Self Evaluation Report

­Self Evaluation Report – Laura Parkinson

This unit has definitely been a test for myself, especially for having to stick to a definite deadline and forcing myself to go to new places to capture photographs. For the past four years, I have been juggling photography with other subjects, so doing photography full time has been new to me. In this unit, I think I have performed well, as concentrating on a solo project has broadened my horizons and allowed me to capture people and places that I never thought I could. I think my studio shoot worked better than I imagined. I turned up feeling very unprepared, but realised halfway through that everything I had planned was working, and the project seamlessly came together alongside editing techniques.

When I received the brief, I found the shutter speed and aperture assignments very dull and bland. Having these assignments, however, has made me go out and try to capture normal, everyday life using these two incentives. Starting off small has definitely made me think more about my composition and strategy when photographing. I was pretty clued up about shutter speed before I started, but the aperture assignment has given me some knowledge that I didn’t previously have.

My shutter speed images definitely helped me learn more about shutter speeds and what I could capture that was new to me. I always thought about light and movement when photographing using slow shutter speeds, but felt I still stuck to this rather than trying new things like water and landscapes.

Assignment one of the aperture brief educated me a lot, too. I knew the basics as to the concept of the aperture, but never gave it a second thought as to the effects that could be obtained through varying the aperture. However, I found assignment two (foreground to background) especially difficult, as I felt I was just sticking to landscapes, rather than experimenting with photographing things close up as opposed to landscapes and cityscapes.

The studio workshops were a massive help to me, I was a complete novice to studio work, and so had no idea what half the stuff was that John was talking about. However, I soon picked it up and managed to grasp all the basics, and necessary knowledge, before my Barry M product shoot.

My studio shoot went well, considering it was my first time photographing a product. I chose to photograph a product for this reason, as I had previously concentrated on a lot of portrait work. What’s the point of being at university if you stick to what you know for three years? I found the lighting was quite easy to master when I had the guidance of John and the help of my assistant. The typography worked well too, and I now know how to place business logos onto photographs to make them look genuine thanks to a few online tutorials and friendly advice!

Going ‘back to basics’ has definitely helped me grasp new knowledge of shutter speed and aperture, I think that if I had jumped into the deep end and tried to produce something amazing, I wouldn’t have learnt so much photographically. However, I feel like my time setting skills need improving, as I found myself attempting to produce the photographs for most assignments within a short time frame (i.e. one photo shoot). Going out more than once, which I realised was needed later on, helped me understand the assignments more and made for better photographs. I also need to improve my organisation skills, as I have had to spend a few hours organising files into sections to make my work more presentable electronically as I have a habit of chucking my work anywhere because I am so keen to edit.

Final Shutter Speed Images

Barry M Product Final

After conducting the poll on Facebook, I came to the conclusion that this photograph was the best one for my final image regarding my studio session. The composition of the shot is just right, and the words reflect the intention behind my photograph.

Assignment Four - Shallow

f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 160

f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 1250

Assignment Three - Foreground vs Background

f/1.8, 1/200, ISO 1250

f/4.5, 1/4000, ISO 1250

f/5.6, 1/125, ISO 160

f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200

f/4.5, 1/2500, ISO 200

f/3.5, 1/250, ISO 320

Assignment Two - Foreground and Background

f/25, 1/80, ISO 1250

f/22, 1/125, ISO 100

f/22, 1/125, ISO 200

f/25, 1/160, ISO 200

f/22, 1/160, ISO 200

Assignment One

I really enjoyed this task, and now know off-by-heart the traditional f/stops on a DLSR camera! I took a series of photographs using the traditional f/stops, as my camera also has the function of half and third stops, to show the different in depth of field according to aperture. My favourite photograph from the assignment is f/2, as I love the shallow depth of field which has made the background almost mosaic like in appearence and compliments the image really well.

Edited in PhotoShop CS5, text used for f/stop title 'Throw My Hands Up in the Air'

Blackpool!

f/5.6, 1/5, ISO 1250

f/22, 4", ISO 100

f/22, 15", ISO 100

f/29, 5", ISO 100

f/25, 5", ISO 100

f/25, 5", ISO 100

f/25, 5", ISO 100

f/22, 5", ISO 100

f/22, 5", ISO 100

f/25, 5", ISO 100

f/18, 5", ISO 100

Digital Rev Article

Just stumbled across an awesome Digital Rev article by Ken Cheung, on the three basic elements of photography; ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.

http://www.digitalrev.com/article/understanding-the-three-basic-elements/NDI4NzI5MzY_A

"Depending on which way you look at it, it can be argued that photography has either not changed at all since its inception, or has changed more than a Chinese whisper shared between the cast of Glee."

