MERRY SNOWY CHRISTMAS

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.

Magiche immagini:Ernst Haas

I have embed a short video of the work of Ernst Haas, as you can see his work covered every genre of photography from macro to street and everything in between.  It is truely inspirational, I can't wait to go out and try to emulate his work.

JOE CORNISH / LECTURE

The landscape photographer Joe Cornish came to the college to give a lecture which I was lucky enough to attend.

As well as viewing his images he gave a lengthy talk on his career and experiences, which was very inspirational.

After attending art college he became interested in photography and served a 10 year apprenticeship with a professional photographer, thoroughly learning his craft.  He drew a comparison with Ansel Adams, the American photographer, who worked as a warden in the Yosemite national park for many years, learning the landscape, before becoming famous for his images.

Another photographer who has greatly influenced Joe Cornish and from whom he takes inspiration is Ernst Haas.  Born March 2 1921 in Vienna, died September 12 1986 New York.  His photography encompasses all the genres and he was known for his innovations in colour photography, experiments in abstract light and form, and a member of Magnum Photos agency.

The following four images are from his portfolio and you can clearly see their influence on Joe's work, capturing the quality of light in reflections, and energy and movement in the flow of water and the rodeo scene.  The quality and saturated depth of colour is beautiful.

Joe Cornish is famous for his landscapes, but has also worked in architecture and is very interested in photographing detail.  He has worked quite extensively for the National Trust and spends long hours trecking in all seasons, to obtain iconic pictures of the landscape.

Once you have developed an infallible technique, knowing the camera, using a tripod, understanding exposure and that a period of time has potential, as in the softening effects  of shutter speed on the flow of water and showing the energy in that flow, then you can put yourself at the mercy of inspiration.

In the seascape above, a slower shutter speed has been used to soften the flow of water against the cliff face, with lichens on rocks in the foreground repeating the colour and pattern from the base of the cliff.

Here again the flow of the surf is soft and reflects soft fluffy clouds, a wavy surf line leads your eye into the distance and forms a connection with the sky.  He has used tones of blue reflected from the sky throughout the composition, with a hint of coastline adding a focal point and giving a sense of perspective.

Don't forget to use focus as a creative tool, in landscape most images are sharp all the way through, but aperture and focus should be used as a creative tool to add a sense of mood and depth.  Lenses can be used for compression or to expand space, you should study your scene and decide what you want to include, exposure can be managed with the use of filters.

Explore your surroundings, many photographers miss out on 20% of opportunities by not making use of detail as in macro and close up photography.

In tones of blue again, creating harmony in the shot, with the lines running diagonal to add energy and dynamism.

Another tip was to learn to see colour casts in light, the quality of light changes throughout the day being at its softest and warmest during and shortly after,  and before, dawn and dusk.  Here use has been made of the glowing light of early morning.

In this picture taken on a beach near Tenby in Wales, I have tried to use the device of reflected light in the water on the beach, with seaweed and ripples in the sand adding texture.  The evening light has given a pink glow to the whole scene.

Here the rising sun is reflected off a seaweed strewn rock, unfortunately I did not have a graduated filter to hold back the sunrise, the picture is therefore overexposed in the top right.

In this photograph taken in the Lake District I have made use of reflections in water to echo the sky, with muted tones of colour adding to the tranquil atmosphere.

I think one of the most important messages I have taken away from the lecture is to know your equipment thoroughly, after that know what the light is doing and what can be achieved and then look for inspiration and keep the composition simple and natural.

Although much of Joe Cornish's work is the panoramic landscape shot, the principles he has outlined in his lecture, for example composition (if it isn't interesting, leave it out), using the rule of thirds, perspective to give a sense of depth, different lenses for compression or expansion and creative use of depth of field, can all be applied to architecture and all other forms of photography.

In these and the following landscape and detail shots I have tried to use all of this advice to improve my photography.

TILT-SHIFT PHOTOGRAPHY

I tried out a tilt-shift lens to see what effect this created, it was interesting to try and as you can see the shift has a noticeable affect, turning the lens left and right.

With the shift over to the left above and right, below.

I found it rather fiddly to use since the shift has to be turned and then manually focused.  Interesting operation though to see the lens actually moving from left to right.

The pictures below show the tilt in operation, the first taken as a straight 45mm shot,

then with the tilt up which throws the bottom of the picture out of focus,

finally with the tilt down which throws the top slightly out of focus, although it is difficult to see this clearly on blogger.

Although these lenses were developed to correct perspective in architectural photography, they have since been used to create some very interesting artistic effects, although they remain very expenses items of equipment, usually beyond the means of  the amateur photographer.

RESEARCH/HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON

Cartier-Bresson trained as an artist before starting a career as a photographer in the 1930's.  With Robert Capa, David Seymour and others he founded Magnum, a photographic agency and has worked and exhibited all over the world.

"For me photography is to place head heart and eye along the same line of sight.  It is a way of life" Henri CB

Many of his photographs are iconic and are well known outside the photographic community.

This image illustrates 'the decisive moment', a moment when time and movement are suspended, taken out of the mundate occurances of everyday life.  It is also quite a good illustration of the rule of thirds, with the puddle taking up two thirds of the image and the main focal point of the man and his reflection, placed in the bottom two thirds, off center to the right.

Cartier Bresson took up photography when the so called 'snapshot' photo was invented, with pictures no longer posed or set up, but capturing an isolated moment, it was new in its time since highly posed and polished images were the norm, along with avant-garde artistic images, as in the experimental work  of       Man Ray and the surrealists.

Glass tears - Man Ray

"So what is a snapshot?  The intensification of a fracture between two classes of image:  those that are man-made, like painting and drawing, and those created machanically by imprinting light on sensitive film.  Images in the first category are unique works.  The rest, because they are capable of being reproduced, are judged not by their uniqueness but by the unique moment they record.....  Cartier-Bresson waits in ambush for the right time to occur.  Siezing that moment is a matter of instinct".  Jean-Noel Jeanneney, President of the Bibliotheque nationale de France.

In this image a girl leaning on a pillar in the bottom right, is echoed by a shadow at the top of the stairwell adding an element of human interest to an otherwise static scene.  Here dark and light make up most of the picture with the shadow of the pillar and girl pointing directly up the stairs, which also narrow as they rise adding perspective and a feeling of depth.

Steps are used here again, pointing directly to a tiny figure acting as focal point in a maze of buildings and walls.  The direction the figure is facing and the stepped wall above her head, add to the feeling of steepness, and intrigue as to where she is going in a hurry.

This is another image with bright light illuminating alleyways between buildings, the zig zag of light leads you directly into the picture, with a figure caught resting against a wall in the shade. 

Another small figure with towering buildings, the focal point is placed slightly off centre in the bottom two thirds, with all the light pointing directly to it.

This image by Edward Swindon seems to be directly influenced by Cartier-Bresson's earlier work, although he has pared this series of pictures down, to show only a small strip of light illuminating the figure, with the dark area taking up most of the image area, this concentrates your gaze directly to the focal point, and the story of the figure forming a miniscule part in a much larger whole, as bees in a hive or worker ants.

I have tried to capture the moment in my own images, showing figures as a tiny but important part in the city.

Bright strips of light point directly between buildings guiding the eye into the picture, forming leading lines, with figures caught standing in the shade adding a focal point and animating the scene.

In my final images I would like to emulate the work of Cartier-Bresson and more modern photographers such as Edward Swinden.

Sources - 'Henri Cartier-Bresson the man, the image, & the world' a retrospective by Foundation Henri Cartier Bresson. (book)