Tuesday 1 February 2011

MY FINAL IMAGES
















Original photos of edited








Evaluation

What my work is about


My work is mainly about having fun and showing my personality through images.
At the start i had no idea what i was aiming for and now i have finished i still don't know what i was aiming for.

How my idea developed


My idea developed from sweets, it hasn't really changed apart from it's more about friends. I could of changed it alot by changing my idea. The reason why i didn't change it is because i didn't know how my work would turn out in the end.

Equipment and techniques i used


The equipment i used was my Nikon D60 camera, natural lighting and in some photographs a lamp.
I didn't use a tripod because i didn't have one until the end of the course. My images could of turned out a lot better if i did use a tripod.
I didn't use many techniques apart from using aperture control, i liked using this because it let a lot more light in than the settings i was already using.

Problems i encountered and what i did to to solve them


I encountered a lot of problems. My main problem was my models not turning up also not turning up on time, i managed to solve this problem by finding friends who are more reliable.

Two artists that have influenced/relate to my work


Personally i don't think any artisits influenced me apart from Jane Bown she relates to my work by using natural lighting because most of my photos i used natural lighting. Another artist is David Hockney his edited photos are quite unusual, he influenced me by being out of the ordinary and do something that is unusual yet simple.


Am i pleased with my final piece?


No. I know i can do better, i have taken photographs before college that are a lot better than my final piece. If i could do this course all over again i would choose an easier theme and plan it all out before i start it, this is because i didn't plan anything i did, and it shows in my final images.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Introduction To Unit 107 (Presenting Photo Images)

This unit is to show the ways of presenting our work.
There are many ways of presenting photographs like:


  • Mounting
  • Framing
  • Showing it in a slideshow
If you are doing it for your own home you can present them:

  • On a canvas
  • Mug
  • Mouse mat
and many other things.

Initial Ideas

The problem with me is that i don't plan ahead, i just go out and do it. Which does make me mess up a lot, also i'm not good at thinking of ideas in such a limited time.
So far i am still sticking to the sweets and people theme, yet i am thinking of more along the line of friends as a theme as it is rather hard to find sweets big enough to show in photographs.
I have now found myself a new memory card so i wont have the trouble of taking photos and losing them.
I was going to also use people who wear alternative clothing but i don't have many friends who wear those kind of clothes and the ones that do are camera shy.

Photoshop Task

In class we were taught how to change coloured photographs into black and white, also how to turn a photograph from colour to sepia.
I don't use photoshop because it's too expensive to buy, i use GIMP it's a simpler version of photoshop. 


Before                                                                               





After



How i did it


I opened up gimp and opened up my image.
I clicked on Colors then selected Colour Balance i just played around with the settings until i was happy with the outcome.




Unfortunately i didn't realise until i finished editing this photograph that it was actually taken on my Sony Erricson K800i.








How i did it

I opened my image and selected the lasso tool and trace around the baby and the background so all of the background is selected.
I then clicked on Colours then selected Colourize.
 I then played around with the settings until it went black and white.



Accidents happen

There is a reason why there isn't a before. Once i finished editing my image i accidentally saved over the original image. 




Before



After

With this photo i duplicated the original image.
The copied image, i messed around with brightness-contrast until i had 3 strong colours.
Next i turned it black and white by pressing colors-desaturate.
Once i did that i right clicked on the layer and selected Add Alpha.
After i had done that i clicked on the erase tool and erased the black and white from the lollypop.




With this image i was trying out filters.
To get to filters on Gimp you click filters and then just tested them out to see which ones you like.
Starting with the top left square.
This filter is pixelate, it simplifies the image into an array of solid - coloured squares.
 Bottom left is soft glow this just simply adds a soft glow to the image, you can also choose how strong the glow is.
Top center is sketch, this simply makes your image look as if someone has sketched it. 
Bottom center is neon glow.
Top right Predator, it adds a predator look to the selected region (or alpha)
Bottom right is a coffee stain, it adds a realistic coffee stain to the image.


