Assignment 1: Beauty & the sublime

Brief: Produce 6-12 photographs conveying my own interpretation of beauty and/or the sublime within the context of landscape and I may choose to support, question or subvert the accepted definition of these terms. I’m not required to take the images in the same place or location but they should function as a cohesive series if possible, complementing each other.

In a previous exercise I mentioned how I found the ocean so sublime – it’s captivating and it’s ominous. I recently travelled to California to do a photography piece on the ocean. I was there from dawn until dusk in the hope that I could produce a series of varied images that demonstrate the power and the peace of the open ocean.

Black & White Wave

Multi-coloured Skies

Cliff Swirls

Sea Or Sky

Blue On Blue

Wave Barrel

Sunrise

Wave Crash

The Dawn

Twilight

Assessment criteria

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills:

From a technical point of view I used several long exposure shots (using a neutral density filter and necessary equipment that goes with it) to create the eery softness that is present in several of these shots.

I was also extremely patient in terms of waiting for my ‘envisioned’ image. Perhaps this was because I had no time limit, but I was able to plan my locations and my shots to the finest detail.

I also used two cameras – my Nikon D5500 for the beach based shots, and my GoPro for the shots I took while in the ocean.

In order to really emphasise the element of ‘sublime’ I wanted my shots to be void of people. I felt like adding a human element would subtract from the serenity and the sublime, and would add a layer of familiarity or relatability, whereas I wanted to focus purely on nature.

Quality of Outcome:

I’m very satisfied with the quality of outcome. These prints all come together as a set and have a common theme which pulls them together with a sense of continuity and purpose.

In terms of the individual images I’m happy that each one of my photos is a strong representation of my brief, and the images are able to stand independently, as well as part of a series.

There are several shots that perhaps stand out more, creatively speaking, than others. Specifically the inside of the wave barrel and the long exposure images. These images may be perceived as inconsistent with the collection as a whole, but I felt that removing these images from the set would result in the collection feeling too same-y.

I also wanted to add several black and white images. This was a potential risk as some may say they seem a little disjointed from the others that contain strong colours, but I think black and white can convey sublime as strongly as colour can. When we think of sublime we jump straight to gorgeous bright colours contrasting off one another, so I wanted to go against that by adding the monochrome images.

Demonstration of Creativity:

I think my creativity is evident in these images. From finding unusual locations such as the cliff top, the wave barrel and in the middle of the bushes so I can frame my shot in ‘Dawn’ I think my creativity comes across.

By including such an eclectic mix of imagery it adds variety and intrigue to the set.

Context:

I have been very limited with time for this module, as I was struggling to meet my deadline and allocate enough time towards my studies. However, I am extremely aware of the need for me to put more time towards my studies and balance my working career alongside my photography.

 

 

Exercise 1.6: The contemporary abyss

For this exercise we are required to read ‘Staring into the Contemporary Abyss’ by Simon Morley.

https://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/staring-contemporary-abyss

It is to give us a good understanding/view of the sublime as a theme within visual culture. We  are then required to chose any body of work (photography, literature, cinema etc) that we feel explores the sublime.

While reading the article there was one part that specifically jumped out at me:

‘I see the sublime as coming from the natural limitations of our knowledge: when we are confronted with something that’s beyond our limits of acceptability, or that threatens to expose some repressed thing, then we have this feeling of the uncanny.’ – Mike Kelley

This really resonated with me and I found it familiar to other quotes I’d researched, in terms of trying to define and explain the meaning of the word sublime.

Liz Wells describes sublime as ‘the sublime is associated with awe, danger and pain, with places where accidents happen, where things run beyond human control, where nature is untanable’

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Yosemite on multiple occasions and this type of rugged landscape instantly popped up as a true example of a sublime landscape. However, I’m very familiar with Ansel Adams work, and having photographed Yosemite myself I wanted to find another, newer source of work.

The ocean, for me, is one of the scariest places. We know very little about it, and there are depths we’ve never reached. I have always been enticed by the ocean, and while I fear it, it also has the ability to make me feel a certain type of stillness and calm. I’ve experimented slightly with wave photography, and came across the work of Mike Lacey – an ocean/wave photographer. For me, Lacey’s work is truly sublime.

He only has a certain amount of control over his photographs such as location and timing, but the rest is in the hands of mother nature. He captures the raw vast open ocean as the waves swell, sometimes rather dramatically and sinisterly, which provokes a huge sense of fear, excitement, danger and awe. I imagine him being so small in this huge open water world, capturing each wave as they come and go, and are never to be replicated again. There is most definitely an element of risk for Lacey when photographing the waves as he does and this is evident in his work.

 

 

Assignment 5 – People and Place on Assignment

For this final assignment, the choice of subject is yours; the only proviso is that the subject
should be one from this course – people and/or the places they inhabit.

