LRP- My Final Images

   

Here are my three final images from The London Road Project where we had to complete two mini projects: one was on fashion the other was documentary photography.

The three images here are portraits that represent the different styles of 'college fashion.'  

All images are copyright Mike Addison

My Simultaneous Image

Mini Project Three: Simultaneous

Simultaneous Photography Project


I have found a project that I think could be quite interesting and it hasn’t happened yet so anyone can still take part, it’s called “Worldwide Moment” and has been running since 2007.

The aim of this project is to promote world peace by educating people from around the world about different cultures, race and gender. All everybody has to do is take a photo on the 10/10/2010 at 10:10AM GMT time and upload it to the website. For more information on this project or to upload your image visit the project website (below)

http://www.worldwidemoment.org/

I think the idea of this project is effective on the message they want to get across because people from all over the world have contributed and shared their experience this resulting in a variety of different work (both technically in camera settings and in what they are photographing)

It’s a good idea that people from all over the world are pulling together to take a single photo at a precise time and date (this also fits nicely with the world peace theme) but when the project is worldwide we all live in different time zones so what is daytime for some could be the middle of the night for others resulting in a percentage of participants not capturing their most creative shot.

A project like this could inspire me to go out and experiment with taking new types of photos depending on the theme of the project. I could also think up new ideas based on the project or maybe something that is the complete opposite of the project here. I might also be able to get a crafty bit of free promotion for myself by having my website address somewhere in the image although this might result in my image not being used but it’s worth a try!

I’m finding it quite hard to find the information about who owns the rights to the photo I submit, I’ve looked through all of the pages but can only find more information on the project.

I have been looking through the entries from last year and you don’t have to include your name with your image if you don’t want to but you do have to include a short description.

When the time for uploading comes it is unclear whether the submitted images are checked before publishing on the website this could be a problem as some people may find someone else’s work offensive.

I would just like to point out that although I have identified these as potential problems the website does have an email address at the bottom of the FAQ page where you can email any queries or suggestions. I will be submitting an image to this project and hope that you are inspired to do so too.

Mini Project: Food- What makes good food photography

From what I have learnt through research, practice and group discussions is that there are many different factors to taking good photographs of food, here are a few:

Lighting

One of the main factors that kept coming up is lighting, in the photos I have been looking at the lighting has come from the side or from behind the food instead of coming from directly behind the camera.

I have noticed that a lot of websites that give tips on this type of photography say to use natural lighting like this website: http://content.photojojo.com/tips/food-photography-tips/ that says:

“Use natural light whenever you can. The ideal set-up is a next to a large window, with a white curtain to diffuse the light.

If you can’t get natural light, don’t be tempted to use your flash. Flash photography is too harsh for food’s delicate sensibilities. It flattens everything out and makes for unappealing shiny spots.”

Composition/Positioning

I think the next important factor is the positioning of the food and which objects (if any)are included in the photo as well as where the photographer positions his/her camera because this can either make the food look delicious, which is what most people want when advertising, or disgusting.

I figured this out after taking some photos of my own and looking at other people’s work.

Background & Foreground

The background and foreground of the image is just as important as the food you’re photographing, I’ve found a lot of food photos that use plain coloured backgrounds, usually white because this makes the image brighter giving off a fresh feel, other photographers have used darker backgrounds like wooden tables with plates and bowls that match a colour scheme, it all depends on the food you’re photographing.

Depth of field

In food photography it’s best to use a large aperture (shallow depth of field) because this draws the viewer into seeing the details that you want them to see, having the focus in the right place is key to getting across the message that the photographer wants to portray.

Colour

Colours are very important in food photography they contribute a lot to an image working or not, with food I find that turning up the saturation in post production or when shooting makes the food look tastier.

Some other tips I’ve picked up

Be fast but think about what you’re doing, take loads of photos, use different zoom lengths, all of this stuff could make food photos a lot more interesting.

Here is a list of sites that I used to find my tips:

http://content.photojojo.com/tips/food-photography-tips/

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/food-photography-an-introduction

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/food-photography-techniques-and-tips

Mini Project 2- Food Research

Photo © Tim Hill, www.timhill.co.uk

I like this photo because of the rich colours and the composition making the food look really sophisticated.

Photo © Simon Smith, www.simonsmithfoodphotography.co.uk

I have chosen this photo because of the freezing of motion with the syrup (or whatever that is) dribbling down the sides it’s almost like a TV advert.

From: http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/marketman-flunks-food-styling-

I have chosen this image because the plate isn’t overloaded so you can see exactly what is there. I also like the presence of the knife and fork giving this the family meal feel.

Image © Michael Land

I have chosen this photo because it looks like an ordinary meal that has had a lemon placed on top and some sort of dip positioned to the side, I think the photographer knows exactly what to add and that’s basically why I like it.

© David Loftus (from the Jamie Oliver website)

I like the angle that the photographer has chosen for taking this image, the three different bowls are positioned nicely and all of the space is filled without taking the attention away from the food.

