Final Major Project
Initial Thoughts
originally i felt sceptical and was unconfidant about doing a photography project.it was never something i had considered doing in fact i had never been good at taking pictures i don't seem to have an artistic eye. After i thought about the project in greater detail i began to realise it was a good opportunity to try out something new out of my comfort zone. i also thought that i could improve my artistic eye which in tern improve my cinematography.
Schedule
time management has always been a weakness throughout my studies. i have tried nearly everything i could think of from ghannt charts to calendars. Diaries i would loose calendars i would ignore and giant charts since my computer skills are not the best so i would end up spending ages trying to make one then like the calendar it would be ignored. to combat this weakness i came up with two solutions. the first solution was to make my self enthusiastic about my subject. i thought this would make me more likely not to forget to do it. The second solution was to make a simple plan. I had to take my photos in the Easter holidays and because of my destinations won't have any choice but to stick to my plan.
Idea Generation
i considered many ideas until i settled on one. Being in an urban environment the the majority of people decided to do some sort of urban photography. coming from a more rural background i wanted my pictures to include the countryside. in my teens i had done lot of camping and had woken up to many country sun rises. i had taken advantage and taken pictures. i was pleased with the results and wanted to replicate them.
Another reason i decided not to do urban photography is that i liked the idea that my pictures could be escapism. a window from the urban environment to the natural one. The project brief stated that four of my pictures must focus on ether animals or people. initially i wanted to take pictures of animals because of my interest with nature. When i had at first simply decided to take pictures of animals i considered using Dudley zoo to which at the time i had a pass. in the news you constantly hear about man made things destroying nature and the human effect on the world. i have a controversial theory in which i think animals that are made exiting my humans and the human effect on the world is all irrelevant as we are as much a part of nature as everything els. Animals have been hunting and evolving since before time and we are just part of that. I decided that i wanted to show this in my photography. i wanted to take pictures of people looking as part of nature as an animal would. This was final i had my idea. I was going to try and get some pictures of people part of nature at sunset.
Now i had my idea i now need to do some research. The first photographer with i researched was a man called Daniel Think. i chose him as he is a Norfolk photographer who takes sunset pictures of the Norfolk countryside. his pictures have a painted feel because of the rich colour. He underexposes his images by selecting a fast shutter speed. to get the orange ones he turned the white balance to auto shade. This technique if i man edge to understand it is one which i will use when i take my photos. Here is an example of his work.
Someone els who i researched was Alin Stoianvici i like his photos because they look like paintings. They are all country photographs of sunsets so they are perfect for my project. Near were i live there is a sheep field were i would be able to get a picture similar to the one below. It is also good that the main focus of the pictures is other people or animals. this makes them fit to my project brief. The pictures are dramatic.
To make the people in my pictures look like they are as a part of nature as the animals i decided it was a good idea to research a photographer who's field was wildlife photography. The photographer i looked at was James P . Blair. He started in the 1950s as a war photographer. i thought this was a good thing because war is a animalistic thing. he became a national geographic photographer in 1962 were he works today. In his pictures the people look as much a part of the landscape as the trees and animals do. the photos are not staged unlike fashion and other forms of photography. the people rant the focus the landscape is. It seems to me that people today forget that they are part of the natural world. Here is an example of his work.
I found a chart showing the times of sundown. Using this i would be able to plan not to just miss the sunset. As i had a short time in which i would be in Wymondham. it is so far from were i currently live i wouldn't be able to take the picture again.
Someone els who i researched was Alin Stoianvici i like his photos because they look like paintings. They are all country photographs of sunsets so they are perfect for my project. Near were i live there is a sheep field were i would be able to get a picture similar to the one below. It is also good that the main focus of the pictures is other people or animals. this makes them fit to my project brief. The pictures are dramatic.
To make the people in my pictures look like they are as a part of nature as the animals i decided it was a good idea to research a photographer who's field was wildlife photography. The photographer i looked at was James P . Blair. He started in the 1950s as a war photographer. i thought this was a good thing because war is a animalistic thing. he became a national geographic photographer in 1962 were he works today. In his pictures the people look as much a part of the landscape as the trees and animals do. the photos are not staged unlike fashion and other forms of photography. the people rant the focus the landscape is. It seems to me that people today forget that they are part of the natural world. Here is an example of his work.
I liked the two pictures above because compared they show animals hunting for their food.