Aperture and Composition Task


Aperture Control


Fast Shutter Speed







10/1250 second




F/14.0



38 mm



800
























Slow Shutter Speed






NIKON D60
10/20 second
F/32.0
38 mm
800













These pictures have turned out worse than i expected, the lighting was really bad because i was using natural lighting and it was a very dull day, yet i am happy with the photos because i captured using fast and slow shutter speed.






Narrow Depth of Field




This is my attempt at doing Narrow Depth of Field. What narrow depth of field is where part of the photo is in focus and using a low f number on the camera settings.


















Wide Depth of Field










This is my attempt at doing Wide Depth of Field.
What wide depth of field is where everything is in focus and using high f numbers on the camera settings.









Composition




Colour




NIKON D60
10/300 second
F/5.6
55 mm
280





The reason why i chose this picture is because of how vibrant the colours are.
I'm really shocked how well the colour came out because the day i took this photo it was raining and very dull.












Distance













NIKON D60
10/3200 second
F/9.0
42 mm
100































Shadow/light






NIKON D60
10/200 second
F/4.5
26 mm
1600




This is one of the best photographs i have taken. Personally i think i got the right amount of light and shadow to make this photo great. All i did was put a plastic rose on my pillow and lay a lamp and the bottom of the stem so the light was shining towards the rose bud.
I could of made this picture better by making the pillow have less creases in it.










Evaluation


For the composition task i did have to use old photos i had done on my camera because my memory card was corrupted and was telling me i had no photos on my camera even though i had just taken a photo, which did put me back with my work.

Monday 24 January 2011

Introduction

Level 1 VRQ Qualifications in Photo Imaging

The assignments i have chosen to do are Assignment 105: Introduction to image capture of people and Assignment 108: Digital image manipulation.

Assignment 105

This assignment gives us the opportunity to show that we can use camera skills in recording images.
This includes producing a minimum of 6 thematic image of people by using the right and appropriate equipment, capturing the images and presenting our final images. We also have to provide a written account to show evidence of everything we have done, we had a choice of doing this via sketch book or an internet blog, of course i chose an internet blog.

Assignment108

This assignment gives us the opportunity to digitally manipulate images (creating images that have been digitally modified for visual effect). We also have to provide evidence to show what software we used and how we digitally manipulated the image.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Photo Shoot 1

I took some photos for my topic. I'm not sure if these will be part of my final photos. I will be taking more.

The things i used were:
Nikon D60 with a 18-55mm lense.
Also a lamp for lighting.

These are my photos so far:

Due to not having a tripod this picture turned out blurry.
I think that this picture would of turned out well if i had a tripod as my hand isn't steady.
 For this picture i tried holding tracing paper over the flash to make her skin has a nice texture, as you can see it didn't work as well as i planned, if i do this again i think i should either use a darker shade of tracing paper or turn off the lamp which was on at the time.
For this one i didn't have the right setting on my camera. So the shutter speed was slightly slow and made the picture slightly blurry.



This photo could be a little brighter, but i also like it the way it is. This is because the model is upset so the lighting is showing her emotion.
I think the photo would look better is the background was a little brighter.


 Due to the model not standing still this photo came out slightly blurry.
To make this picture better i could sit the model down.

This picture should be lighter.
The reason it is dark is because i turned off the lamp and i turned on the main light.



This is my favourite photo i took. I like how the light from the lamp hits her face and part of the lollypop.
To make this picture better i could of angled the lamp more in front of her.









Most of these photos were taken when the models were preparing to pose. I found it more fun this way because they look better when they're not expecting it.




I tried a little bit of editing too (the editing software i used was GIMP):


This is my favourite edit, i like the cartoon effect.
This is how i did it:
I opened the picture and duplicated the layer.
I went to Colours > Brightness-Contrast.
I adjusted the brightness and contrast until i had 3 strong colours.
After that i went to Colours> Desaturate.



