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.

Walker Art Gallery

I have decided it's time i got out and started to look at other peoples work, so this Saturday, i'm going to head off to Liverpool and visit the Walker Art Gallery.
At the moment, they are showing 9 pieces of work by the Turner prize winning artist Wolfgang Tillman.


Paper Drop (London) 2008
http://tillmans.co.uk/

I am looking forward to seeing his work, not only as i find his style simple but powerful but because it encourages the viewer to look at his work and how it is displayed, not just at the subject in the image. This i hope will give me a little more insight in how to balance a image within a frame, and to allow me to possibly put more thought into the overall effect my photographs will have.
This is going to be my first ever visit to an art gallery, so i am not too sure what to expect, but i am positive i will take something away from viewing someone Else's work close up.

Also, it will give me a chance to go out and try and take some decent photographs of Liverpool.
While I'm there, i shall try and get some more work done for my assignment and course work, This time i will be a little more prepared and take a note book with a list of things to try and achieve, plus i will try and remember my tripod this time.
I hope this day out will result in at least one or two decent images or at least a few things i can take away with me to think about.
What ever the outcome of this trip, at least i will have had the opportunity to view not only a great city but some great photographs and been to my first gallery.

Assignment 1: Contrasts

Possible images for this assignment


I will post some of my images on here,  not sure which images i will use yet.
Am still thinking about 8 pairs that i need to choose, at the moment i have decided to go for:

Straight/Curved,
Many/Few
Black/White
Liquid/Solid
Light/Dark
Hard/soft
Smooth/Rough
Transparent/Opaque

Many                                              

Curved

Transparent

Hard or Solid

Diagonal

        

Soft

Pointed

Few

Straight

Straight 2

Liquid

Opaque

Hard ?

Blunt

Black & White

High

Still

Rounded

Few

Low

Moving

Project 6

Fitting the frame to the subject


For this exercise, i decided to use a steel sculpture that i ride past every night on the way to work. i have been meaning to take some photographs of this for ages, so this exercise seemed like the perfect opportunity.
These images were taken at 2am in the morning, just as it was starting to snow. I tried to just use the available lighting from the street lamps, as this was giving the sculpture a warm copper glow to it.
After taking several test shots, it became clear that some addition lighting was going to be needed as i did not have a tripod with me, and i was not able to hold the camera steady long enough for the exposure time needed.
Unfortunately i did not have a decent flash unit with me so i had to make do with the inbuilt flash.
Even though the flash from my camera was a little harsh, i found that this worked rather well with the steel sculpture, it lit up the bulk of the steel but left the edges with the copper glow from the street lights.

The first image i took was of the sculpture as i first saw it, so there was no real thought behind this one, apart from that i may need to use a flash as the street lighting might not be enough to give the image sufficient light for me to hand hold the camera.

In the second image, i moved closer to the sculpture so i could fill the frame and isolate it from it's surroundings, this i found gave the photograph a more focused and detailed view, and it also allowed me use the flash to light up the main part of the sculpture, but also to retain the copper glow from the street lamps on the edge of the sculpture.

The third image i chose to use was of a close up of the curve, in this image i isolated just a small part of the sculpture, for me this produced a more interesting image, as it leaves you wondering what the object is.
I also like how the light from the cameras flash reflects on the steel, yet you still get a hint of warm copper in the top right from the street lamps, and i think the fine layer of snow adds a touch of coldness to the steel.

On the last image though, i decided to compose the sculpture so it only occupied a small area of the photograph, and i decided to just use the street lights as the position i was standing in allowed just enough light for me to take the photograph at 1/30 sec with an ISO of 1600.
This gave the final image a more natural feel to it, and i felt it showed the sculpture off well in its natural environment.

Notes


I found this exercise has taught me how, just by simply moving around an object, your view can change dramatically, plus by filling the frame to different degrees allows you to show the same subject in ways that it is not normally viewed.
Again, i regret the lack of a tripod as this would have given me different results, but i was unable to carry one with me on this occasion.
I am overall very pleased with these images, as this was the first time i have taken photographs outside at night, and was surprised by how different things look at this time of night.

Project 4

 Shutter speeds


In this exercise, i tried to find the slowest shutter speed available to capture the moment when the moving pendulum remained frozen.
I started the series of images with a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second, then took several images, each with a slower shutter speed than previous image.
The pendulum remained frozen until the shutter speed was down to 1/60th of a second. After that point, motion blur started to become more noticeable.
This blurring became more apparent with every further reduction in the shutter speed.

1/200 Sec                                                                      1/125Sec

1/100 Sec                                                                    1/80 Sec

1/60 Sec                                                                      1/50 Sec

1/40 Sec                                                                      1/30 Sec

1/25 Sec                                                                      1/5 Sec

1/2 Sec                                                                        1 Sec