First decide on a notional client. Choose the kind of client (newspaper, magazine, text book
publisher, advertising agency, television graphics, etc.), the purpose of the assignment
(educational, informational, promotional) and how the images will be used (to illustrate a
story, to sell a product etc). You choose.

You then need to imagine what the basic brief would be, which will mean thinking from the
other side of the fence — what someone commissioning a photographer might want. Write
yourself the brief so that you can refer back to it.

Having assigned yourself the brief, you now need to complete it. You need to submit
between 8– 12 photographs. Accompany the final images with a short written assessment.
This should include:

• The ‘client briefing’ that you gave yourself
• A statement of how you set about planning the photography
• How well you succeeded, including the difficulties and opportunities you encountered
that you had not anticipated at the outset.

The Brief

Company: The Greek Trail

Title: ‘Chanian Charm’ 

We would like you to visit the Cretan city of Chania and its surrounding areas.

Our article will require between 8 – 12 varied images depicting the quaint charm of the city and its surroundings; focusing less on tourists as a central subject, and more on the location itself.

Please note:You are not required to eliminate tourists completely.

Our aim of this article is to entice people to visit Chania and to appeal to those who prefer to explore ‘off the beaten track’ so to speak, avoiding overly touristy/busy areas. We want you to emphasise a calm, tranquil, peaceful paradise location.

 We would like colour shots, but please note we do not publish any HDR photography. 

Preparation

The first thing I did after “receiving” my brief was to pick out the key words I really needed to focus on:

• Quaint Charm
• Varied Selection
• Location
• Avoid Overly Touristy Areas
• Off The Beaten Track
• No HDR
• Colour Images

I then wanted to make a short list of things I would perhaps consider including in my series:

• A long exposure (beach, waves, water)
• A sunset/sunrise/twilight/nighttime shot
• A small local street
• A high up viewpoint
• People
• Street cafe/restaurant
• Town/street
• Nature/animals/sea life

After having a vague idea of the types of images I wanted to take I then need to make sure I pack all the relevant equipment:

• Tripod
• Neutral Density Filter
• Wide Angle Lens
• GoPro
• GoPro Dome Housing
• Multi Lens
• Lensball
• Remote Shutter
• Multiple Memory Cards
• External Hardrive
• Laptop
• Polarising Filter
• Battery Pack
• Charger
• Spare Batteries
• Camera Cleaning Kit

From the outset I was excited at the prospect of carrying out this assignment. Travel photography is the direction I naturally seem to find myself leaning towards, and with a brief such as this I couldn’t wait to touch down on the tarmac.

For the first day or 2 my main focus was finding the lay of the land and location scouting (as well as relaxing, of course). I did not want to enter into this assignment blindly, but rather have some kind of knowledge of my subject/locations – I felt it imperative to include as much variation as possible.

After reviewing my sub categories mentioned earlier I visited my chosen locations and began shooting…

Once I returned home I began to file all my photos into specific categories which would hopefully help me whittle down through the images to reach my final selection.

The categories were:

• Sunset
• Chania Harbour
• Chania Old Town
• Nightscene
• Ocean
• Restaurant
• Streets
• Beach
• People

The Old Harbour

I’m delighted with how this image came out. I wanted to take a long exposure shot that would result in the water looking soft and silky and not choppy as it was on the day. High winds were causing an unusual amount of movement in the water. This technique of softening moving objects, especially water is often used in travel photography.

I wanted to photograph this scene just before sunset in the hope that I could capture the different hues in the sky and at a time where the shops, restaurants and street lights had were on – adding depth to the image while also reflecting in the water. I opted for ‘shutter speed priority’ mode on my Nikon and set a shutter speed of 10 seconds. I had my neutral density filter on; at a mid range of 5 which meant I could use a longer shutter speed at that time of day.

I used a moderately wide angle lens as I wanted to fit as much in as possible. I positioned my camera (fixed onto a tripod) fairly low to the ground in order to get plenty of the harbour in. There’s several different layers/elements to this image. The buildings on the far right are in shade and appear fairly dark, which is in contrast to the buildings on the left which are much brighter. If you cast your eye along the buildings from either direction it creates a gradient effect, which is also clearly apparent in the sky.

The light reflections in the water are also much more prominent to the right of the image and fade off as you move your eye to the left of the image, again creating a gradient effect.

A Natural Paradise

Perhaps one of the more challenging images in regards to physically getting the shot but I’m so pleased with the end result. This was in fact taken on my GoPro Hero 5 using a dome housing case which enabled me to execute a split land/sea image.

From the outset I knew I wanted to incorporate an image such as this, and there is only so far into the sea you can go with an expensive DSLR (unless you’re fortunate to have a waterproof housing case!) hence shooting on my GoPro.