© Jean Cazals

I like the colours, the green splits up the image nicely and that the photographer has chosen to take a close up shot.

The Conclusion

These photos have really helped me in thinking of more ideas and opening me up to new possibilities in how I can approach taking photos of food. I would usually use a plain white background but after seeing the first image I might reconsider this. I like the idea of food close ups but I think this will only work if the colour schemes are right.

 

All Images in the post are screenshots from different websites the copyright owners are written on each screenshot.

Studio work 23/9/2010

 

 

So here are my favourite four images taken in the studio last Thursday, it's the first time I have ever used that sort of equipment so I'm happy with the results.

We had the studio lighting on constant to experiment with what sort of shadows and effects we could achieve by moving the lights into different positions.

As this was the first time I have ever been in a studio environment I noticed a couple of things that I might need to work on later:

The shutter speed on my camera was low so the slightest movement was captured spoiling many of my photos, I tried to fix this by increasing the ISO on my camera but it was still quite slow.

My second problem was focusing on what I was taking a photo of but I think after more practise in the studio this should improve.  

All images © Michael Addison

Mini Project One: Chaos- Finished Chaos Flyer

So here is my finished flyer, it was created in Adobe Photoshop CS2, I have included all details that I feel are necessary.

I have deliberately changed the orientation of the text to add to the chaos effect, personally I like the white square I have created but when speaking to other members of the class they said they would've preferred it without.

This was the flyer that I handed in for the deadline but since then I have created a few more so check back here again soon to see them.

Mini Project One: Chaos- Research

  Screaming down the phone by Charlotte Burtenshaw.

I have chosen this photo because I like the details she managed to capture, my facial expression coupled with the red colours in my face indicating stress or anger resulting in a chaotic image.

This photo is clearly a staged situation created for the camera this suggests to me that to take a chaotic image doesn’t mean that you actually have to be in a chaotic situation. Personally I prefer to take the approach of ‘street style’ photography to capture an un-staged chaotic moment or scene.

Smooth Vibrations

From the website: http://myephemerality.com/ (I can’t find the photographer’s name.)

I have chosen this photo because of the blurred person crowded by still people. It can be interpreted that the blurred person is experiencing a moment of chaos because of the situation he or she is currently in. As the image is in black and white and seems to be a tiny bit under-exposed in areas this adds to the chaotic effect. This photo has shown me that the use of movement and slight under-exposure in an image, when in the right places, can also be seen as chaos.

Chaos by design. By D. James (Screenshot from Flickr, click the image to be taken to the original.)

I have chosen this image because it is the first photo that doesn’t include a person and the chaos is of a different type.

This type of Chaos is directed at the audience viewing this image, a chaos for the viewer to look at because there’s no focal point making it very hard to figure out where to look first. I find this type of chaos a lot more interesting and a little harder to figure out at first but it is very clever!

The Conclusion

By looking at these three images I have realised that there are a lot more ways that I can approach taking a chaotic photo but as I only have one day to complete this project I am only going to try out a few, although I might come back in the future to explore this theme further.

"Fresh & Wild" Entry 4- Favourite Shots

I'd like to start by saying that I know it says "upload your 5 favourite shots" in the brief but I had to include the photo "Looking Up" as a sixth because I think it makes a nice change from the others and I couldn't decide on which photo to remove to have just the five.

Please see my chosen shots below, my reasons for choosing each is written underneath the image.

The Feed

I have included this shot because of the moment captured and the tight crop that makes this moment a little more personal.

Landing Magpie

I have included this photo because I like the detail in the wings, this photo was featured on the BBC nature website in July as well as having the most views and comments on my Flickr site.

 

Grasshopper

I like the composition and colours in this shot.

 

Collecting It's Nectar Points

I have chosen this shot because of the crop, colours and the way that all motion has frozen as the result of a fast shutter speed.

 

Looking Up

I like the way the brightness changes as you look in to the background of the shot and the angle that I decided to take the photo from.

Little Frog

I like the composition and focus in this shot also the detail is very good as this frog was less than 1.5cm in height in real life.

Image Purposes

I am going to include some of these images into a photography exhibition that I have arranged for the end of this year, some of them have also been entered into a photography competition.

These photos could be the start of a nature photography portfolio, included in magazines, used on websites or even sold as prints, it all depends on the viewer's taste.

"Fresh & Wild" More photos from the summer

The Feed

 

023

 

001

Resting

 

The Bee

 

In Flight

Little Frog

Here are some more photos that I've taken over the holiday. They were not taken in any planned shoots mainly because if you keep looking you might miss what's right in front of your eyes, after all nature is all around us and doesn't perform for the camera.

Since my last post I have been taking my camera everywhere to prevent missing anything that might happen.

I've been pretty much using the same settings and just working on everything that I have said in previous posts.

I have experimented with slower shutter speeds to capture an animal's movement but the only successful example of this is the photo "In Flight" with a small amount of movement on the wings, capturing movement in a photo is my weak point in photography so I need to practice with this more.

I have tried to keep editing to a minimum but I do find the basic tools like crop, brightness and contrast very useful for producing better images.

