Evaluating Digital Imagery

 

For the final task for our digital imagery assignment, we were told to evaluate a couple of photographers images that have been edited with various different digital imaging techniques. After spending a few months focusing on our own personal skill and development within digital imagery in photography, it was now time to focus on other photographers work and the way they produce their images and what we could learn and gain from their unique techniques.

The first photographer I wanted to include within my evaluation of other photographers is Adde Adesokan. Not classed as a 'well-known' photographer, but I wanted to use someone that produces something different within their photography, and not just a photographer who follows the trends of others. Adde Adesokan is a self taught street and travel photographer, and I really wanted to focus on his series of images named, 'Triptychs of Strangers'. During our own assignment we touched on both street and triptych photography which ties in nicely with this photographer and series of images. Ever since producing my own triptych image, I have been fascinated with all the different types of triptych images around. I love the way Adesokan has used people as the pinnacle within his images, taking three separate personality matching body shots and making them one. Usually set out as landscape, he has set these out in portrait with the overall images being visually interesting and technically brilliant. Using this technique to his full potential, he has used a mixture of both colour and black and white to best suit the image. He also creates a story behind each series of images he produces, creating almost something that we can all relate to within atleast one image. Camera angles are also important and he takes into consideration what he wants to get across to his audience with the way he positions his camera and reveals what he only wants us to see with the use of natural lighting and the involvement of street photography as his simple yet effective backdrop. He doesn't necessarily use any fancy techniques on Photoshop to edit the image, instead he uses triptych as his main focus to produce creative images that stands out from anything else.

 

Below are three of my favourite triptych images from Adde Adesokan's Triptych portfolio

 

Secondly I wanted to include a fashion image that has been through the process of Photoshop. One of my favourite fashion photographers, Chris Nicholls produces the highest quality fashion shoots, with the sharpest and smoothest of images. The images that would be best to talk about for this evaluation process is a couple from my favourite selection from Flare Magazine and the edit, 'The New Wave'. These images have a very graphic design feel about them, in which Nicholls' has used levels to enhance the colours of the original image and smoothed the skin. He has also used the clone tool within Photoshop to clone the model and her outline whilst he duplicates the layer to create an extra two of the model. He has then placed these within the background each side of the original image of the model. I am not completely sure on how he has produced the duplicate copies as a block colour and used as pop art, but it really gives the image a very artistic feel about it which is perfect for advertisement and publication purposes.
 

Again, cloning has been used for the last 3rd of the image, with a tint of blue. This gives an extra pop of colour to the very low saturated, almost black and white image, something very simple but sometimes its not always about using a variety of different edits or involving as much as you can within the image, something as little of a splash of colour as the shadow of the image is all that it needs. This is a very strong image, and I believe Nicholls didn't spend very long on editing it. With the model being lit up from all angles in the studio, rather than just from one side, it allows us to see each detail of the model and the image without any unnecessary shadowing or harsh lines. With the added brightness and levels he has used to bring out the darker colours in the models clothing against the very pale skin of the model allows him to keep the image how he first shot it without removing any of the natural texture of the hair and eyes.

 

Digital imagery and the use of Photoshop to create these techniques is used in many circumstances, whether that be for fashion, beauty purposes, magazine or advertisement publications, a landscape or a still life image, digital imagery is everywhere we look, but its what the photographer has used within post production of image editing that counts and that transforms an image by the technique being used.

Digital Imagery - Montage

At the moment I am posting a lot of digital imagery blogs, due to the fact that they are all part of an assignment that I have been set, which is due in this week. One of the last imagery techniques that I am going to blog about is called, 'Montage'. I had never actually used montage before, as it is definitely more of a graphic design type of technique that is used, but I was very excited to get going with it to see what I could produce in a small amount of time.

Our task was to produce a triathlon poster that consisted of the three spots involved within a triathlon, swim, cycle and run. I'm quite a big sports fan so I wanted to use images that stood out for me and that would best represent the triathlon. The process of placing the images and fading them out to merge within the image was a challenge as I didn't want the three images to overlap too much, so I re-sized them and placed them all towards the centre which worked well. Because the background was blue, from using the swimming image as the main background, I wanted to incorporate blue into the other images to bring all the elements of the poster together as one.