This image needed careful planning and attention. I settled on a location that I knew would have some form of reef/coral that would add plenty of depth and interest to the image. After finding the perfect location, I needed a speedboat and a snorkel – this really was a fun photo to shoot, and I felt like I could have been on a real photographic assignment!

I did shoot several other images around this area and some incorporated only the open sea, but they just weren’t as engaging as those with the reef.

I’m so pleased with how vivid the colours are and that I’ve managed to capture enough of the land above water as well as below. This image was always going to weigh much more on the aesthetic side than the actual technical side, as shooting with a GoPro significantly reduced the amount of  technical control the photographer has.

However I did not see this a set back in any way as it has produced exactly what I was hoping for. I did decide on selecting a wide angle framing option as this meant I could capture as much of my surroundings as possible, and it may be responsible for adding the slight curve to the water level ( something I find aesthetically intriguing, as it could work as a visual interpretation of the earths curve) or this could have been due to the curvature of the dome itself, or perhaps both.

Dining Al Freso

I wanted to include some variation of a restaurant/dinner picture. Photographing people actually eating can often result in some unflattering facial expressions, and I decided to refrain from photographing food itself, as this ‘brief’ was more about location.

I found this gorgeous restaurant hidden down a tiny side street, that produced a gorgeous backdrop of lush green plants and a historical stone wall.

I did not want to intrude on this couple’s romantic meal, so opted to position myself further back and zoom in slightly. I positioned myself to the far right of the diners as there was a steady flow of foot traffic to the left which I did not want to include as I feared it would be somewhat distracting. I did however want to keep a faint hint of the bustling vibe, and this is evident with the people in the background and the overall busyness of the picture.

I waited for a moment where there was a fairly substantial amount of hand gesturing, as the image was much less aesthetically interesting when they had their arms/hands by their sides. The waitress waiting on the table in the background adds another layer/dynamic to the image which I like. You cannot see her face either, which draws attention to the diners who are the main focal point of the image.

Chania At Night

I was adamant I wanted to photograph the harbour at night as well – adding variation to my final set of images while also adding a contrasting element of time of day. It’s amazing how different a scene can look within the space of only an hour or so. I used a different angle to the previous harbour image, turning my attention towards the centre of the harbour.

Again I wanted to take a long exposure image to render the water slightly softer/silkier, plus technically speaking a longer shutter speed would be required anyway due to the diminishing available light. I used a shutter speed of 8 seconds.

I’m very happy with this image. I had in my minds eye an almost black sky and harbour with the exception of the street/building lighting and the light reflections in the harbour creating long thin visual streaks in the water.

I wanted to position the land in the centre of the image horizontally speaking to create a sense of balance, and also a sense of ‘mirror’ imagery/symmetry. In the final edit I cropped the shot to a ratio of 16:9 as I felt this creates a ‘cinematic’ feel and is a technique often used in travel photography.

Again I used a fairly wide angle as I wanted to fit as much of the scenery in as possible. In hindsight I could have perhaps used my neutral density filter which would have increased the optimum length of exposure and selected a longer shutter speed to create even more blur in the water, but at the time I did not see this as being necessary.

Little Bright Backstreets

What instantly grabbed my attention with this little side street was the potted plants contrasting with the white walls and serving as a guide to help the eye move down the street towards the bend. I was searching for a street that curved round, making the imagination wander.

I love how the light captures different areas of this scene. My positioning is in the shade, yet the far white and terracotta walls are both bathed in sunshine. There’s a hint or laundry hanging in the salty air drying at the top of the image – a stereotypical image synonymous with small European villages/towns.

I was very briefly joined by a young girl who was making her way downstairs, but unfortunately she scrambled back indoors as soon as she saw my camera. I would have loved to have incorporated her moving down the stairs, and a little more visually apparent, but this is what happens when you are shooting on the move and in public. I am still very aware that people may not wish to be photographed, and that my presence may unnerve them.

Still, I have decided to keep her partially visible, as the flash of blue from her outfit adds a lovely discreet splash of colour.

Catch Of The Day

With Chania and it’s surrounding areas being on the coast, many of the locals are fishermen and head out day and night to catch the freshest fish to supply the local restaurants.

I wanted to photograph a fisherman preparing to leave the harbour so headed out early one morning to the small pier in the village of Kalyves. (Chania’s harbour is not used in this sense anymore, but in more of a commercial way these days.)

I love the no frills feel this image has. His boat is not state of the art and he doesn’t have the newest equipment. It’s a true representation of rural Crete and of the majority of the fishermen and boats that you often see heading out for a days fishing.