The boy and the cow in this one seem to be on the same level.
Possible locations
Quick list of possible locations. these are locations which i can get to without to much trouble and do not pose to much risk.
- Wymondham
- Great Yarmouth
- Blackpool
- Canon hill park animal sanctuary
- Dudley Zoo
The first of my locations is Wymondham it is my favorite as i know it well and can think of many places on a route called the Tiffy valley walk were i would take my pictures. I have also taken many pictures there before. The weather in south Norfolk in April tends to be dry. I have taken many pictures there at this time. However when the weather is damp the area can be easily flooded. This is something i have to take into consideration. i will take necasery precautions like wearing wellington bots and a waterproof jacket. The rain could only add to the dramaticnes of my photo. i can't just not take the photos due to rain. when the point of my picture is to show people in nature. Here is a map of my route and some pictures i previously took there.
This is a picture of a Norfolk sunrise. I took the picture after waking up from camping out.
| 17 | 06:00 | 20:06 | 14 h, 6 min |
| 18 | 05:58 | 20:08 | 14 h, 10 min |
| 19 | 05:56 | 20:09 | 14 h, 13 min |
| 20 | 05:54 | 20:11 | 14 h, 17 min |
| 21 | 05:52 | 20:13 | 14 h, 21 min |
| 22 | 05:49 | 20:15 | 14 h, 26 min |
| 23 | 05:47 | 20:16 | 14 h, 29 min |
| 24 | 05:45 | 20:18 | 14 h, 33 min |
| 25 | 05:43 | 20:20 | 14 h, 37 min |
| 26 | 05:41 | 20:22 | 14 h, 41 min |
I found a chart showing the times of sundown. Using this i would be able to plan not to just miss the sunset. As i had a short time in which i would be in Wymondham. it is so far from were i currently live i wouldn't be able to take the picture again.
The second of my locations is Great Yarmouth. It also is a place i feel comfortable taking photos. unlike Wymondham the weather can be more erratic as it is a sea side location. This can have a dramatic effect on the landscape. And my ability to take pictures. As for models i am going to try and rely on strangers already in the background. As long as i do not benefit from them in a finical way from their image it is legal. this also means that i would need to worry about model release forms. The location of Yarmouth is very similar to that of one of my other choices Blackpool. I seem to be drawn to these decaying seaside towns they some times look post apocalyptic. Here is an example of a photo i previously took in Great Yarmouth.
The beach is in to much shadow and the horizon is on the wonk. i will hope too improve on my beach
photography.
Below is a map of Great Yarmouth.
The map has a suggested walk from the council web sight. i know great Yarmouth well but will probably stick to the walk as i can rely on the fact that it won't have any bad turain. it also covers the main bit of the beach. Great Yarmouth is in Norfolk so will be easy to visit when I'm in Wymondham.
| 18 | 04:29 | 21:20 | 16 h, 51 min |
| 19 | 04:29 | 21:20 | 16 h, 51 min |
| 20 | 04:29 | 21:21 | 16 h, 52 min |
| 21 | 04:29 | 21:21 | 16 h, 52 min |
| 22 | 04:29 | 21:21 | 16 h, 52 min |
| 23 | 04:30 | 21:21 | 16 h, 51 min |
| 24 | 04:30 | 21:21 | 16 h, 51 min |
Cannon hill park and dudley zoo are mainly back up locations with i will use only if the something goes wrong with the other. I like dudley zoo as it not only has animals but has a castle in the middle. this creates a dramatic location. the main problem is that the animals are in captivity. i have an annual pass so will be able to visit when i like this makes it good as a back up location. this is the same reason i picked cannon hill park.
My favorite destination but also the most difficult is Blackpool. I have never been to Blackpool before so it would be hard to plan. it is very similar to Great Yarmouth as i mentioned previously mentioned. I like decaying seaside towns and wanted a change. I thought that i would be able to go in the Easter break as well as going to Norfolk. The first place i had to start was looking up train tickets. i worked out that it would cost around 20 pounds on the train. its good because there are many cheap bed and breakfasts i found one for 25 pound a night.this was a good price so i booked it.
before i left i had to plan my route from the train station tout bed and breakfast. since i had never been i figured i would find a place to take the pictures wen i got there. like my other destinations i considered i found a chart showing the sunsets.
