Project 12

Positioning the Horizon


I think the idea of this exercise, was for me to get a better understanding of how the placement of the Horizon in a photograph, divides the image into sections and too learn what works and what does not.
So for this exercise i have just  taken 1 photograph and placed the horizon in 3 different sections.

Image 1,
Horizon in the center

In this image, i kept the horizon almost in the center, this i felt gave the overall image a more balanced feel to it, the downside is, i find my eyes wandering as there is no real focal point in the image.








Image 2,
Horizon near the top.

With the horizon placed higher up in the frame, there is more emphasis on the foreground, and the hiker in the image is slightly more noticeable,  i feel though, that a lack of sky in this photograph takes away some of the feel of open space and results in a fairly bland image.



Image 3,
Horizon placed low in the frame.

In this photograph, the horizon was placed in the lower section of the image, this i feel gives a greater sense of open space and adds to the overall image, out of the 3 images, this is the one i prefer best, the reason being is, i feel it gives a better representation of the view, without losing too much detail, i find that having slightly more sky with large clouds gives the image a more balanced feel than actually having the horizon in the center.


Notes

In this exercise, i found that by placing the horizon, in different sections of the frame can dramatically alter how the picture works.
I also found that the image worked quite well with the horizon in different areas of the image, so i guess it all really comes down to which i personally prefer, or what part i want to make more predominant.
This was yet another good exercise for me to get a better understanding of how balance and composition in a photograph works.

More thought will now go into my photographs.

Books

This is just a list of books that i am currently reading/using for reference.

The Photographer; Graham Clarke
The Photographers Eye; Michael Freeman
Black & White Photography Workshop; John Blakemore
An Illustrated A to Z of Digital Photography 'People & Places; Nigel Atherton & Steve Crabb
Photoshop Elements 9; Scott Kellby & Matt Kloskowski
Layers; Matt Kloskowski
The Digital Photography book vol 1 & 2; Scott Kellby
Digital Diary's; Natacha Merritt

Project 11

Balance


The object of this exercise is for me to take at least six of my own images, and then decide on how the balance works in each one.
The course says it does not matter if whether the main elements are masses of tone, colour or arrangements of points of lines, i just need to find what seems to be the dominant part (or parts) of the image.
I then need to high light them in the image and also produce a 'weighing scale' sketch alongside it.
Also, i need to then compare the different images and see whether some were easier to identify the balance then others.
I am not sure though if the images i use must have been taken for the course or whether the can be images taken from before. To be on the safe side i will just use the images i have taken since starting the course.

Trying to find the balance in some of my images, was very difficult. but after a while i started to notice how some of the balance patterns worked, and this made me realize that, of all the images that i have taken over the last few months, the one's that are more pleasing to look at, are the ones that have some form of balance in them. This is something that i have never really thought about before when taking photographs, but is something i will definitely be thinking about from now on. 

Even when the image seems to have objects of unequal size, as long as there placed with the larger of the objects more central and the smaller one's near the outside, even that makes the image appear balanced, i was surprised though at how having a object directly in the center of the frame created maximum symmetry, this exerise was a real eye opener for me and i think my images from now on will improve significantly.

Random Thoughts

From JPeg to Raw
After having a quick chat with John Todd (My Tutor) the other week, and another chat with my very supportive Partner, I have taken the plunge and have now started shooting in RAW.
To be honest, i have been a little reluctant to do this, And the reason ???  I was a little scared of how it all works and was worried i would ruin my photographs, but, after having a little play around with some images i took in SouthPort and Liverpool, I have now found that it is not too hard to make some minor adjustments with curves, and using RGB to alter tones and colours. I have even worked out how to save them and convert them back into JPegs for altering in Photoshop :)
Now all i need to do is work out how on earth to use Layers !!!
So if anyone who reads this, knows how to explain how to use Layers in very simple terms, i will be most grateful.

Running Late
O'Dear, I am starting to fall a little behind with my course work, My Deadline for Assignment 1 is the first of March, but i have a horrible feeling i will not have it ready by then.
I am really annoyed at myself now for allowing myself to fall behind, but i think it has something to do with not doing any studying since i left school and not setting myself any real study time.
I have now worked out myself a kind of weekly rota, So i will now have time to study/take photographs and hopefully catch up and not fall behind again.
I have now just got to bite the bullet and let my Tutor know i need to extend my deadline a little bit.

Focus on Imaging 5/3/11
Well tomorrow morning, i will be heading off to Birmingham for the Focusing on Imaging Show at the NEC  or whatever the call it these days :)
I am really looking forward to going to this and i have my lovely partner to thank for pointing it out to me, only regret is she wont be able to come with me, but i intend to get loads of free stuff for her while i'm there, that way when i splash out on something expensive she wont shout at me too much (i hope)
On a more serious note though, while i'm there, i hope to be able to sit in on a few of the free seminars and learn a few more things to help me on my way, plus i will be on the look out for Photographic weekend courses and any other material and advise thats on offer.
This is the first time that i have been to one of these shows, so am not too sure about what to expect. hopefully it will be a positive experience and that i learn a few new things.
Afterwards i intend to go into Birmingham itself and grab a few photo's, hopefully i can get the last few images i need for Assignment 1, plus i want to have a little try at street photography, who knows i might even be good at it :)
I will post an update when i get back tomorrow, maybe have a few images to go with it too.