My positioning was a little restricted as there’s only a small footpath/jetty to allow access to the boats and this is the only thing I could stand on. I was lucky to capture him almost face on as he turned his back to sort through more equipment right after sorting out the buoys, and I wouldn’t have been able to capture his features.

Thankfully I was positioned to the fisherman’s right, which meant I was able to include some of the harbour background and water which adds another element to the image. Had I photographed him from the left it would have eliminated these aspects.

These Streets Are Made For Strollin’

The backdrop to this street was undeniably gorgeous. So much so that I knew it had to make it into the final selection. The light was casting on the furthest end of the street meaning the gorgeous greenery was lit up, while the street and passers by were in a slight shadow, which I think draws your attention to the stunning mountainous backdrop.

The street itself is full of beautiful little tavernas, bars, hotels, hostels  gift shops and restaurants. As my main focus of this image is the distance, I waited for enough foot traffic to render the shop fronts unrecognisable, aiding the viewers eye to settle on the greenery; which I had positioning in the middle of the frame.

I love the juxtaposition of the man in the orange and his surrounding passers heading in the opposite direction. It adds a sense of balance to the image.

Taking In The View

At first I was considering taking this image once the couple had left, and predominantly focusing on the lighthouse and the water. However, as soon as I walked past the bench I feel in love with this potential shot.

The direction of their gaze adds intrigue as the object of their attention is out of the frame. It contrasts nicely when referring to the  ‘weight’ of the image as they balance out with the lighthouse itself. I positioned myself very low to the ground in order to incorporate the traditional paving slabs that are still existing to this day.

There’s also a suggestion of irony  – the gorgeous historical landmark in front of them is not what has caught their attention. In fact the lady especially is turned so much to the right that she almost has her back to the lighthouse.

I would have liked to have included their full shadow cast on the ground, but unfortunately there was a large group of tourists positioned just out of shot to the right.

This image demonstrated to me that subtle simplicity can be a very powerful tool in photography.

Paradise In The Palm Of Your Hand

This selection of prints wouldn’t have been complete without a sunset picture. I wanted to ‘zhuzh’ up the bog standard sunset pic, so decided on incorporating one of my favourite photography props; my lensball.

I was aiming for a ‘double effect’ picture. A picture of a gorgeous sunset, with the gorgeous sunset mirrored in it – so naturally my lensball was the perfect tool. While researching exotic travel publications it was fairly common to see reflective techniques being used to enhance a certain object. A reflection in sunglasses or a wine glass perhaps.

The tricky thing about photographing with my lensball is that it only leaves me with one hand free. After a few practise shots it’s fairly easy to master, and the  trick it so lock the focus within the ball.

I made sure I positioned the horizon within the ball in line with the true horizon as I think this type of continuity or fluidity is paramount in producing an image such as this. Your eye follows the natural line of the horizon from left to right. Had the lensball been lower I don’t think the image would be as pleasing at it would appear broken up.

Including one image with my lensball did lead me to question whether more images should have included the prop, but the only considerable draw back, per say, about using the lensball is that it produces fairly similar images.

A Path To Paradise 

I stumbled across this beach entrance by chance, and had to stop in my tracks to photograph it. These are the side streets I knew I had to find. The tiny little offering of blue water just beams serene tranquillity. I had wanted to capture it without anyone walking up or down, as this would significantly eliminate the sea from my shot, but luckily this path was uninhibited for the duration of my shoot.

I love the bright pop of colour courtesy of the two large bushes on the walls, and how all of the plant life appears staggered in the image. They almost frame the sea view.

Again I wanted to incorporate the cobbled pathway, which aids in leading your eye to the beach. Another gorgeous little detail is the bicycle leaning on the right wall at the far end – bicycles are, for me, always synonymous with quaint foreign seaside traditional villages.

……………………………….

I decided on choosing my 10 strongest images. In past assignments I have gone for the maximum amount required and I’ve added some shots that aren’t perhaps as strong as others, or I’ve included shots which are too similar to others.

While photographing this assignment I encountered a huge technical problem that I was not initially aware of:

After travelling to Chania’s old town I spent an evening photographing the harbour as the sun was setting, and a series of long exposures as day turned to night. As I was photographing, the images were displaying on my LCD screen so I could review it, make amends and re-shoot if necessary.

It was only once I was back at my hotel and tried to view them properly that I was getting an error warning that my memory card was in fact damaged. I was mortified. The data had obviously saved in some sense, as the files were there, and I’d seen the images on my LCD preview display.

But the files were corrupt and there was no way of retrieving them. This was a huge blow for me. I’d taken several spare memory cards in case of damage, or a full memory card etc but I had not prepared myself for a situation such as this – a situation where I was completely oblivious to a huge underlying technical issue. Luckily, it was not the whole memory card that was damaged, so all was not lost. I also decided to return to the harbour and re-shoot, an option that I was lucky enough to have.

