I am starting to produce a theme of Light & Dark. I am going to do some further research and decided to focus on the theme of light and dark.The reason why I chose this theme is in my opinion I think that it would be a unique touch and new experience to try out and advanced skills .During this project I want to develop my skills and manipulating my outcomes in Photoshop exploring the different tools that are there for Photography.This will help me to improve my images by adjusting the settings, for example : so that my images are not too dark or too light.Another technique I experienced was how to set up a 'studio set up' , this had given me a lot of experience as it will help me progress for my future photo shoots.On my project the next step I would like to develop further is finding the correct locations . In order to do this I think I will need to plan in greater detail so that I spend time finding the correct backgrounds and locations which may mean I will need to have studio set up . I have realized to get the best shots I need to be prepared to work in my own time and away from school to plan out how I will carry out this shoot.By researching photographers who have focused on floral & candles themes to do with light and dark for their main body of work , I will learn that it takes a lot of patience and organisation to get the floral element in particular into the correct position to make them look quite similar to my inspiration . To show my progress I will take many images to show how I went from playing around with my pictures to making them look more professional , I will then develop my the images by using photoshop to refine them. I already have a lot of ideas rubbing through my head for this project which will propel me into the right direction . As my project progress I will write a short a annotation as I go along . This will also help me to reflect on the work I do.After the creation of my final piece I will write a final evaluation on the project as a whole reflecting on what went well and what I will do differently or change given the time .
Mood Board
The reason why I have chosen these images as my inspiration is because I like the way the background of the picture is pitch black whilst the flower has shades of dead but vibrant colors but showing how they contrast to the background.
The reason why I have chosen these images for my inspiration is because I like the way the light of the candle reflects against the darkness & it represents my theme of light & dark.
I have chosen to do the theme light & dark because it is a very creative and unique topic to focus on as you can do many different styles towards it. I will start this project by collecting images and finding various photographers to be my inspiration so then I can develop my ideas and create my own scheme to stand out.My main focus on the theme light and dark is to use mainly white and black as they are contrasting colors they represent it well. Possibly after I have taken my main pictures of light and dark I would like to try and do it with illuminating colors such as red and black with a spotlight. The photographer that has inspired me is Billy Kidd , his images that include the flower are simply stunning as he taken an piece of nature and has turned it into art by using light and dark structure. He has reflected the light against the dying colours of the flower and has made them stand out I have inferred from this picture that everything has its beauty whether it is visible or not. The skills I would like to develop from this project is how to set up a studio set up & my composition when I take my pictures.
Analysing a photograph
Composition & Content
The focus point on the image is the flower it has a eye level perspective. There are no strong leading lines however the lighting is spotlighted at the flower as it is the main focus , there is a soft contrast of color going from pitch black to a light yellow of white. My eye is drawn to color of the petals as the background is empty & tedious where as the pop of pink bleached into purple is quite appealing to look at. It also has a shallow depth of field. There is a faint use of rule of thirds however my eye is drawn to the position of the flower because the petals are laid out so that the color is shown to make the image more interesting and eye catching.There is a fairly shallow depth of field. The photo has been cropped quite close to the edges of the flower so that we can focus on that particular object. In my opinion i think the photographer has used a tripod to achieve the images they have as the flower is quite still it is focused so that is clear and bold.
Connection
The theme is light & dark and it is relevant to my theme as I want to do a similar effect on my images but using the structure of "light & dark".This particular image has a link to my work as I want to do something with nature like flower to create a eye catching image to use the intense color to make it standout. I also might use different objects to create shadows to make it more interesting. In my opinion I personally think that there is a message behind the image , in my eyes it represents beauty by this I mean that whether something is old or new it will still have beauty within it , it just needs to be recognized. The reason why i am going to replicate this image because I wanted to do and light and dark theme but with a hint of color.
Comment
The things I like about the image is the way the flower is layered out so that colors of pink and purple show the light bit of my theme.The thing I do not like about this image is nothing this is because this this image is quite simple and delicate so there isn't much not to dislike about.I can use this image to inspire me as I want to a similar layout.
Context
"Billy Kidd is an American self-taught photographer born in 1980. He took a series of photographs of decaying flowers. The flowers are in the natural process of dying, therefore each flower is at a different stage. I like how these photographs have a black background, and you cannot see the whole flower, you can only see a part of it. Some parts of the flowers are vibrant and bright, whereas other parts are very dark and difficult to see. These photographs relate to my theme as some people might think the dead flowers are not perfect and shouldn’t be photographed. Billy makes the flowers look delicate even though they are dead.He captures the flowers in a different way, as he shows the natural shapes and forms the petals create. If I were to interpret his work, then I would take a series of photographs of flowers, using close up camera angles. I would use a low shutter speed for example 1/80, to make the photograph darker. I would use a variety of different flowers, one that has blossomed, and then one that is slowly decaying, and then one that is completely dead. I would use a black backdrop as it will make it easier to have the photograph darker, and the focus on the flower. I would then edit the photographs."