I have recorded some really good ideas from this article, as well as some information that I did not know before reading! 

Exposure

Exposure is the basic element of any photography taken and recorded. Essentially, exposure is how much light the shot was exposed to. Without light, there is no picture! Exposure is determined by three essential elements; Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed which all work together on a camera.

Aperture

Aperture is the setting which controls the size of the opening of light which comes through to the lens. Normally, this is controlled by the aperture blades which can be controlled by the photographer. The smaller the aperture, the less light is let through, visa versa.

Aperture is measured in f-stops, for example f/2.8 etc. The smaller the f-stop number, the larger the opening, therefore more light is let in. This is why sharper lenses with lower f-stops (e.g. f/1.4) are normally more expensive than a similar lens which cannot match the same aperture. The important thing I have learnt to remember from reading this article is that for every one stop the aperture is stepped down, the light being let in is doubled!

Shutter Speed

Shutter Speed is something I am familiar with because of my previous photography experience. The number of the shutter speed e.g. 1/1000, relates to the time the shutter is left open in seconds, so 1/1000 would be a thousandth of a second. Using shutter speed can either capture a subject blurred or sharp when moving.

ISO

ISO is something I have always been confused about, and all I knew was that a higher ISO meant more grain! ISO is measured on my 60D from 100, 200, 400 etc. A lower number means less grain.

Increasing the ISO would be typical in a low light situation such as gig location or nightlife. I have used a really high ISO for photographing bands before.

Movement of People (Shutter Speed)

Sat on a bench in the middle Manchester, and I always wonder why people seem in such a rush. I leisurely pace through Manchester, admiring all the buildings and constructions in awe, with photography in mind 24/7. Thought the hustle and bustle of people seemed like an awesome idea to photograph using slow shutter speed, so I gave it a go!

All in all, I think this worked really well considering it was a first attempt at ever doing this! I love the movement of some people more than others, as some people walk faster, or slower than others! I think though, that using a tripod would have been better for this shoot, as I had to rest the camera on my knee which meant that some of the still subjects like the Clarks shop in the background were slightly blurred.

Studio Shoot Review

I posted my three final images on Facebook, and asked which people preferred in terms of composition, text and overall presentation.

Edit A 

This was the first photograph I edited, and where I first formed the idea for the composition of the advert. I downloaded the logo for Barry M, Superdrug and Boots and placed them alongside the text to create the information of the advert. I decided that my advert would contain a word relating to the dark colours of the nail varnish, and thought words relating to the word 'sexy' and 'beautiful' would be best. I thought of the three words 'alluring', 'enchanting' and 'enticing'

I used the word 'alluring' for this particular shot because of the space that I had. I originally had all of the text white, with the exception of the logos, but then I thought that turning the keyword into the same colour as the Barry M logo would work well and make the word stand out.

The feedback I got from this shot was positive. Everyone said they liked the word but some people said they thought the shot was a bit too simple, and looked like the products had just been placed there without any proper thought.

Edit B

I chose the word 'enchanting' because of the connotations. Enchanting reminds me of witches and dark sorcery, which is what the colours represent.

People generally loved the setup of this shot, and thought the word worked well. The only negative feedback I have is from myself, as I think that the grey nail varnish on the left hand side doesn't fit in with the overall setup. It appears to be misplaced and doesn't match the colour scheme of 'dark'.

Edit C

People also liked the composition of this photograph because of the way the necklace hung over the nail paint bottle, but a lot of people didn't know what the word meant. Therefore, if I decided to use this photograph, I will change the word to either 'enchanting' or 'alluring'.

Experimentation with Shallow Depth of Field

I have just done some small experimentation with shallow depth of field to gain an insight into what it needs and contains. I decided to photograph a line of nail varnishes, in line with my studio project, to look at lighting as well, which will influence my studio session.

f/1.8

I decided to use a selection of nail varnish to see what colours worked best, as well as fufilling my assignment for shallow depth of field.

f/1.8

I came to the conclusion that using darker colour nail varnishes would benefit my intentions of promoting my product in a studio environment. The gold nail polish barely showed the logo, and I do not want to spend all my time in the studio on attempting to make the writing stand out!

Proposal for Studio Session

I have chosen to photograph a variety of nail paints by the brand, Barry M. The main reason I have chosen to photograph a product rather than a portrait is because I want this brief to be a challenge.  I have photographed a lot of studio portraits before, so photographing a product will be something different, and will allow me to gain many more skills.

I have done some research into the promotional photography used by Barry M, and have come to the conclusion they tend to use white backgrounds to compliment the vibrant colours of the nail varnishes.