This really opened my eyes to the difficulties that can be faced while photographing on location. Had I not been able to return and re-shoot, some of the strongest images I’ve ever taken would have been lost, and if this were a real photography job my client would have received work that wasn’t my best work.

I now make sure to review my library on my Nikon regularly, and not solely relying on the quick review option my camera offers.

Assessment criteria

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills:

I am very pleased with both my technical and visual execution of this assignment. I’ve applied multiple techniques in order to produce the images I had visualized; such as long exposure shots and split water shots.

I imagined the photographs to be relatively tranquil and refined, and wanted to avoid overly crowded images as this was implied in the brief. Therefore I searched for opportunities and locations that would provide this, and selected my locations based on their visual criteria.

There was one image in particular that was technically challenging in that I had to use precision timing and positioning in order to get ‘the shot’ that I had visualised.

These images had to be visually appealing as they were being used as promotion for a travel publication. That meant I wanted to focus on colours (but not too much, or overly saturated colours. It was key to remember that HDR was a no) and focus on the raw/un-spoilt beauty of the location itself.

As with a lot of travel photography I used a wide angle lens to fit as much landscape in as possible, which amplifies the sense of the place and its surroundings.

Quality of Outcome:

I’m very satisfied with the quality of outcome. These prints all come together as a set and have a common theme which pulls them together with a sense of continuity and purpose. I wanted to include several small alley/street shots to add a deeper layer of connection/similar theme. Small streets and alleyways are also an iconic visual ideology of Greek islands, so not including them was never an option.

In terms of the individual images I’m happy that each one of my photos is a strong representation of my brief, and the images are able to stand independently, as well as part of a series.

There are several shots that perhaps stand out more, creatively speaking, than others. Specifically the lensball image and the coral image. These images may be perceived as inconsistent with the collection as a whole, but I felt that removing these images from the set would result in the collection feeling too same-y. The brief is so open ended that I felt it was perfectly acceptable to include them – the brief doesn’t include any details about their readers, so naturally it made sense to include as much variation as possible, appealing to the widest possible audience. Basically, including a little bit of ‘something for everyone’ type scenario.

Demonstration of Creativity:

For this assignment I tried to follow the brief in a simplistic yet creative way. I wanted my creativity to be subtle, as I felt this would suit this kind of brief more. I looked for nice framing options, and characteristics that would amplify my shots. The two images that really demonstrate my personal creative style are the sunset involving my lensball prop and the split water image. Both of which I really wanted to include for the purpose of developing my creativity. I think the other images portray a much more traditional and classical sense of creativity in their subtlety.

In terms of developing my personal voice this assignment gave me the opportunity to push my boundaries technically. I used equipment and techniques which were either completely new to me, or that I was unfamiliar with. This kind of practical experimentation is paramount in me developing my creativity and finding my own style.

Context:

There were no actual exercises within this last section of the module, so I spent most of my time researching travel photography, travel brochures and studying techniques used in such photography. I also researched the area I would be travelling to, and the subsequent surroundings.

I have been fairly limited with time for this module, as I was struggling to meet my deadlines and allocate enough time towards my studies. However, I have made a vast conscious effort to put aside regular time slots of my working week and weekends to pursue my studies. I’m submitting all my assignments on time, and feel I’ve settled on a manageable balance of my time.

I’m still working on my confidence when photographing people, and this assignment was a great boost for this. Photographing in a touristy area really reduces the sense of intruding on people’s personal space. It is so common to see people taking photos and holding cameras.

I’ve also been reading up on long exposure photography and have been experimenting with photographing waterfalls. These posts are on my blog.

As always I find myself studying my surroundings and people much more since doing this module. I am constantly seeing great photographic opportunities – focussing more on people and how they interact with the spaces around them.

I struggled to really engage at the beginning of this module, but by the end I felt a strong connection with my briefs and the ideas behind them.

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Assignment 5: Preparation

As with many of my assignments recently, I have been back and forth with potential ideas – many of which are events that occur in my everyday life. I was recently at a hen-do and wondered whether I could take a series of photographs that would replicate a ‘soon-to-be-bride’ hiring a professional photographer to capture her hen party. Yes, this was a viable idea, but it just wasn’t practical.

I did not want to spend what should have been a pampering day/night focusing on my photography rather than my best friends celebration. It would have been more of a working event than a relaxed one.

Plus she had already hired a professional photographer to capture the day!

With my deadline slowly creeping up on me I knew that my best option, and most fun and interesting, would be to capture the heart and soul of Chania, Crete for a travel publication.

What a great opportunity to mix work and pleasure. I now wanted to research Chania and it’s surrounding areas.