| 16 | 04:40 | 21:46 | 17 h, 6 min |
| 17 | 04:40 | 21:46 | 17 h, 6 min |
| 18 | 04:40 | 21:47 | 17 h, 7 min |
| 19 | 04:40 | 21:47 | 17 h, 7 min |
| 20 | 04:40 | 21:47 | 17 h, 7 min |
| 21 | 04:41 | 21:47 | 17 h, 6 min |
| 22 | 04:41 | 21:48 | 17 h, 7 min |
| 23 | 04:41 | 21:48 | 17 h, 7 min |
| 24 | 04:42 | 21:48 | 17 h, 6 min |
| 25 | 04:42 | 21:48 | 17 h, 6 min |
| 26 | 04:42 | 21:48 | 17 h, 6 min |
| 27 | 04:43 | 21:48 | 17 h, 5 min |
| 28 | 04:44 | 21:47 | 17 h, 3 min |
I looked at a wider range of times than i did for the other destinations as i wasn't sure wen i was traveling to the destination.
Equipment
My equipment list is short as i am trying to create a natural feel. All i will need to take my pictures is my camera. and sensible clothing. Ad pictures
Legal requirements
I will not be using models. As a result i will not need model release forms. I will try to take pictures of strangers. i will not be making any money from my pictures so i will not need to ask for permission.
Tacking the pictures
I had decided to stay in Blackpool for only two nights so i had to use my time carefully. i made best use of the light by tacking pictures on the night i arrived. It was about 5.25 and the sun had just set. I had hoped to have the sun in my pictures but i was acutely pleased that it wasn't. as the tide was out the beach was huge and made it look slightly like a martian planet. A major problem i had was when i got there that the beach was completely empty the only subjects to take pictures were the seagulls. to get round this i decided to use my girlfriend as the subject as well as well as the animals. i found good angles by lying down in the sand i got wet but i thought it was worth the pictures.
Unlike birds, I now appreciate that bats fly in numbers at
night as opposed to sit on a branch. Upon reflection, I only had a Bridge
camera as opposed to a SLR camera, and clearly needed a faster shutter speed
for this kind of shot.
I went out in the day, hoping
to catch some random sunlight but in fact the day was overcast. Despite this, I
decided to go out anyway. I did not want to be sat in the house in case the sun
did come out and lose the opportunity of taking some good photographs. I was
rewarded for persevering with my plan as the sun did come out, in intervals,
which enabled me to take some good images. However, I would not use all of
these as the composition needed some attention. For example, I think I rushed
them and consequently, the subject was not central.
Evaluation
The brief for this project was to produce a number of
photographs from three different locations; one photograph from each location
should contain an animal or a person.
To generate ideas prior to choosing a location, I
completed a Mind Map of these ideas. I decided to choose a natural setting in
contrast to the city life I experience on a daily basis. I saw this as a form
of escapism. It also excited me as I was to visit and experience new and
different settings. If I felt inspired by a location, I would be more likely to
take meaningful images.
The locations I chose were Blackpool, Tiffey Valley and Wymondham.
Initially, I also chose a bat cave, as I felt this would provide good material,
however, having gone to the location as planned at night, I was unable to take
photographs, as the bats were flying everywhere, which meant I was unable to
capture good images. The bats were too numerous and flying too fast, even
though I did try to follow one bat at time to take a photograph I was unable to
capture any images of worth.
Unlike birds, I now appreciate that bats fly in numbers at
night as opposed to sit on a branch. Upon reflection, I only had a Bridge
camera as opposed to a SLR camera, and clearly needed a faster shutter speed
for this kind of shot.
I felt the variations in the three locations I eventually
chose would provide contrasting lighting and content. I wanted to blur the
lines between man-made and the natural world. For example, when man hunts or
through other means makes an animal extinct, this could be seen as man
following his natural course. If man was not top of the food chain, another
predator would be consequently having ‘detrimental’ effects on the world. The
pictures I wanted to take should reflect this view, for example I wanted the
people in my settings to look at natural as the creatures, such as a bird. As a
result, my photographs would adopt wildlife techniques.
As the locations were not in Birmingham, I had to plan
and ensure my time management skills were effective. I only had a short time
span to capture my images. This was a positive aspect as it meant I was focused
on taking the photographs and was distracted by other tasks.