I have to admit i did this for fun, but i think it turned out well. I opened up the lips picture and drew round it with the free hand tool (or it could of been create a path). I then copied and paste the lips onto the picture.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Introduction To Unit 108 (Digital Image Manipulation)

This part of the assignment is to show that we can digitally manipulate images by using a photo editing software and also being able to support it with evidence.
The class is using photoshop, i prefer to work on my laptop so i don't have to rely on getting a computer at college, by using my laptop i will not be able to use photoshop as i don't have it, so i'll be using GIMP.
Gimp is a simpler version of photoshop which is also free. 

Research On Lenses

Lenses

There are three basic types of lenses:
  • Standard
  • Wide angle
  • Telephoto
Lenses are measured in millimeters which is known as the focal length of a lens. A standard size lens is 50mm for a 35mm camera, if a camera lens is shorter than the average size it is considered as a wide angled lens, but if the focal length is longer it is a telephoto lens.

Wide Angled Lens


These lenses are great for landscape photographs as the lens lets you have more in a picture than a normal lens would. They are also good for highlighting foreground objects with the background fading into the distance. The average focal length for a wide angle lens is 24mm and 28mm.

Telephoto Lens


This lens is the opposite of a wide angled lens, it is good for sporting events and reducing the depth of field. With this lens you can focus on your object and get a very nice and clear photo while the background surrounding it is out of focus.

Macro Lens


Macros lenses are great for close up photography, the quality of the image is very high, it has similar properties to a normal lens but it is better at focusing a lot closer to an object. The common focal lengths are between 50mm and 105mm.

Fisheye Lens


The reason why this lens is called fisheye lens is because it look like a fisheye, it gives you the effect that the center is popping out at you. This lens bends the photo so the sides of the picture seems to be further away.

Shift/Perspective Control Lenses


These type of lenses are good for when you are taking photos of buildings especially tall buildings, when you use this lense you don't have to worry about tilting your camera to get the whole building in because the lens can be adjusted so you can get all the building in the shot while keeping your camera upright.

Teleconverters


This converter sits between your camera and the lens, These are not the best to use especially if you are on a tight budget because it doesn't give a good quality photo, it makes focusing harder and you need to use a slower shutter speed than you usually would. These problems don't occur with a 1.4x converter (most professionals use these). Standard models are the 2x and 1.4x converters. The good thing about this is that it increases the focal length of the lens.



Filters


Filters are used for increasing the contrast, changing the exposure, capturing visible light and minimizing reflections.

UV filters

UV stands for Ultraviolet. It is light that is invisible to the human eye. UV filters are used for many things like cutting down on haziness, like in mountains and coastal areas, it is also used for protecting the lens, if you have the filter on at all times it protects the lens from scratches and dust.

ND filters

ND stands for Neutral Density. It helps the photographer use a larger aperture for a longer time. Without a ND filter most lenses wont let you use a small enough aperture for long exposures.

Polarizing filters

Polarizing filters are great for reducing reflections on non-metallic surfaces such as water and glass. Most of the filters are circular and you can change the level of polarization by rotating the outer layer of the filter. These photos also have the ability to completely change the out come of the photograph.

Macro filters

Macro filters/close-up filters are not ordinary filters they are more like an extra lens that is great for close-up photographs even when using a telephoto lens. Even though this filter is good, a extension tube is better. Extension tube change the closest focus length without effecting the quality of the image.

Colour filters

Not many photographers use colour filters anymore because they can be easily reproduced digitally with the help of colour levels and channel on a photo editing software. Colour filters are mainly used for black and white photography to manipulate the contrast.

IR filters


IR stands for infrared, these wavelengths are on the opposite side of the light spectrum from UV. When using a IR filter it only allows through IR light. The sensors on digital camera these days constructed so that it doesn't let through IR light.