I’m going for the complete opposite brief of Assignment 4 which was to specifically avoid tourism photography. Here, I aim to produce a series of photographs enticing the viewer to visit Chania and its surrounding areas. I will be exploring off the beaten track I as I want to capture the raw charm and undisturbed beauty of the location.

With a brief that is so open for interpretation I feel I should be able to inject more creativity than other assignments in this module. It’s no secret that I’ve struggled with this module, but I’m hoping to put all that behind me, research my subject well, and most importantly, take my time while producing this final assignment.

I want to produce a series of varied and interesting photographs relating to the brief of my choice.

 

Long Exposure Adventure

I’ve been wanting to take some long exposure daytime shots for a while now, but wanted some kind of water based subject as it should produce some really great textures. I’ve experimented with long exposure shots at nighttime and have had great results.

The most integral part of kit I would need for this is a neutral density filter. Without this, there’s little to no chance of producing the kind of image I have imagined.

I recently discovered that Yorkshire has a handful of stunning waterfalls – what would be a better water source for my long exposure?! The waterfall I decided on was a tad difficult to locate unless you were aware of it. So I printed off a map of it’s location and headed out with my gear.

I wanted to photograph in the shade, as too much strong light combined with a long shutter speed would result in a blown out image, no matter how great my variable ND filter is. With the gorgeous heatwave and lack of rain we’ve been experiencing lately the water level was far below what I had researched, but with this being a long exposure the water SHOULD appear silky and flow well.

Here’s a few of my favourite images below:

I’m chuffed to bits with these results. They are just as I’d imagined. I played around slightly with the degree of darkness that my filter offered (it ranges from 0 to 9) but found that I had to use around 7 with the shutter speed length I’d chosen of 10-12 seconds. Any longer and my images were just too bright. I could have programmed a lower exposure to compensate for a longer shutter speed and used the strongest density level, but I wanted to retain some sense of movement within the water. I found it was easier to focus in on my subject and then attach the filter – I turned off auto focus as the camera struggled to focus through the darkness of the filter. I love the contrast of sharp detailed rocks and the silky smooth water. It really does add a magical feel to these images.

I can’t wait to photograph many more water based subjects with my ND filter – probably my favourite piece of accessory kit so far.

Assignment 4 – A Sense of Place

Imagine that you are on an assignment for an intelligent, thoughtful travel publication that is demanding a considered, in-depth treatment. Aim to produce sufficient images on a specific location to fill, say, six pages. This would mean about six final images as chosen, but at least twice this number of good publishable images from which to make the final selection. Aim to show the character of the place and of the people who live there with as much visual variety as possible.

I felt like I really needed to concentrate on what it is exactly that the brief is asking of me. I realised very early on that this would not be images that are similar to what you may see in a travel brochure. I’m not photographing gorgeous white sandy beaches to entice people to visit, but rather capturing the charm and raw beauty/feel of a certain location. It is not tourism promotion.

With this cleared up I now had to find my location. I had several places in mind that would fit the brief but having recently relocated up north I wondered whether I could explore the unknown and capture my images at the same time. I didn’t want somewhere too remote (Yorkshire has some incredible scenic spots) or I may find it results in my final images being relatively similar. I also wanted the option to to capture people – so a remote Yorkshire Moor would not guarantee this.

I decided to settle on Horsforth – an area I moved to last month. Having been busy with the move and work, I felt I hadn’t fully explored Horsforth, so found this to be a great opportunity to explore my new surroundings while completing this assignment.

Horsforth is a suburb of Leeds, and is gorgeously leafy and green. I wanted to incorporate this feel in my images, while also capturing the sense of community. While it may be an area of Leeds; a bustling metropolitan city undergoing a huge revamp, Horsforth feels like its own little town/village. There is a strong sense of community and togetherness.

Japanese Garden

There’s a lovely big park on the outskirts of Horsforth (Horsforth Hall Park) and within the park is an incredibly well kept and beautiful Japanese garden. This garden attracts many locals and tourists who come to enjoy the peace and serenity that it offers. I wanted to capture as much of the garden as possible, so I used a wide angle lens, and looked for a position that would offer many different elements such as the lily pond, the bridge and the native plants. The red of the bridge contrasts so well with the lush greenery.

Woodland

As I previously mentioned, I wanted to capture the nature and rural elements that Horsforth is renowned for. I wanted to, if possible, photograph some aspect of wildlife. While exploring the hidden corners of the park area I noticed this little guy watching my every move! I really like the composition of this shot. The foreground detail (squirrel and tree texture) is in crisp focus and virtually splits the image straight down the middle as it contrasts with the soft blurred background. I wanted the background to be blurred but only slightly as you can still make out the formation and shapes of the objects in the distance. It really highlights the sense of Horsforth.