 

 

My poster is below

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am really pleased with my final outcome and I feel I have produced a poster that promotes the triathlon aswell as showing the work and the specific techniques that have gone into creating a poster like this. I have always loved the art and design side of photography or other creative means, which I put into practice here to produce a poster that incorporates montage in my own individual way.

Spring Time

As spring has now arrived, I thought I'd photograph something that represents spring to us all.

Flowers!

Now that winter is leaving us, flowers start to appear everywhere, especially around my house. I have a beautiful blossom tree that grows in my front garden, and this year its grown a month early, aswell as some tulips that have grown underneath! So I thought id take the opportunity in taking my camera out the house with me and photographing these lovely flowers before they start to disappear... and whilst the sun is still shining!

I used my Nikon with just my kit lens (18-55) for these images, as that was what worked best for me and I felt I got the best images from shooting with this specific lens. Below are some of my favourite images that include both detail and colour, aswell as natural lighting and depth of field.

 

 

 

Digital Imaging - Pseudo HDR

After creating my HDR (High Dynamic Range) images, we were also told to look at Pseudo HDR, which i guess in a way, is the cheat version of HDR photography. HDR is the technique of using various images to produce one final outcome with 1 underexposed image, one normal exposed image and one over exposed image. Although this is only limited to 3 frames, you are able to use as many frames as you want to get the desired outcome. Comparing this to Pseudo HDR, which is the technique of using just one image or frame and creating HDR within it. So in other words, Pseudo HDR is the easy way of creating a HDR effect..!!

I have already created my HDR images for that specific technique and weekly task, so I thought it was time I tried out just using Pseudo HDR to see the difference in effect on the image and if it worked just as well if I were to use 3 frames, rather than just the 1.


The image below is my original image, taken by using just the natural light, at 400 ISO and F11 and the aperture at 4.2. I shot in RAW to capture the detail within the landscape and environment around it, to give it a clear, crisp image and so I had a lot to work with when creating a Pseudo HDR image. I really like the way this image as come out, it makes a nice image of its own, but lacks colour and contrast aswell as some of the detail that needs to be recovered.

If we compare the original image to the one below, there is a lot of difference. Below is my edited Pseudo HDR image. I have purposely edited this to quite a large extent to show you what Pseudo HDR can do to an image of just one single frame. I popped this image into Photoshop and started to create my HDR image using specific techniques to make it look the way it does. I used specific techniques such as increasing the contrast, brightness and saturation to remove the dullness of the image. I then used levels and  highlight and shadow recovery with increasing the midtones of the image slightly to recover as much detail as possible lost in the original image and really make each part of the image stand out.

I am so pleased with how my final image looks and its amazing what you can do to an image by using just one single frame. This image could pass as a normal HDR image with the merging of many images, rather than the cheat way of Pseudo HDR!

Tim Burton Style Photoshoot

 

On Friday, Some of the Media Make-Up students had a final project to complete, which was producing something in the style of Tim Burton. There were around 15 students, which meant 15 models to shoot, all relating to different themes and unique ideas. When I first started working with the media make-up students, it was definitely and very new and interesting experience. With the students being on the same floor as us, we are able to easily contact one another with help for photographing for their portfolios and the MUA to produce any request of make-up we need for our personal photo-shoots. After looking through my images when I got home, there were a certain set of images that really stood out for me and they were the strongest images from the bunch I had previously shot. Named, 'The Skeleton', I was really excited about shooting this specific model because it was the model that most stood out for me. I don't know whether it was because she was dressed in all white against a black backdrop or because of the attention to detail of the transformation, but it was definitely the transformation that was definitely my favourite.

I edited my images only very slightly, just to bring the detail out on the skin and to really emphasise the hair and each strand that was out of place. I am so pleased with how these images have come out, after quite a long afternoon, and this was the last model to be shot, it was definitely worth the wait to capture these stunning images, for not only my benefit but to do the work of the MUA justice through these images.

 

  

 

 

I hope you love these images as much as I do!

X

Digital Imaging - Iconic Image

I have been struggling for a while to think of how I can re-create an iconic image. I have spent days thinking of what image would be good to re-create and that has some meaning behind it. After a good old think, I actually came up with the idea of re-creating or capturing an image from Harry Potter. Being a big fan of all things Harry Potter and my generation being the generation growing up with it when I was little, it was sort of something that was part of my childhood, going into my teenage years, and that was also close to home.

