My plans for this shoot are to implement what I have learnt about colour theory and the different effects that can be gained from specific colour combinations. I will be shooting using a macro lens and so won't require planning a location shoot. I am hoping to use a low F-stop to concentrate the viewers focus onto the image. As I will be shooting in the studio I will need a tripod, remote release, Macro lens, and depending on the lighting a torch. I will be more conscientious with the lighting in this shoot as the lighting in the nail varnish shoot was an area requiring improvement.
Research Influences:
My inspiration for this shoot was a woman called Isabella Day - a Goldsmith situated in Birmingham. She shoots through her jewelers hoop which consequently magnifies her subjects, sometimes a spider from her garden or more pertinently the items of jewelry she is crafting. It is the shots of her jewelry that intrigued me as she has a talent for finding angles that hint at abstraction till the viewer's eyes can process the image.
Image Bank:
Contact Sheets:
Images that need improvement:
DS7_7295.JPG:
Much like most shoots the first few images aren't up to standard as there may be some unforeseen circumstances that arise when starting shooting. Unfortunately this image was framed poorly as I was shooting in Macro as so was unable to change the focal length. The solution to this issue was to change the positioning of the camera on the tripod so that the lens was closer to the glitter.
DS7_7306.JPG:
Much like the image before, this image has am incorrect focal length and so instead of the whole image being of glitter it is possible to see the edges and the card I was shooting on. Another issue that I had during this shoot was that the automatic focusing on the lens was incapable of focusing as there were no lines or edges. This meant that I had to manually focus my images from this image onwards. Another issue that arose after this one was that when I was focusing the camera I has to use LIVE VIEW (which is sometimes unreliable in it's representation of the images) due to the angle at which I was shooting.
DS7_7311.JPG:
My camera was set to APERTURE PRIORITY which meant that the camera controlled the correct exposure to the aperture I set. This meant that when I set the F-stop and shot the image using the light of a torch the exposure was too long or I shone too much light on the image. This meant that the final product was too bright and unuseable. I was reviewing my images as I was shooting so that I could change the length of time I shone the torch, as is evident in the contact sheet above the following images were improved.
Happy Mistake:
DS7_7321.JPG:
As stated previously I was experiencing issues with the auto-focus and so had to focus manually. This meant that when I shot this image the shot is out of focus as I had yet to adjust it. I don't consider this image as a mistake, simply a happy accident as the Bokeh effect creates a hazy relaxed attitude that is rarely attributed to the colours black and white clashing.
Best Images:
I like this first image due to the angle of the light casting shadows, this creates the illusion that there is more than one colour of glitter in the image. The bright pink of the glitter implies that there is a joyous atmosphere and the brighter specs suggest a string of lights for a celebration. This image creates a calm and relaxed feeling within the viewer despite the bright colours.
The above two images are similar with slight changes in the lighting and the purple in both the images creates a soothing atmosphere. Originally the colour purple was incredibly difficult to create in textiles and so was reserved for royalty or the incredibly wealthy. Imagining a powerful ruler from an ancient time roaming in the deep pigment of purple creates an air of power and dignity that the colour still possess today. The effect of this on the viewer is that they are transfixed on seeking out the different shades and tones of purple in the images, particularly the second image.
For this shot I wanted to employ what I had learnt about harmonious colours. Despite the pink in the bottom right corner being brighter than the others they all sit comfortably next to one another. The effect of this on the viewer is intriguing as the eye searches for where one colour stops an another starts however, as there is a small amount of cross over making the distinction between them is relatively difficult which leads to the viewer staying engaged with the image.
The black on the left looks cool and collected which creates an atmosphere of sophistication where emotions are muted yet still expressed in the highlights and the shadows. This contrasts the other side which is comprised of a small type of glitter that enables the light more resulting in bright highlight, and the shadows are lost in the mix due to their small size. The effect of this is the left (black) is more mature and the right is more juvenile due to the readiness of the gold to express unadulterated joy and delite.
A03: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
My main idea in this shoot was to combine colours using my knowledge of colour theory and my research into Isabella Day. Due to her profession, it is necessary for Day to have knowledge of which colours are harmonious and which colours clash (contrasting colours) as she sets precious gems to ensure they are attractive to her customers. I used an F-stop of 22 as I wanted to capture all of the sequins in focus however I believe that this held back some of my images as they seemed 'flat' and the depth of field was so high. If I was to complete this shoot again I would aim to shoot at different angles, perhaps using piles of glitter to provide a foreground and background resulting in more depth to in my images.
A02: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
I wanted my subject for this shoot to be reminiscent of the gems and precious stones that Day uses in her craft on a daily basis, however I also wanted to maintain the fluidity of the fist shoot involving nail varnish. Consequently I chose to use glitter as it is comprised of small pieces and yet still moves in a similar manner to a liquid.
For this shoot I used the small pot of glitter in a studio as it would have been impractical to shoot outside. This also meant that I was able to use a macro lens which requires a tripod and remote release as to no move the camera while taking a shot. Due to the position of the camera and my need to use manual focusing I encountered an issue, the camera was point towards the ground to photograph the table and I believe this caused the lens to slip slightly out of focus due to gravity.
If I were to shoot this again I would like to experiment more with different F-stops so that the images aren't as 'flat' and have varying depth. I would also like to shoot again using different colours so that I can experiment with contrasting colours.
A01: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
To relate this shoot to my theme of selected colour I will edit the images using photoshop to create both GIF and selected colour stills. For this shoot I was mindful of the colours I was using to keep to the harmonious colours that Isabella Day uses in her work.
To begin I opened all RAW files in Photoshop and used the slider to change the exposure, highlight and shadows etc.
Once I had edited all images individually I layer them over one another to create an image with multiple colours within it.
This image was too dark and so I flattened the image and then used the RAW file filter again and changed the exposure, highlight and contrast.
I then used the channel mixed and isolated the colours respectively.
I then copied and pasted all of the images into one image file so they were presented as multiple layers.
I then click WINDOW and then TIMELINE to create a timeline at the bottom of the page.
Then once all of the layers had become frames I changed the time frame to 0.2 of a second to smoothly change from one image to another.
Once I had all of my images to the same time frame I then export the GIF and saved it onto my computer.
Final Images:
A04: Present a personal and meaningful response that realizes intentions and, where appropriate, makes appropriate connections between visual and other elements.
For this project I am investigating selected colour and I believe this shoot was successful in furthering that investigation as it incorporated multiple colours and utilised what I had learnt of colour theory. If I were to shoot this again I would like to experiment more with F-stop and different perspectives/ angles.
Progression:
In my next shoot I would like to incorporate my first shoot with nail varnish and this one to combine the liquid and the almost liquid made up of particles. I believe this would be successful as it would allow me to concentrate on selecting a colour to isolate in the images. I would also like to further my knowledge in Photoshop in regards to editing my images with only one colour present to hone the viewers attention on the focal point of the image.
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