Horsforth Cricket Club

There’s a strong sense of community, and it’s magnified by the clubs and groups that are available for both the young and old to be a part of. The cricket club is situated in the middle of the park allowing all and anyone to watch the training and games. While the predominant focus is the action of the cricketer mid run, they viewers eye gradually moves attention to the club in the background where parents, friends, family and the public watch on. You get a sense of the cricket club building itself – nothing too grand or modern; a typical community building.

Town Street

The main street in Horsforth is just that; a small stretch of street bustling with independently owned businesses, cafes, bars, pubs and shops. In recent years it has developed a few chain branches (Costa Coffee, Pizza Express, Greggs) but I wanted to focus more on the independent side that could be more responsible in pulling in visitors. As with any small town, you cannot always guarantee an influx of people, but this highlights the quiet serene vibe evident in Horsforth.

Baron Bistro

There’s a vast array of pubs here, all with different styles and themes. This bistro really caught my eye with the bright red umbrellas contrasting with the traditional brick wall synonymous with Leeds and The North. I timed my shot to include the three pedestrians passing by all with roughly the same spacing in-between them.  I like the variety to this image – male, female, young, old. It highlights the range of people living in Horsforth.

Truly Scrummy Cafe

One of the most popular cafes on the main street is the ‘Truly Scrummy Cafe’ which had an influx of people passing in and out of the doors. I wanted to capture the quaint feel of this small town cafe, so decided to photograph it from the outside capturing both the customers inside, the passers-by and the street tables. If you look closely you can see a range in age of customer – highlighting how versatile and much loved it is amongst both the old and young. I had photographed several images from a side angle and wanted to incorporate a head on image, and this seemed to be my perfect subject.

I feel that these 6 images are my strongest, most varied set illustrating the sense of place in Horsforth. I’ve included below several other images from the shoot that didn’t quite make it into my final selection. There was lots of deliberating over which images would end up in the final selection, and it was by no means an easy task. I was aware of incorporating too many images that did not include people, yet the interior cafe shot did not seem as strong as the others in terms of demonstrating the ‘sense’ of place.

 

Assessment criteria

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills:

I am generally happy with the overall technical and visual execution of this assignment. In order to demonstrate the ‘sense of place’ I had to make sure my pictures were as aesthetically pleasing as possible. This assignment is meant to entice people to visit a certain area, so I wanted to make sure they were visually appealing. This meant I decided on using a wide angle lens at times to capture as much of the scene as possible, and finding the best, most interesting viewpoint. I wanted to incorporate a sense of variety too – and feel I have achieved this.

I did not want to have to rely on too much post processing (brightening the sky, colour correction etc.) as I was aware this may make the images look too processed and fake. Personally I am not enticed by images that are over processed, and I wanted to photograph Horsforth in its truest form.

Quality of Outcome:

I am very satisfied with the quality of the outcome. These images do feel like a set, and all have a sense of continuity. I think this was because each image was photographed with relatively the same weather conditions.  In terms of the individual images I’m happy that each one of my photos is a strong representation of my brief, and the images are able to stand alone, as well as part of a series.

Demonstration of Creativity:

In my last assignment I tried too hard to ‘think outside the box’ and this resulted in missing the brief. So for this assignment I tried to follow the brief in a simplistic yet creative way. I wanted my creativity to be somewhat more subtle, as I felt this would suit this kind of brief more. I looked for quirky angles, nice framing options, and characteristics that would amplify my shots. I often try so hard to make my work different that I get carried away and drift from the original task.

In terms of developing my personal voice this assignment gave me the opportunity to really get swept away in my concept and execute a more natural, in depth set of photographs. I didn’t want to (nor could I) over plan or over think my content/subjects. I explored my new area with my camera seeking photographic opportunities then and there rather than pre-planning them. This, for me, worked very well. I enjoyed being ‘put on the spot’ so to speak.

Context:

Since my last assignment I’ve researched in quite substantial depth urban/street photography to get an idea of how best to approach my issue with confidence when photographing the public. I’ve studied several techniques

I find myself studying my surroundings and people much more since doing this assignment. I am constantly seeing great photographic opportunities – mainly to do with people for once – and am building up my confidence greatly. It can be something as simple as someone sipping coffee in a coffee shop window, but I’m always finding myself viewing the world through my metaphorical lens. There are photographic opportunities everywhere!

 

 

Exercise: Busy Traffic

In contrast to the usually-empty place from the last project, some locations are almost
always busy, with a constant flow of traffic. Railway stations, bus stations and airports
are obvious examples, but in these days of tightened security, many are effectively out of
bounds for photography.

Giving this due consideration, choose a busy location, interior or exterior, and find a
viewpoint that will give you a satisfying composition as well as a good sense of the
nature and function of the space.