Ooops 14/06/11
I have just noticed that i have missed exercise 8 out, i will try and get this one done at the weekend along with exercise 13.

Assignment 1
Ok, i have now finally completed assignment 1 'Contrast' and have just posted it off to my course tutor.
I will now spend the next few weeks worrying about if my work is good enough or if i did not put enough or even too much effort into this first assignment.
I am glad that it is completed though, as this was a massive challenge for me and a huge learning hurdle to get over, but now it's done, i feel i can focus a little harder and get on with the rest of the course at a more reasonable pace (i hope) I am looking forward to the feed back, whether good or bad, i am sure it will help out with my future photographs. 

Project 10

Focal lengths and different viewpoints


In this exercise, i needed to take 2 photographs of the same subject, each using different ends of the focal plane.
I had to fill the frame with a subject, using the telephoto end of the lens first. The image had to be either a building or a person or something similar, but it must have some degree of depth to it.  After i had taken the first image, i had to remember how much of the image filled the frame, and then i needed to move down too the wide angle setting of the lens and walk in a straight line, constantly looking through the view finder, when i reached a point where the view was of similar proportions to the first image taken, i then had to take the second image.
After uploading or printing these 2 images off, i then had to compare the results.

                                           Image 1, at 135mm  (Telephoto)

                                          Image 2, at 28mm (wide angle)

After studying the 2 images, i have noticed that there is a clear difference in the depth of view, In the first image, you can clearly see 5 plant pots on top of the wall, but in the following image only 1 plant pot is visible, also in the 2'nd image you can see more of the support posts in the wall. 

One of the main things that i have noticed is that,  In image 1, i seem to be looking straight at the building, but in image 2, i appear to be looking slightly upwards just to get the image to look similar, there is a clear difference in how the image is viewed and how the depth of view changes, Just by simply altering either the lens or by moving closer.

I think from now on, instead of just zooming in, i will try and move closer and see what difference that makes, again, a simple exercise that has shown me another way of viewing a possible photographic opportunity.

I would like to try this exercise again at a later date, but instead of using my 28-135 lens, go for a 20mm wide angle and a 300mm telephoto lens, as i'm sure the results would be far more visible that way.

Project 9

Focal lengths 


This exercise showed me by simply changing from one focal length to another, how the view is altered considerably.
For this, i had to set my camera on a tripod and focus on a subject in the distance, and then take a image at various lengths along the focal range of my lens.
The images below show how the larger the focal length, the more the angle of view closes in,in other words, the longer the focal length the closer the subject appears and less of the image is seen.

                                          Focal range set at 28mm

                                          Focal range set at 50mm

                                          Focal range set at 70mm

                                          Focal range set at 105mm

                                          Focal range set at 135mm

As you can see, the larger the focal range the closer the image appears but also how angle of view closes in.

Notes

Another good exercise, this one i found helped me to get a better understanding of how focal range and the angle of view work together, A simple exercise but also informative.

Project 7

Object in different positions in the frame


In this exercise, i had to take a photograph of a object that was clear and set within a large, even background.
I then had to take a series of photographs with the object placed in various sections of the frame, and then decide which image i found most comfortable and which i find the least comfortable.

For this exercise, i decided to use a triangular glass sculpture balancing on four steel balls.
The reason for this was, i felt that something of this shape, in these surroundings would require more thought and consideration when it came to composing the final image.


Image 1

This is the first image, with the object placed in the center of the frame.
I find that having the object here, even though central, does not draw your eye to the main subject, it feels unbalanced, lacks any visual impact and leaves me wondering where to look. it looks odd and out of place.




Image 2

In the second image, the object was placed in the lower right corner of the frame.
Overall this gave the image a more balanced feel, your eyes are more comfortably drawn towards the subject.
The object now feels more like part of the scenery.
Also, i find it less distracting to look at it in this image, As i feel that it allows me to clearly see the subject and the area around it, without it competing against the background.
Of all the images taken, this is the one i prefer.


Image 3

The third image in this sequence, has the object placed on the lower edge towards the center of the image.
Again, i find this distracting and competing for attention with the trees in the background, even though it is not as bad as image 1, it still feels odd and out of place.




Image 4

The fourth and final image, see's the object placed just left of center of the frame.
I feel even though it is not as pleasing as image 2, it does not feel to be too badly placed, it is still competing with the background for attention, but at the same time it does not feel uncomfortable to view.





NOTES
I found this exercise to be very helpful, As it allowed me to see the benefits of moving around a subject, and to view the subject from various angles, thus allowing me to see how, by just moving to a slightly different place the final image can appear totally different.
I would have liked to have done this series of images with just the subject and a totally plain background, As i feel the results would have been the same, but the images showing it a lot clearer, hopefully i will be able to find somewhere that i could try this soon.