Work Record Four: Buttons

Work Record Four: Buttons 

Plans for shoot:
From my last shoot I learnt how difficult it is shooting a subject that has no clear point of interest, therefore in this shoot I have elected to use buttons as my subject. By using buttons I will be able to control the composition more easily that working with glitter and nail varnish which both act as liquids. 

I will be shooting in macro and so will be based indoors. 

Research Influences:
My research influence is a photographer called Caroline South, of Sussex UK. Most of her work is studio based as he collects different objects she finds on her travels and arranges them into soothing compositions that change in gradients. 

She is incredibly talent in her sense of colours and how different colour schemes fit together. Despite no formal education in photography she has studied 3D ceramics at the Institute of Art and Design in Surrey. 

Image Bank:

Contact Sheets:

 Images that require improvement
DS_7483.JPG:
Due to the fact that I was using a torch to light these images I changed the positioning in every shot and so this has created small differences. In this specific shot the torch was too close to the buttons and so caused a large amount of glare on the buttons which I dislike. I will not be re-shoot as it is evident in the pictures that follow, that this was an isolated issue. 

DS7_7492.JPG:
As the buttons had defined edges I assumed that the camera automatic focusing would be able to focus, generally speaking it was able to keep up but there were a few times when it too a shot out of focus. Much like the other mistake, this is a singular issue and so I won't need to review this shoot. 

DS7_7540.JPG:
To capture this shot I had to place the tripod on a chair which meant the legs couldn't fully expand resulting in a rickety tripod standing on a rickety chair. This meant there was a large amount of camera shake; to resolve this I began using a remote release as this would mean minimal movement while the shot was being taken. As it visible above, the following shots are in focus and so I will not need to re-shoot. 

Best Images:

A03:Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress. 

My main intention for this shoot were to arrange buttons in an aesthetically pleasing way, relevant to the manner in which to Caroline South. The last images of the different coloured buttons arranged into a square is skewed as it is extremely difficult to create a square out of circles and if I were to do this again I would arrange them inside of a box to keep the square shape. My research into Caroline South is incredibly useful in providing inspiration both before the shoot and during the editing process. South physically arranges the objects she photographs and this has inspired me to digitally arrange my images in Photoshop.

A02: Explore and select appropriate resources, media , materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops. 

In order to prepare for this shoot I had to organise a large box of buttons into seperate colours and also source a silver piece of card to arrange them on. I did consider white card as it would allow the colours to stand out on their own, however I wanted the buttons to move more fluidly between one colour and the next. 

As I was using a Macro lens I used a remote release and a tripod. I considered using a torch for light in the first few contact sheets, but it resulted in the lighting being too harsh and so opted for natural light. This created less reflection on the shining surface of every button. This shoot relates to selective colour as Caroline South is very particular in the items she uses in her images and so I wanted to attempt her style in this shoot. I believe I have been successful, especially in the last contact sheet as I spent a large amount of time creating a gradient between the colours as to create a smooth transition. 

I did have to change my plan when I attempted to shoot this image as I underestimate the high that would be necessary to capture a birds-eye-view of this scene which lead to both me and the tripod/ camera standing on a chair. This caused a large amount of camera shake which I resolved by using a remote release. 

A01: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding. 

To improve my image I will edit them in Photoshop. 

First I opened the RAW files and used the sliders to change the settings. I then opened the files into Photoshop. 

I then wanted to arrange my images into a grid in a similar manner to Caroline South's work as this displays the vibrancy of the colours and also the differences in connotations. 

To do this I opened a new document in Photoshop with a Width of 50.8 cm and a height of 33.87 cm. I then copied (CTRL + C) and pasted (CTRL + V)the individual images into the new document as layers. I then used transform function (CTRL +F) and changed the size of the images while holding the SHIFT key so that the aspect ratio remains constant.  After completing this with all four images I them flattened the image and saved the JPG. Here is the final product:

Final images:

A04: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intention and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

I believe that this shoot was successful in response to my investigation into selected colour. My main focus for this shoot was to highlight the individual effects of colours individually and when paired with other colours. This shoot was vital in this investigation as it allowed me to investigate different colours together in a capacity that I was unable to in previous shoots due to the solid nature buttons. The effect of this is that I was able to distinguish between the different tones within each colour; being able to visually demonstrate the different tones within each colour provides more depth to the images. 

My research into Caroline South was informative in providing inspiration in both the composition of my images and also the different subjects available. I elected not to use beads in this shoot as I felt it would be too difficult and uneconomical to separate the different colours. I also chose to continue with buttons as they layer over each other creating shadows and highlights resulting in more depth in the images.

Progression:

For my next shoot I would like to continue my macro theme while furthering my investigating into colour combinations. In my next shoot I will make the GIF slower than 0.2 seconds per frame as I feel that the images flash by too quickly for the viewer to properly appreciate them.