Shoot Ideas
In my previous shoots I have explored around Waltham Abbey and London to establish British Culture. I think that it would be suitable to travel to London and photograph there again because it will help produce more images to link to my current portfolio. There are other places around Waltham Abbey that I haven't explored yet and these images will link to my previous shoot in Lea Valley, the landscapes around Lea Valley showed a lot of nature factors which is what I want to explore within Waltham Abbey.
Research
The images I am going to take will link to Simon Roberts work because he takes images of landscapes within certain areas. Some of his images contain people but some just contain images where he only explores the landscapes.
This image by Simon Roberts taken in Grantchester Meadows represents a similar area that I want to explore within Waltham Abbey. In this image we can see a field with a river running through it, the trees do not have any leaves on them which makes us assume that he has taken this image in the autumn. Also, the sky adds to the weather because of how dull the sky looks. This scene doesn't include people unlike his other images but it still includes elements that links to his development in producing British Culture. The location in Waltham Abbey link show views like this because it not only has buildings but also has nature factors like this image. Simon Roberts has influenced this shoot because his ideas of documenting a place using landscape photography is the path I want to follow, his use of including elements in his images that are not necessarily meant to be there also influences me as he uses them as features rather than trying to block them out.
AO1: You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued
Contact Sheet
The images that are highlighted in red are images that I need to improve on because their composition is not what I wanted it to be. All my images are focused and landscape images but some didn't turn out as well as I hoped composition wise.
Best Images
In this image we can see a grassy area which contains trees and bushes, there is also a stream running through the picture which isn't as visible as some of the other features. The main feature within the image is the building on the other side of the river bank. I chose to document this building along with the fields in this area because it shows the work ethic within Britain, this is an office block which has been built in the middle of a countryside. The fact that this building looks so modern and new shows that the countryside is slowly being ruined by the buildings as the government is more interested in the work ethic rather than the countryside. This image relates in with British Culture and identity as it shows the important things within Britain that aren't necessarily considered important to everyone.
In this image we can see a river going in between the two fields, the bushes and the grass are extremely over-grown which blocks the river slightly. This could be an indication that the fields and the countryside are not looked after properly, this could coincide with the image before as it shows a modern building with more importance than a beautiful countryside like this. The fence that is infront of the fields and in the foreground of the image show that the fields are guarded in a way, they do not want to be built on but the neglect which can be seen shows that the fence hasn't protected these scenes at all. This area is extremely tucked out of the way which could be the reason why it has been neglected like this and because not very many people visit the area which could be the reason why it looks like this. This links to British culture and identity because it shows how insensitive people are to the countryside.
In this image we can see another river running between grass and bushes, this area looks much more well-kept than the other area before. The people in the background show that this area is more visited than the one in the picture before which could link to why there is greener grass and the scenery is more well-kept. The sky within this image is bright and includes clouds which adds more colours to be explored in the image. The people in the image behind the trees act as feature because it shows how the wildlife and scenery bring people and families together. This image links to a Simon Roberts image because he documents the landscape but includes features such as people to widen the connotations of the image.
This image was taken in the same location as the image before, it expresses the British Culture in Waltham Abbey because it shows how nature is included within the town. The ducks swimming along the river make the image appear similar to Simon Roberts because the ducks and swans are a feature to the scene as they represent the nature and wildlife in Waltham Abbey. Although, this image does look quite messy with all the trees and bushes it shows British culture because it shows how we associate Britain with nature, ducks are always swimming in the rivers and the trees are always present on a river bank.
Images that require improvement
The following images need improvement.
In this image I was trying to capture the depths of the forest behind the riverbank but it proved unsuccessful because of the bushes and grass, they are so overgrown it is hard to see what I was trying to portray. To improve this image I could've shot it at a different angle to capture the forest. However, this image does still portray the effects of nature when it is left to overgrow and not looked after properly. Everything in the image is in focus so that is not an issue that needs to be improved and I think the composition of the image is good because it includes what I wanted to document, the angle just needs to be improved.
Similar to the image before this image needs improving because of the angle I took it, the shadows that are present in the bottom of the image are due to the sun behind the tripod. I was trying to capture the natural pathway made between the land and the trees that surrounded the pathway. I think this image could've been on of my best images if the shadow was not included. It also displays the overgrown nature and how it is not looked after in this area which is another aspect that I wanted to document. If I had thought about it I could've used my shadow throughout the images and made it have the same effect as the people do in Simon Roberts' images.
AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
In this shoot I believe that I have expressed the British Culture within the area because I have documented the nature within the landscapes which symbolise the area. Documenting the nature within the landscape came from the St. James' Park shoot because I documented the nature around that area so I wanted to carry on with this in different areas. Like my previous shoots Simon Roberts has influenced this shoot because I wanted to explore British Culture using landscapes. However, in this shoot I have documented people within the landscapes because there wasn't that many people about but I feel like I have documented the landscape further and deeper.
With reference to my best images...
My best images include the changes that are occurring in the 21st century. There is an image of a modern building within the nature landscapes which shows how new buildings are being built in the countryside and the nature is not cared about. Also, my images show the difference between nature that is being looked after and nature that isn't. The areas that you are most likely to find people look aesthetically pleasing with clean cut grass but the areas that you don't find many people are not looked after and are overgrown.
AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
To document these images I used a Nikon D3300 with a tripod. I used a tripod within this shoot because ti was the best way to capture the angles of the landscape that I needed. The camera settings I used were f.22 to capture a great depth of field and a quick shutter speed to capture the image as I see it. I also used an ISO of 200 which is acceptable for taking images outside. These camera settings were suitable for the images I wanted to take and it enabled them to turn out well.
Next I took some of the images into photoshop...
To edit this image I used the levels and curve filters to make the image slightly brighter to bring out the details within the image. Also, I have increased the saturation of the image to make the grass and the trees greener so they stand out more. In the curves layer I used the paintbrush tool to make sections of the image darker, I used the black to burn the grass and the trees because they were too bright. The way I have edited this image brings emphasis to the modern building which is the main focus of the image.
To edit this image I took a similar approach to the image before, I used the levels and curves filters to make the image brighter to bring out the details. Also, I increased the saturation of the image to make the grass and the sky brighter. Within the curves layer I used the black paintbrush tool to burn around the edges of the image to bring out the clouds I also burned the grass as well to bring back some of the details. Then I used the white paintbrush tool to highlight the middle areas of the image to show a pathway that draws attention to the river.
Also similar to my other images I used the levels and curves filters to brighten the image to bring out the details of the shadows. I then increased the saturation of the image to make the grass brighter and bolder. In the curves layer I used the black paintbrush tool to burn features of the image to bring out their details. I darkened the areas outside of the river to emphasise the river, I also used the white paintbrush tool to make the river lighter and draw attention to it.
AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.
I have included these images as my final images because they represent the ideas that I wanted to express, the idea that the countryside that is less visited is not as looked after as pieces of land that are always visited by the public. In the first images it shows how the modern buildings are being built over the nature because more offices and more houses are being needed for the growing work ethic and population. As the images progress we start to see an aesthetically pleasing area which is used by the public which displays how some areas within Britain are constantly neglected. My images within this shoot link to Simon Roberts work as he documents landscapes around Britain in a similar approach as my work. By documenting my local area which is considered as a small town it has established the link between the small areas and the big London city areas which develop the discussion between the British culture in different places.
No comments:
Post a Comment