Composition&Content
The focus point on the image is the candle wax and the way the flame is positioned it has a eye level perspective. Personally I don't think that there is any lighting as the flame of the candle has already brought itself to light , there is a strong contrast of color of pitch black to a vibrant red. My eye is drawn to color of the candle wax as the background is empty & tedious where as the burst of red against the black background is quite appealing to look at. The photo has given the effect of a spacious background including a small object in the middle catches my attention so that we can focus on that particular object. In my opinion I think the photographer has used a tripod to achieve the images they have as the candle is quite still it is focused so that is clear and bold.
Connection & Comment
The way this picture connects with my theme is because as I am doing light and dark as my theme it represents it. The wax of the candle is red so it can show "light " bit of the overall topic. The flame is also a representation of light as it contrasts against the black background.This candles in my eyes sends a message that unless something is brought to like we don't give recognition towards it. In my opinion I think that this image is quite simple but is also a good example of light and dark. The reason I like this image is because I want to resemble this photograph in my own unique was way but want to the touches and elements of this.
Context
The photographer captures the flame in a good composition so that it is clear and visible.The reason why I think this image is set up in this way as a studio set up is so that they could achieve the outcome wanted. I personally think that it took quite along time to get this image.It was taken to represent the light and dark theme.I also think that this image was taken recently as it looks modern . I got this image off google i'm not sure who the photographer is but they have thought a lot about how to take this image like what position , how it would be layered out.
My Images
For me to be able to complete this photo shoot I needed to do a set up with my candles and my infinity curve background. These are my outcomes:
Best Image
This is my best image because it is quite similar to my inspired photo as it has alike features and it clear flame and has a good aperture. The colour of the wax represents the red of the model image which it why this is by far my best and favourite image.
My worst Image
This is my worst image so far this because as I was replicating this image , the lighting was not placed in the right position therefore I could not see the wax but only the flame. The exposure was correct however the aperture was not.
My 2nd Photo-shoot
My Best And Worst Images
This is my best image because the exposure was just right , the lighting wasn't too harsh and there is a great use of aperture.The reason why I like this image quite a lot is because it is positioned quite well and the petals of the flower are showing the colors of it even though the flower is decayed.I used a shallow depth of field and captured the details within the petals.
This is my worst image because the exposure is too high and you can't really see the flowers in the image which is the main part of the photo.
My Photoshop Images
As I have photo shopped this image I have change the tone of the stem and petals to give it that refinement of a bolder and deep tint of color.
My Final Outcome
I have cropped this image just to show the main topic of the picture even though that my themes were candles & Flowers I really wanted to capture the flower element.
My 2nd Photoshopped image
BEFORE
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AFTER
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My Final Outcome
I have edited this photo so that the decaying flower was more pigmented. I had also changed the background color to a light lavender purple because all my images had a black background so in my opinion I thought it would look better.
My 3rd Photo-shopped Image
BEFORE
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AFTER
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Photoshop Practice
Once again this image has been edited to take away the deteriorating flower and add a more saturated and vibrant tone to this picture which really captured my concept.
My Third Photo shopped Image
My Final outcome
I have added a black and white filter onto my candle image because most of my mood-board of candles appear in white and black.
My Final Images Gallery
In my opinion I personally think that my edited and photo-shopped outcomes have come out well.They look even more refined and has given it that depth of professionalism within the pictures.
Evaluation
For this project we started by looking at Framing / Light & Dark. I did some further research and decided to focus on the theme of light and dark.The reason why I chose this theme is in my opinion I thought it would be different and different and interesting to try out.During this project the part I enjoyed the most was developing my skills and manipulating my outcomes in Photoshop really enjoyed going on to the 'New Adjustment Layer' and exploring the different tools that are there for Photography.The one filter I thought was most effective was the 'Black & White' Filter this is because all my nature images are quite similar and when I used that specific filter it made my image stand out even more.During this project ,one new technique I have experienced was how to use the aperture and shutter speed setting on my camera. This helped me to realize how i could improve my images by adjusting the settings so that my images were not too dark or too light.Another technique I experienced was how to set up a 'studio set up' , this had given me a lot of experience as it will help me progress for my future photo shoots. I learnt how to use the exposure tool and I improved the image further by learning to make my images vibrant and to project itself.On my next project the technique I would like to develop further is finding the correct locations . In order to do this I think I will need to plan in greater detail so that I spend time finding the correct backgrounds and locations which may mean I will need to take the camera home. I have realized to get the best shots I need t be prepared to work in my won time and away from school.By researching photographers who have focused on floral & candles themes to do with light and dark for their main body of work , I have learnt that it takes a lot of patience and organisation to get the floral element in particular into the correct position.My photographers work focused on situating their main component of the images so that it is perfected.