"Fresh & Wild" Entry 3 - Upload Batch Two

Landing Magpie

Grasshopper

Crow

B&W Plant

Black & White Flower 2

Here are the photos from my second shoot, they were all taken at different locations on the same day.

In my last entry I wrote about improvements that I could work on for this shoot, here is some feedback on how that went: I have been using Manual focus and it has changed my way of taking photos! When I first see something that I want to photograph I approximately set the focus and then, with the subject through the viewfinder, adjust it until the correct focus is achieved, this method is significantly faster than the Auto-Focus option on my camera allowing me to capture moments that I would've otherwise missed.

As I've had more practice at taking nature photos since the last shoot I've noticed that I have become faster at finding things to photograph and taking the actual photo, my main evidence to back this up is my photo titled: "Landing Magpie"

I have used photo editing software to adjust photos: "B&W Plant" and "Black & White Flower 2" they were taken in colour and looked a bit boring but once changed to Black & White with the Levels adjusted they are much more interesting to look at.

I was in a hurry one day and forgot my camera and on this day I noticed loads of things that I could've photographed, so to improve from now on I shall take my camera with me everywhere.

When on the actual shoot there were very few animals to photograph, to improve for the next time I would go out to various locations and perform a film style recce to find out where the animals are frequently then I'd find suitable places, that wouldn't effect any wildlife, to 'stakeout' until the desired shot is captured.

"Fresh & Wild" Entry 2 - Upload Batch One

Moth Portrait

Collecting It's Nectar Points

Black & White Flower

Looking Up

Young Seagull Portrait

Yellow

Purple

Red

I decided to take this first batch of photos over a couple of days and as nature can be found all around us they were taken in many different places. Before I started the first shoot I roughly planned which settings I would use on the camera, I chose settings that would give me fast control because I know how fast animals and insects can be!

I feel that as a whole the shoot went very well, the weather was good resulting in great natural lighting. The angles that I chose to experiment with for the photos titled "Looking Up" and "Purple" are much more interesting than just taking face on photos, I think I will be using different angles more in my future work.

A few things didn't go quite so well like when I was photographing insects my shutter speed, aperture and lighting was right but the focus on the camera took too long resulting in many insects getting away. Another problem I encountered was when I was trying to photograph the seagull in "Young Seagull Portrait" I found that the lens I was using couldn't quite zoom as far as I would've liked it to so I had to crop the photo using editing software causing the image quality to reduce.

To improve for my next shoot I am going to switch my camera from auto focus to manual focus and as I can not afford to purchase a longer telephoto lens at this time I am going to have to try to get physically closer to the subject that I would like to photograph.

"Fresh and Wild" Entry 1 (part 2) - Research

This photo is an extreme close up of an elephant's eye it was taken by the wildlife photographer Chris Packham.

Like most of Chris Packham's wildlife work this photo was taken using a telephoto lens - he uses this so he doesn't startle or upset any animals that he is photographing and because it gives visibly better results than taking the photo with a regular lens and cropping in later.

I think this photo might have been cropped a tiny bit and because of all of the details in the face I think he used a closed aperture (like F22) 

 

 

 

 

 

This is another photo by Chris Packham it's main subject is a young animal.

When I first saw this photo it appeared that the animal was hiding in a plant area but under closer inspection it appears to be in the arms of it's parent.

This photo was also taken with a telephoto lens, but probably not cropped in the editing stage.

To get the viewer's attention and make this photo really brilliant the main subject is just off centre, in my opinion if the main subject had been anywhere else this photo would not be as powerful.

I think this photo was taken with a closed aperture.

The conclusion:

So here we have two photos both taken by the same photographer but both are completely different composition wise and technique wise. When photographing animals I must keep versatile to my approach and remember to photograph the subject the way I want it to be portrayed by others.

 

Both images in this entry are screen shots from chrispackhamphotos.com/ the photos seen in the screen shots are both © by Chris Packham.

"Fresh and Wild" Entry 1 - Research

This photo was found on Flickr it's called "Sweet Dreams Everyone..." and it's by Edward Nurcombe.

This is a Macro shot that the photographer achieved by using a macro lens, having to get very close to the subject.

It is not cropped and as far as I can tell the image itself hasn't been modified much, maybe just the brightness, contrast and saturation. I think the border that he has added completes the image nicely. This photograph has an open aperture (about F5.6?)

This photo is called "thanks for digging the garden (EXPLORED)" and it is by Jeff Cohen

The photographer used a long distance lens (either telephoto or long focus) for this portrait style photograph. I like this photo because of the focus and details, the open aperture eliminates any distractions that might have been in the background.

The Comparison:

Both of the images seen in this blog entry use an open aperture to draw the viewer's attention to what the photographer wants them to see, both images are in colour and are focused effectively.

The main difference between the two images is that one is a macro / close up shot and the other was taken with the photographer a significant distance away from the subject.

First Post

When You Do A LOT Of Photography You Might Find You Develop

Photographer's Knee

Just to test the new blog, it's not a real condition! ;)