Blackpool
By the time I arrived at the B &B in Blackpool, the
sun had already set. I debated whether to go onto the beach or wait until the
following day. I decided to go onto the beach and was pleased that I chose to
do so as I took some really good photographs. When I first arrived on the
beach, it was completely empty. I had hoped to capture people on the beach but
as this was not possible, I decided to use my girlfriend as a subject of this
collection of photographs. The lack of people was a good thing as it worked
well with the lighting. Although the sun
had disappeared, what remained was a golden painted light effect, which was
complemented by the lack of people and addition of seabirds. The two together
created an alien planet effect. As a
result, the images I took were far more interesting than the ones I had planned
to take. Another reason I was glad I went out on this day was because the
following day, the sky was overcast and lighting poor. Even though my plan was
to arrive earlier and take a set of photographs while the sun was setting, what
resulted was I feel, far more effective and compared well with the research I
conducted previously. This highlights
that planning is important but it is possible to be flexible and adapt the plan
to accommodate a different set of circumstances.
Tiffey
Valley
I consider this to have been
the easiest and most practical of the three locations. This was because I was
familiar with the terrain and had already taken photographs so knew where to
take good images. One of the best photographs I think I ever took was in fact
in this location. This photograph inspired me to capture sunsets in my future
work.
I went out in the day, hoping
to catch some random sunlight but in fact the day was overcast. Despite this, I
decided to go out anyway. I did not want to be sat in the house in case the sun
did come out and lose the opportunity of taking some good photographs. I was
rewarded for persevering with my plan as the sun did come out, in intervals,
which enabled me to take some good images. However, I would not use all of
these as the composition needed some attention. For example, I think I rushed
them and consequently, the subject was not central.
Nevertheless, one of the
photographs was better and I planned to return the following day. The lighting
was better on this occasion, which meant that I was able to take more
photographs. I had more time to plan the way I wanted take the picture, and as
a result, produced several good images. Upon leaving this location, I felt I
had taken advantage of my previous knowledge and experience, which meant I felt
more confident that I knew where to go and the content of my photographs.
Wymondham
This was another location I was familiar with and had
explored the area when younger with friends. Again, I wanted to use the
knowledge I had to take another set of meaningful photographs. There was a
large abandoned house I had in mind along with the yellow rape fields, green
countryside and blue sky. This would create good colour contrast and highlight
the escapism from the city. The weather proved to be rather unpredictable as it
has been so far this year. Easter week was rather cold and I relied upon good
luck to take the photographs. Unlike Blackpool, as I was staying longer in this
location, I was not relying on one or two days to go out to take the
photographs. I was lucky as the weather in Norfolk proved to be more settled at
this time than the rest of the countryside. This meant I was able to enjoy a
few sunny days during which I took a good set of photographs. I feel that these
photographs not only represent the beauty of the countryside but also part of
me as I have spent so much time there. I feel it is my natural environment.
Overall, the clarity of the colours comes through, for
example, the red brick of the building, the yellow of the fields, green of the
trees and blue of the sky. The richness of the colours symbolises the natural
environment. I was pleased with the images and feel they worked well together
as a set.
Final pictures
I took many pictures in my three locations and it was hard to choose three from each. I will evaluate them individually.
Blackpool
I chose this picture as i thought that the way the colours reflected on the wet sand was interesting. due to the low light the picture has come out a bit grainy, usually this would be a bad thing. i think it makes my pictures seem more dramatic.
I picked this picture again for the reflected light. I also like the low angle which i had to get wet to take. the central pose of the subject is also good. the picture looks as if it was taken on another planet it is very uncertain to which beach it is. i think i also achieved my goal in making the subject look as part of the landscape as the birds did in the previous picture. the one negative that i can see is that the horizon isn't completely level. as i like the pictures other aspects i over looked this when selecting it for my final set.
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I chose this picture because of the dramatic contrast between the bright sky and the dark land. I think it mysterious and interesting again like with my other photos my camera found it hard contending wit the low light.
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the aspect about this picture i like best is the way the sleepers are almost in complete darkness making the rails stand out as they wind round the corner. its a natural man made path. it also has an old sepia feel because of the purple light
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this picture i chose for much the same reason i chose the previous picture. i like how fresh the water looks and how lush the vegetation is.
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I liked the vibrant colours the contrast between the river bed reflecting blue and the lush green grass. the pose of the model is natural and so fits into my theme. overall i think my project was success full as despite being clueless when it comes to photography i managed to take nine pictures to a schedule and to a theme.