Parts of the first two films of Harry Potter were filmed in Lacock, and with it only being a 5 minute drive from where I live, back in 2001 and 2002, my family and I spent hours in Lacock on the evenings it was being filmed to see if we could get a glimpse of some of the cast. I saw a couple of heads, but it was hard to see a lot with everyone else trying to catch a glimpse of the cast, but a couple of heads was enough for me, just to even say I was there was definitely an experience!!

Some of the very first scenes of Harry Potter were filmed in the centre of Lacock, and I wanted to capture a moment that was very iconic in the film. So I decided to pick rather than inside the Abbey where classroom scenes were filmed, I was going to shoot the house of Harry Potters parents and the scene of the exterior.

The image below is the original image in the film (sorry its not very clear!!)

And here is my image (taken in the day!)

For this image below, I tried to use my shadow as the shadow of 'Voldemort' to get it as close as possible to the original image.

I also shot other significant buildings which made an impact in the film, which were Lacock Abbey and Cantax House, used in the Half Blood Prince  as Prof. Slughorns house.

 

 

If you ever get the chance to go to Lacock or if you are just passing by, its a lovely small historic village that is so nice to walk round. I hope you like my images as much as I do.


X

Digital Imaging - HDR

Another digital imaging task up on my blog today, this time its HDR photography - in other words 'High Dynamic Range' photography. HDR is a process and technique in photography that combines either one image, or a series of images in which they are merged together and adjusted, by changing and improving the contrast ratios, which are impossible to produce through a single shot image and its aperture and shutter speed. HDR photography is in a sense, images merged together to create one. But these images are of the same scene, but all at different shutter speeds. It can range from 1 image, to anything around 10 of the same image but all of different exposures. In other words, an overexposed image, a normal exposed image and a underexposed image. Once we pop these images into Photoshop, the process should bring out all the detail from the shadows and highlights that would be impossible to shoot from just one single shot from the lens, from all three images bought together to create a scene or a final image that really produces a striking and intricate photograph.

I actually used an image I shot from Buscot Park last year as it looked like the perfect image to work with when producing a HDR image. I created my final image from 4 different images, one underexposed, one overexposed, one unedited image and one which I just increased the brightness and contrast slightly so I had 4 images to work with.

 

 

To create something that looked like this...

I am very pleased with this image, apart from the sky which I think looks too edited and almost like a painting, so I need to practice getting the detail balanced well on all parts of the image to make it look detailed as a whole. But other than that I couldn't be happier with my final image. The detail on the grass is amazing and I cant believe how different this image looks from my single images above and what it can produce when combining images together. I cant wait to be using more of this technique in my work and it was a technique I was definitely most excited about trying out after being set the task!


Until next time guys! :)

x

Digital Imaging - Focus Stacking

Another one of our weekly digital imaging tasks was to produce an image that involves focus stacking. Focus stacking is a technique used in which you can create a deep depth of field by combining a couple of different images within one image all with different focus points. When combining these images together, it will create an image with a variety of depth of fields which is impossible to create when shooting just one image. Focus stacking is most useful in both close-up and macro photography as opposed to anything else, since because we are using a high f-stop it often prevents us from gathering everything in focus if we were to photograph anything else.

I actually found this technique rather difficult, as I have never actually used this technique before in my photography, so it was definitely a challenge for me, but one that I was willing to try and do the best I could at it. I decided to shoot a close-up of a flower, due to the detail and how close I could get to shooting it to get the best focus stacking I could. I layered on a couple of images, to create different depths of fields and to demonstrate the use of focus stacking in the photography world.

Below is my image.

I was actually very pleased with how my image turned out. I believe it includes both focus stacking, different and a variety of depth of field and it is also a very striking and colourful image which is off centre (which I did deliberately!) to include the depth of field within the background and to give it a more artistic and interesting look. It was a very useful and important skill and technique to understand and learn how to do, especially for future jobs or assignments. I will definitely be practicing this technique within different situations and shooting different subjects, as it will take a few more times to get it completely right.


