Editing and Image Selection

Over the Christmas period I have been busy editing photographs and working towards the final selection of images.  In accordance with the 'statement of intent', I need to work towards a portfolio of 10 images for each theme, 'architecture' and 'street'.

I have included some screen grabs here to illustrate the type of editing which has been undertaken.

This photograph was taken around midday and you can see the high contrast results.  I wanted to capture the tunnel like qualities of the street and the Italian flags strung across, unfortunately, I did not have any filters to hold back the bright sunlight and this has resulted in the histogram having a high peak in the black end of the scale, the picture registering mainly blacks and dark colours.

I did try to work with this, as in Edward Swinden's work shown earlier in my blog, however, I felt this defeated the object to show this street as uniquely Italian.  I therefore used the burn tool to bring out more detail in the apartments on the left.

Here I worked on the 'raw' file using 'fill light', to bring out detail in the dark area in front, vibrance to improve colour in mid tones and clarity to sharpen it up a little.

Here little work was needed since there were no highlight or shadow  'clipping' warnings, other than to increase saturation by a small amount to increase blue in the sea and sky.

Here again, saturation was increased by a small amount to improve colour.

This was another high contrast situation with foliage shaddows falling on the scene.  I used fill light and saturation to boost colour.

This one had lost some detail in the highlights, recovery was used to bring these back a little, vibrance to improve colour in midtones and the contrast boosted a small amount.

Rocovery on this one improved some blown out highlights on the toys with contrast and vibrance to sharpen and boost colour.

With this one a sharpening tool from the filter menu was used on his face since it was very slighty blurred by his movement.  In addition the sky behind was blown out due to bright sunlight and this was improved a little.

This is a screen grab of an area which was improved using cloning.

I have also included here informtion from the internet with regard to Health and Safety.  When spending any length of time at a workstation it is important to be aware of  any health and safety implications.  These include correct screen height and lighting, comfortable sitting positions, no over-reaching or stretching, correct placement of keyboard/mouse and any other equipment, as well as regular breaks away from the screen to alieviate fatigue, eye strain, back, neck or arm/hand/wrist problems.

In addition to these specific considerations, the working environment should be assessed for light, ventilation, noise, dust/cleanliness, trip or slip hazards and safety of electrical equipment, as in regular testing.

Ensure the Safety of Everyone Using Your Equipment

What does the law say?

Under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 [PDF], every business has a duty to minimise the risks in visual display unit (VDU) work by ensuring that workplaces and jobs are well designed.
The regulations apply to staff who habitually use VDUs as a significant part of their normal work.
Staff who spend more than a few hours each day sitting at a desk with a DSE/VDU may experience headaches, neck and lower back pain, sore arms and shoulders or a combination of these problems.
As an employer you are required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who uses your equipment.

FINAL SELECTION/EDITING

We are now at the stage of final selection of images and have been looking at cropping and editing our photographs.

In order to obtain the correct crop we have set the editing software to A4 with 300dpi.  In addition, where needed, adjustment layers have been added.

Here are some screen grabs to illustrate the process and aid in judging what adjustments have been made.

MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Here is a video found on youtube showing images from famous photographers, many of the photographs are instantly recognisable and have influenced the way I take pictures today.

Many of the images are iconic since they depict events and surroundings which are familiar to us and therefore form an emotional response, a connection with our direct experiences.  They are instantly recognisable as moments taken from time, which illustrate how people interact with each other and their surroundings.

I feel that I need to incorporate this connectivity in my shots, particularly in my street photography, not just depicting a location, but some interaction between the subject and their situation, for example the couple looking into the parade.

I have also tried to concentrate on detail picked out of the larger scene, as in the girl in surplice below.  All these images are taken from a Saints day parade in Mijas, Spain.

The crowd was as interesting as the parade, here parent smile at their child whilst trying to block his ears to the noise of the parade.

The expression on the face of the woman on the balcony mirrors that on the face of the icon, perhaps I should have cropped it further to draw the viewers attention to this detail.

The look of concentration on the face of this bearer is the focal point of this shot.

I like the blurred image of hands and drumsticks in this shot, it helps to convey movement and action.

STATEMENT OF INTENT - ARCHITECTURE

AN ITALIAN ADVENTURE

Intention & Professional application


For this module I intend to produce at least 10 architectural images, using material collected on my recent visit to Naples and the surrounding area.

These will form a portfolio of images which can be used in a professional application, for example to illustrate guide and travel journals, as art work for books, magazines or calenders, in photojournalism or as illustrations in architectural magazines.

Stimulus & Influences


My stimulus for this has been my recent visit to Italy and the desire to capture a photographic record of the amazing buildings I have seen there, with all the influences that have come from the peoples of ancient and modern civilisations, who have made a home in this part of the world.

I have been influenced by historians and archaeologists past and present, fist during my school years when ancient history was part of the curriculum and latterly by some of the excellent history programmes shown on television.

Equipment & Media

Since this trip to Italy is primarily a touring holiday, I have only been able to take one camera due to luggage weight restrictions.  I will therefore be using my Canon EOS 5D MK11 with 24 - 70mm lens and polarising filter where necessary.  I do not have a tilt and shift lens available and feel that this will not be needed since it is an artistic impression I want to achieve.  It would be nice to have a tripod available to enable me to take some shots in low light or at night, but unfortunately this is not possible.

I will publish the finished photographs in a portfolio available via the internet, either on a dedicated photosharing website or on blogger.  I feel this is more convenient since I will not have to carry around a bulky portfolio of printed photographs and can reach a larger audience without having to be physically present myself.

Techniques

Since my portfolio is not intended for illustration of technical journals, I would like to capture an artistic impression of architecture, rather than a technically correct photograph, showing no perspective for example.  On the contrary I prefer the exagerated, elongated look that is achieved by standing close to a structure and shooting upwards.

As well as photographing buildings as a whole, I want to show detail in the architecture by taking close-up shots of interesting decoration and fittings, internally as well as externally. In order to isolate detail, I want to use, where possible due to lighting conditions, a wide aperture in order to throw surroundings distractions, out of focus.

Lighting

I do not have any flash equipment available and could not carry it with me due to the nature of the trip, so I will be relying on ambient light.  This may be problematical since many churches and museums have small windows which let in only a limited amount of light.  However, this can provide some dramatic shafts of light which will give exciting results.

If light levels are low I will have to increase ISO, I have up to a reading of 6400, which can be expanded to 12800 and 25600 in very extreme cases.  I anticipate keeping the iso to 2500 and lower where possible, since at higher readings picture quality deteriorates.

Health & Safety


Since I am taking photographs as a tourist on holiday and in public places, I should not need any special permissions.  The general public and authorities seem to be well used to tourists snapping away and I have never been challenged as to what I am doing.  However, I would not try to take pictures in a sensitive location, such as a police station or army barracks for example, unless I was commissioned to do so.  I would then have to obtain the necessary permissions from any authorities involved.

I am always sensitive as to the reactions of other people whom I may capture in my photographs, if anyone objected I would discontinue and would not try to photograph children unless given permission by their parent or responsible adult.

The other considerations relate to personal safety, trips or falls, traffic and obstructions, climbing or making myself a hazard by obstructing others, or personal safety as in being attacked if out alone or threatened in a robbery.