Spend some time watching how the flow of people works — the patterns they make, any
surges or lulls in movement and numbers — and how this can contribute to the
composition of the shot.

Aim to show the ‘busyness’ of the place, which might involve altering the composition,
perhaps changing the focal length of lens, or experimenting with a slow exposure.

For this exercise I chose a busy shopping centre in Leeds. I wanted a viewpoint that would incorporate some sense of the layout and design, while also demonstrating the ebb and flow of the foot traffic. By positioning myself on the top floor I was able to capture the top level, but my main focus was the shoppers on the ground floor.

I varied my shutter speed slightly as I wanted to capture subtle movement. Had the shutter been open for too long, I’d have missed the shoppers movement entirely.

If the shutter speed was too quick I’d have frozen the movement completely.

This first shot served as my ‘test’ shot. I then decided to have a slightly longer shutter speed to create some motion blur.

Most people are now blurry, with the odd exception of someone remaining still – the man in the blue shorts at the counter to the left shows this.

What is evident in all 3 pictures is the congestion or ‘bunching’ of people underneath the escalator. This is because it was the main route through the shopping centre, so as expected, would be congested.

Using a wide angle lens meant I was able to squeeze as much of my surroundings in as possible – emphasising the sense of scale. I like the effect this had on the railing to my right – it’s somewhat warped more than the human eye observed (it was curved slightly) but I think this adds a creative feel.

Exercise: Making figures annonymous

Take some photographs that include a person or people in a particular place, but
deliberately make them unrecognisable and, as a result, less prominent.

Make between two and four photographs which use different techniques to achieve this.
To reiterate, a successful image will be one that is primarily about the place, but in which
one or more figures play a subsidiary role to show scale and give life — to show that it is
in use.

I had hoped to put a little more distance in this shot, but even standing on the other side of the road (there was a row of houses directly behind me) meant I was fairly limited. I used a fairly wide angle lens as I wanted to capture all 5 people standing at the bus stop. I do like this image though. The positioning and poses of the bystanders creates an interesting dynamic. I especially like the lady stood with her back to the bus shelter on the far left. Unless you knew or were able to recognise these people, there is a strong sense of anonymity.

This next shot has a vast distance between me and my subjects; rendering them unrecognisable. The shadows cast by the trees also helps to make them anonymous as it makes them blend in more with the darker colours and shades of the background. The man is wearing black which also helps to make him less visible. I used a wide angle in order to fit as much of the gorgeous surroundings in as possible.

The technique of making people appear in silhouette form serves extremely well in making people anonymous. This is demonstrated in this image. I wanted to capture the rolling mountains in the background while also including enough of the black foreground and silhouettes to balance out the image.

Another way of obscuring peoples identity is to shoot them from behind, removing all sense of recognisable features. I shot this image in black and white as I felt the fact that his clothing was monochrome would add another level to the image. The bridge in the background is light greys and whites which contrasts nicely with the darker greys/blacks of the decking he’s standing on, the railings and his outfit colours, hair and phone.

Adding blur is another way of making people anonymous. Too long a shutter speed and you may miss capturing the people completely, while a short shutter speed may still result in recognising the person/people. Here there’s just a small hint of blur, but enough to make the players on the move unrecognisable.

Exercise: Balancing figure and space

Draw on your photography so far in this course and on the techniques you have learned,
to vary the balance in any one picture situation. Aim to produce two images, using the
same general viewpoint and composition, varying the balance of attention between the
person (or people) and the setting they are in. You can combine this exercise with any of
the relevant earlier ones, if you prefer.

For this exercise I wanted to highlight the shift in attention when making a subject smaller while also increasing the amount of background and focal area. In the first picture my model is balanced well with the tree trunk, and nicely framed by the leaves and branches of the willow tree. She is positioned in the middle of the frame. The background is still intriguing and apparent, but the main focus, as intended, is my lovely model.

By placing my model further away, but still in the centre of the frame it has shifted the balance significantly. The background is much more apparent and in focus, therefore shifting the balance of figure and space – the attention on both model and background are more or less equal.

Bruce Gilden – New York

“I’M KNOWN FOR TAKING PICTURES VERY CLOSE, AND THE OLDER I GET, THE CLOSER I GET”

Once again, while researching street/people photography I stumbled across award winning photographer Bruce Gilden. The quote above really says it all – Gilden gets up close and personal with his subjects; often resulting in incredible facial expressions and almost confrontational body language.

His New York City series caught my eye, and his use of flash really makes his subjects facial features almost jump out of the image. It instantly makes them the main focal point of the image.

Gilden’s ongoing project ‘Faces’ is an astonishingly raw example of society, age, income, social status and personality. Again the use of flash really emphasises the facial features. It is well worth a look:

http://www.brucegilden.com/