Laura x

Digital Imaging - Triptych Photography

Triptych is the technique used when photographs or images are arranged as three separate images with a common or similar theme running through them and produced into one image with a plain border between the three images. It can also be used as one image, split into three. Triptych is a photographic style and technique that is used widely in the photography world and mostly in modern commercial work. 

 

I had never actually tried triptych until we were set it for a weekly assignment, so I thought id give it my best shot (I didn't know where to start!!). I decided on using three separate images, rather than one image and separating them into three as it looked a lot more like the modern day triptych style. I used three images of some blossom which was growing outside my house on a blossom tree and shot three different angles to create a nice group of images that would complement each other when I used them for my triptych. I also converted them all into black and white to make them stand out and I think it really brings out the detail in the flowers, especially with added contrast. I arranged them as the images with the black background on the outside and the image in the middle with the white background to balance the whole image out, and I decided against the plain boarder between the three as I much preferred the image without boarders!

 

 

 

 

I'm actually really happy with how these images have come out and how good they look together as a triptych image, especially in black and white and I could definitely see the difference in how effective the image looks in black and white, rather than in colour and after I added in some contrast and brightness to it. I am very pleased with my first attempt and I will definitely be using this technique again. perhaps next time with one image, and splitting them into three.


Another blog will be up soon! :)
x

Digital Imagery - Food (Jamie Oliver Style!)

I have been so busy with assignment deadlines and laptop troubles in the past few weeks that I have only just got round to completing my digital imagery tasks which are being set for another assignment! But as I say, better late than never and I am getting round to doing them :) For this task we had to photograph 'Food'. This can be anything including food, my favourite food, a theme to do with food or food I haven't tried before. I decided to focus on the idea around Jamie Oliver and his 15 minute meals. If you have ever watched this programme you know that Jamie Oliver presents his food on a cookery board rather than the usual plate. It really makes the food stand out, and he presents it in a really creative and imaginative way. different from any other chef. So I wanted to do my own take on this.

I wanted to create my own, 'Fruit and Veg' board with the fruit and veg I had handy in my house! I used to love art at school so I took my artistic skills and produced a creative board, similar to the one like Jamie Oliver would produce with a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables arranged around the board

I actually also really love working with low saturation on my images and really think that it brings out a lot of detail that is either hidden or what we don't recognise when we add contrast and brightness to our images. Instead, I increased the contrast, decreased the brightness slightly and really decreased the saturation and I really prefer this bottom image..

Ill be blogging again in the next few days!

Laura xx

The Liebster Award

 

Thank you Dannielle for the nomination! Here are my answers to your questions :)


Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging as part of our college assignment and I will definitely be carrying on for my own personal improvement now we have officially handed in our blog to be marked.

Best and worst trait about yourself?
My best trait would be that I am a very caring person and my worst trait about me would be, that I'm always late (I'm not sure if this is a trait but its something that even annoys myself haha!)

Where is your favourite place you've been to in the whole world?
Id have to say either Barcelona or Austria - both being the complete opposite to each other, they were absolutely beautiful in completely different ways, from the scenic landscape of Austria to the buzz of Barcelona city.

Who inspires you?
Id say my parents inspire me. They have been the most amazing parents that have always encouraged me to do well in anything that I do and achieve the most I can with their help always there if I need it.

What would be the first thing you bought if you won the lottery?
I honestly wouldn't know where to begin! Id probably start by getting a white mini! :) I just know that id definitely spend it wisely on myself, my family and my boyfriend and his family!

Favourite song. Ever??
I don't have a favourite song ever as I have a favourite song about every week as I love all sorts of music :)

What is your biggest problem/challenge when it comes to blogging?
My biggest problem is that I don't think that many people read my blogs - Id love to have a wider and bigger audience that read my blogs.

Best photograph you've ever taken and why?
My best photograph I have taken would be the images I recently shot for Bunny Pumpkin Boutique's shoe collection. I shot in the most amazing American airstream diner and my images were published in a magazine!

What was your dream job as a child?
My dream job as a child was to be a dancer in music videos. I really liked dancing when I was little!

Cat or Dog?
Definitely Cat! I have the most soppy and cutest cat in the whole world!

Where do you see yourself in 25 years?

