were to repeat tI have chosen this image as one of my favourites as the balance between tones and shadows bring it to life. Some strengths clearly noticible here consist of the the sharpness of the cabbage, making it easy to identify the detail and changes in colour. furthermore, all the different shades of black and white create a perfect blend and a smoother result. Whilst editing on PIXLR, i began by cropping the image so the cabbage was the centre focus and the foreground is what overtook the image. I also messed around with the amount of highlights, contrasts ,shadows and brightness so i could incorporate as many techniques as possible whilst keeping it subtle. If i were to repeat this process, i would next time reduce the amount of darkness used to stop it from becoming dull.
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This image out of the 4 is my favourite as unlike the rest, a fair bit of light is conveyed in this image. Strengths include getting small details from the leaf and shooting at an angle where they are visible most. using PIXLR, i deepened the edges with shadow but made sure i heightened the exposure of the leaf too so there was a contrast. To improve this image next time, i need to experiment with more editing tools and create more of a dramatic change.
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This image is most inspired by Edward as its also a pepper that's been shot . The main reason this is one of my top 4 is because of how close the camera got to it whilst keeping high quality. Getting a fair range of highlights and contrasts is my strength as they're both easily spotted without looking abnormal. Using PIXLR, i used levels to pick where about's I wanted the changes to occur and decreased my exposure again to add depth. Next time, i would change the angle and shoot more at a side angle so the plant pot used would appear more.
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here are a few images of my own attempt in the dark room and using cyantotypes which i thoroughly enjoyed.
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Man Ray originated from Philadelphia., Pennsylvania and was most famous for his pioneering Photography. A photogram is an image made by setting objects directly onto a light-sensitive surface and exposing it to light in order to result in a photographic picture which displays tones opposite to ones seen in reality. Advantages of this particular technique consist of it being very less time consuming meaning the process is short and facilities such as a dark room aren't needed. However, due to the extreme abstractness, the image could appear too noisy for some depending on their preferances.
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fashion photographer Horst P. Horst used rotational symmetry to create new patterns. His book, Patterns from Nature (1946), has inspired me to create my own series of rotational symmetry patterns using my work so far. Here are some of my examples:
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MEDIA
The main focal point of the image is the stem of the natural form. I can tell this because it is arranged in the centre and captures them rapidly. The leaves of the object have also been placed in the middle ground to attract the eye rather than draw you away from the photo. I believe this image was taken using a bright white backdrop to lure the tones in and using studio lights to capture it at its best because in order to make a picture stand out, lighting is key. I can see that the light comes from above and around as the image has the same level of brightness all throughout , minimilising any shadows. To emulate this image, i will need to place my natural forms besides a white backdrop and have my light facing towards it whilst my camera DSLR 200d is stable on a tripod whilst shooting. |
INTENT
I feel the photo gives a message of inspiration and beauty just my looking at it. The image truly has so much going on but is equally as subtle and intimate. By my first glance , i had fresh but powerful connotations from this natural forms image and i think this is because of the way its much more evolved than an ordinary leaf . Rather than it be stiff , there are more things to it that branch out whilst it stand tall alone. When i take my own photograph i will try to recreate the atmosphere of control . |
Why this artist?
Iv'e chosen this artist as his high key photography stands out to me and the technical processes needed to produce these, really intrigue me. The way he has a great contrast between exposure and shadows, has a memorable effect on the end product. Who is he? Karl Blossfeldt was a German photographer and sculptor. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as Urformen der Kunst. |
I use a Canon EOS 90D camera with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM fixed lens. The only reason I even know about the technology is because my colleague told me that's what I needed and would be the biggest bang for the buck. The rest of it is all by feel. I have absolutely no photo training. For me that suffices because I'm not hung up on technical stuff. Just looking for ways to capture information for my paintings. why this artist?Dennis Wojtkiewics is our final artist we are studying in the abstract nature topic. This artist differs from the rest as his end results are much less tamed and more noisy.However, they assimilate in some ways as they have the same preferances to take images of natural forms such as plants and fruits.
who is he?Dennis was born in 1956 and is currently 67 years old.his website is http://www.wojtkiewiczart.com/work .He's famous for his distinctive large scale paintings of fruit and flowers in which the subject shown immense texture whilst using harmonious colours inside the object and contrasting ones for the background.
why the quote?
The quote is from a direct email from Dennis himself. I can infer from this email that for him to produce such memorable pieces, he didn't rely on the technology, rather he did what felt right.
why this video?This video inspires me and gives me a real insight into his creative mind and thought process. The way the colours of the object align perfectly with the texture and feel really appeal to me and is satisfying to look at.Dennis uses complimentory colours in the central focus to expose the intimate but effective details in that area and then leads on to oppose with the subtle theme by a striking and bold background. In order to avoid the image being too complicated, he uses the right amount of minimal and extra techniques to balance it out into an even ratio.
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Backlight is light that hits the subject from behind, typically higher than the subject it is exposing creating more depth and shape to a subject. To recreate this technique you should use fruit with translucent fibres as they work best. You will need to layer the fruit slice on a light source and set your camera to an aperture of f/8 - f/12. To minimilise camera movement, it is advised to use a tripod and a shutter release cable.
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I have been inspired to recreate the work of Dennis because of his unique techniques and his eye opening personal view on abstract art. The shoot will take place indoors where i will have the ability to adjust the lighting in ways i need to to best emulate his work. The light source (a lamp) will be placed under a glass table so some of the light is diffused but still creates an impact.
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Editing step 1: on this edit I went into the adjustment catagory in order to increase and decrease some settings such as the images saturation and levels. This allowed my image to pop and showed many more minor details.
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Editing Step 2: For this step i removed the current background using wand select and colour filled it white.. This meant that i would have a solo image of my subject making it easier to create changes.
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Using PIXLR , i duplicated my subject numerous times to create an interesting and abstract look to something which was previously simple. To take this even further, i rotated and flipped images to my liking and scattered them around the frame.
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Finally, I took the image to another level by tweaking things such as the hues, tints and saturation so they wernt all identical. For those that stood out to me, i changed to a monochrome setting and increased the vibrancy for others to really make the range of colours harmonise.
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