Both photographs have been sourced from the Barry M website. These photographs have been successful in complimenting and making the bright colours of the nail varnish stand out. In the top photograph, the use of sweets has made the nail varnishes look more feminine, which attracts the target audience. I prefer the use of setting for the bottom photograph rather than the top, as the slight reflection of the nail varnishes in the surface underneath the set up makes the photograph visually appealing.

Both photographs look like they have been lit by multiple lights, so that the lighting is evenly distributed, but still produces highlights on the bottles. The tops of the nail varnish bottles are highlighted white, which suggests a light over the top of the set. The sides of the bottles are also highlighted with a white glow, more so on left side, as I can see small shadows to the right. This suggests a main and slave light, that lights the bottle in an interesting way.

When researching into product photography of nail varnishes, I came to the conclusion that it would also be an idea to look at the photographic work of competitors and see how they try and capture their product. I found this photograph by the beauty company ‘Opi’ and recorded a lot of differences in how they present their products. This was part of a short video, showing the nail varnishes dropping from the applicator down to the bottom of the page. I think this looks good, as it shows the nail varnishes in a different light. The black background also have given me the idea of using a black, mirrored surface to take photographs of darker nail varnish colours, as I think this compliment the product fittingly.

I have also looked at the advertisements used on the high street to attract customers to buy their products. I saw this advert by Rimmel’s Lycra Pro Nail Polish, and saw the alternative way that advertisements would be used. The use of a model would be beneficial when advertising nail varnish, but could distract the viewer away from the nail varnishes themselves and towards the model. However, I like the simple product shots in the bottom right of the advertisement, as they emphasise the product and give the viewer some more information about how it will benefit them.

All the lighting techniques I have seen have seemingly used multiple lights to control shadows but also give depth to the shots. However, I think this would be a good opportunity to experiment with side and back lighting, to test how I can alter shadows and see if they present my product more professionally. Instead of photographing bright and vibrant nail varnishes, like Barry M themselves, I want to photograph darker shades. Photographing darker shades means I can take a more ‘grunge’ angle to this photo shoot, combining dark backgrounds with side lighting to create a rock effect.

To progress with my studio shoot, I will need a black background, two to three lights with diffusers and certain boxes and podiums that I can place my nail paints on. I will provide the nail paints and podiums myself.



The Wagon Wheels

So, this weekend I photographed two bands on location; The Wagon Wheels and Jefferson Starship. I wanted to capture shutter speeds and movement in a gig location!

This shot was captured at 1/20, which made the instrument move, whilst the band members head and body were still. I think this gave a really good effect. A lot of the shots I took on Friday night at the photoshoot were blurred because of the movement of the band members mid shot, meaning some of the photographs were ruined by lots of blur.



Lighting Techniques Practice

During the lighting workshop, we experimented with all the types of lighting I researched, to see which we liked.



Butterfly

Butterfly lighting creates the shadow of a seemingly flying butterfly underneath the nose. Using this technique without a reflector didn't look to good, but for fashion or catalogue shots, using the butterfly technique with a reflector placed under the chin would look professional and compliment the model well.

Reflector at the side



Reflector under the chin

We then looked at Rembrandt lighting, used by the painter to capture his subjects. I think this was the most flattering use of studio lighting, as it lit all aspects of the face!

Rembrandt



Rembrandt with reflector

Unlike the previous technique, I prefer ths technique without the use of a reflector. I think the shadows cast define the models facial features well, without drawing too much attention away due to the lack of light.

Side

Side lighting was one of the most dramatic forms of studio lighting that I had come across before and used during my A Levels, so I knew how to set up the lights and what sort of effect it would produce. However, I never anticipated that using a reflector would make the shadows less harsh and produce a nicer effect. You learn something new everyday!



Side with reflector

However, in this photograph the positioning of the reflector let down the vision I had for the photograph. If the reflector was angled more to the side of the models face rather than in front of it, the left side of the face would not have been so light, which reduces the dramatic effect a lot! If I was to take this shot again, I would either change the position of the reflector or change the intensity of the light source.

Hollywood

Hollywood with reflector

This type of lighting was originally used in the 30's and 40's for films and photography, to create an almost surreal and sinister vibe! I am not to fond on this lighting technique, however, I can appreciate that for some forms of photography, i.e rock magazines, dark fashion shots etc., it could look very visually exciting!

Broad with reflector

Broad

Broad lighting was my favourite form of lighting we experimented with today, I just love how the model is looking off to one side whilst the light creates interesting shadows on his face and torso. I also prefer this technique without the aid of a reflector, as I believe the balance of the shadows is just right!

Short

Short with reflector

This lighting technique is just reverse to what broad is, but making the light hit the models face straight on. I do like light like this, however, I think broad gives a good effect compared with short.