I see myself doing photography in the advertising industry whilst being married and having a family.


My questions are:

1. What can't you leave the house without?
2. What makes you happy?
3. What do you hope to accomplish this year?
4. What is your best feature?
5. Night in or a night out?
6. What is the best piece of clothing that you own?
7. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?
8. What did you have for lunch today?
9. What is your favourite time of the year?
10. When you listen to music, what is the first song you play?
11. Tell me a secret...


And I now nominate:

1. Olivia - @OliviaPPhotog
2. Diandra - @ADigitalWay
3. Grace - @wiles_grace
4. Mica - @MicaJWPhoto
5. Paige - @PaigeDyball


Sorry if you have already been nominated! :)
xxx

Digital Imaging - Temperature

With this technique being set for a while as homework, I wanted to make sure I got it done today before I went back to University on Thursday. I have had an idea in mind for this for quite a while, but I haven't had the time to get round to doing it!

So for this task I used half of a frozen cocktail and a wine glass. I popped the bright red cocktail into the glass and then I placed the wine glass next to the French doors in my house so there was plenty of sunshine coming through and on to the glass. This allowed for the cocktail to melt and create really interesting images, and to show most importantly, how temperature can effect something.

I actually captured some images that I am very pleased with. I had a lot of fun shooting the glass at different angles to creating different shadows and to emphasise the ice melting and what was happening to the glass as hot and cold came together.

Here are my final images. I think they look abit like a lava lamp!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ill be posting again soon!

Laura xx

Digital Imaging - Fire

I have been rather busy during my two weeks off, but we have been set a few digital imaging techniques for when we return back to University next week. One technique we have been set is to photograph fire. After focusing on fire for one of my previous projects last year and really loving my final image, I thought I would use this as one of my images for this task. I spent a lot of time and effort in getting the right image last year. I was in the studio and it took me atleast 50-60 images before I got the right one that really expressed fire in the way that I wanted it to be conveyed.

I used a model the accompany the fire itself to add something different to the whole concept. I wanted the fire to be the main part of the image, but at the same time, I wanted the model to be in the background to allow for people to understand the dangers of fire, how it causes a phobia and almost the dark and dreary side of fire and what it can cause, rather than the beauty of it. I am so pleased with how my final image came out. The image below was my final image (which took a lot of patience to capture!). I wanted the end of the flame to be in line with the models eyes and for it to be gradually moving out of the image, towards the viewer. I did this by opening the shutter speed up slightly for a few seconds, and when I pressed the shutter, id slowly turn the lens from its smallest aperture to the widest the lens could go. With just a slow turn of the lens, I was able to capture and image like this one, which was really what I wanted my image to look like, spooky and dream like against the pitch black background, yet technical and interesting to look at.

 

 

 

Below are some images I took recently to go with overall task to round off the task as a whole.

 

 

 

I would definitely love to do something like this again. I chose fire because it was something that I probably wouldn't think about photographing, and it really took me out of my comfort zone as a photographer. I really enjoyed using a model within my images as it added something extra to the whole task and concept. I believe it makes the image look a lot more effective, especially as the image is quite spontaneous to where the light, flames and models face ends up in the final image. I didn't know how the image was going to turn out so it was definitely a trial and error type of shoot but I couldn't be happier with the outcomes :)

 

Band Practice

During the week, I had the opportunity to shoot images for a 'Hijack the Airwaves', a newly put together indie/rock band from Chippenham, during their band practice. I have known one of the band members for over 17 years, so I wasn't nervous at all, I knew that it would be a very relaxed environment which I could shoot away and be in my own little bubble whilst they rehearsed.  I was very excited to shoot this particular shoot because it was a new experience for me. After having no experience in shooting in the music genre, I spent abit of time looking through ideas on Pinterest and Flickr beforehand to help capture the feeling and mood within the room and to also help with the sort of images that I would like to shoot and that would best portray the band. After arriving, there wasn't much room to work with but I soon got into the swing of it and started to shoot away like there was no tomorrow! I am really happy with the results after moving out of my comfort zone with this shoot and I can now say that I am their official band photographer so I will continue to shoot upcoming gigs and practices with them which is very exciting!!

Make sure you give them a like on Facebook!

Here are a few of my favourite images from the shoot.