A place in time

Introduction
For this project i will be creating a range of images based on my trip to Paris, capturing all the elements of the French tradition. Two days before i came back to the UK, the tragic terror attack happened within Paris which shook the world. Due to this i then changed the concept of the project and captured it in the sense that i was there when it happened. Using the images as different stages of when the even happened. In the form of the calm before the storm.

Here are examples of people who had influenced me with my ideas for the final outcome:


Influential Artists

Henri Cartier Bresson

Henri Bresson who is Famous for his compositions based around Paris and other places expressing certain elements that would show the life style of that place within that time. He has worked with many artists such as Salvador Dali and many more. As he is famous for his work i feel that he heavily influences me with the way he produces his work through the usage of old, vintage film which gives a black and white filter towards his images. I enjoy the usage of black and white because it gives a old texture towards the image. For example:

This image that was taken in the heart of Paris illustrates two different movements within the image. The first one is the couple within the background holding each other within that moment where as the man with the umbrella jumping shows that he has no time for romance and that he is in a rush. An amazing photo that was taken at the right moment.  I wish to use this technique so that i can get the image at the right moment knowing what i want and how i want it just using one click rather than a range of clicks. A technique Henry used within all of his images. This required forward thinking and planning making sure that the camera was set ready for that perfect image.


Martin Parr

A well known British photographer who is well known for his extravagant work based on the British public. He is well known for using artificial lighting within his work. This technique creates a fake type of lighting making the images seem very bright and colourful. He specialises within street art and brings to life the essence of the British public.

What i like about his work is that he sticks to a specific theme within his work to carry out the theme trough out. An amazing technique which highlights the fact that he knows what he is doing with is work and how he likes to capture his subject to portray some form of meaning behind the image.

Here an example of his work using bright light to capture the subject within there element:

This example illustrates a lot of his work as he uses flash within his images even though it is daytime. This gives an over exposure towards his images. 

This image is meant to portray the typical life of a Brit on holiday. creating a bright exposure almost makes the image seem so basic yet interesting as there is a lot going on within the background. 

A technique that i would pick up on from Martin Parr would be to analyse the background before taking the image making sure i have the perfect image.   


Alfred Eisenstaedt 

A well known photojournalist/ photographer who has famous works within in many of the media imagery. One of his main images which he had captured was a famous shot of the end of WW2 with the couple celebrating by embracing each other. 

His work also involved working a lot with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and so on.    

As you can see this is a portrait image of the couple embracing each other in the middle of New York at the time WW2 had ended. The composition of this picture is well planned out as it focuses on the couple as well as the surrounding, enabling us as the audience to understand what is going on within the background.

The usage of black and white shows that this is a vintage photo taken awhile ago. A good use of black and white as it gives a form of emotion behind the image. 

This image is a very influential image which has helped me plan out how i want to structure my images by using the background as well as the subject all in one image.

Contact Sheet

Images

A landscape shot of the Eiffel tower, this was taken from a 18-55mm lens. I took this image using a tripod as i had to set the shutter speed for 5". By doing this i was able to capture all the light within the shot without over exposing the image.

Another landscape shot of a sunset in Paris just before my flight was due. This was taken on Program mode as it enabled me to mess around more with the setting of the exposer. The reason for this was so that i could get the right colour for the sunset using a 18-55mm lens.

A portrait shot of when i went to Disney Land, This shot was taken using the influence of composition. Trying align the road along side the castle. The usage of the Banner at the top is meant to influence where the image has been taken as long as the castle.

This image was taken with a 18-55mm lens and i used the HDR setting to enhance the building and the sky around it.

Not to sure about this image as it is very blurry and that it's under exposed. However the meaning behind this enhances the calm before the storm. Going back to UK before the tragic event takes place.

This was taken with a shutter speed of 1", i found that it was a difficult shot to take as i was moving and my hands were shaking. If i had a tripod and the flight was more steady i believe i could have got a better image.

This image was to show a form of movement through the usage of a ride. I shot this image with a lower exposure which gave a darker feel towards the image. I then selected the shutter speed to 1". By slowing the shutter speed down this enables more light to go into the sensor of the camera. By lowering the exposure i am able to meet it in the middle to get the best of both worlds without over exposing the image. I was able to balance the camera onto a side rail to replicate a tripod, hence why i was able to get such a study shot.

A landscape image of the Disney land castle using a standard 18-55mm. By using a standard lens i am able to capture the object/subject without cropping the essential elements of the image out. I believe that this was one of my weaker images as i tried to capture the darkness of the image however i over exposed the image making it seem like i took the image more towards the evening rather than at night. To improve this image i would plan more ahead to make sure i correct this mistake and to ensure that i get the image at the right moment.

This image of niece was taken with an 18-55mm lens, the reason for this was because of how close i was to her. Being able to use a shorter lens helped me capture my niece naturally looking outside the window as we made our way into central Paris. This is similar to Martin Parr's technique as the use of flash was used but not to much to give that Martin Parr feel. The use of natural light makes the lighting balance out which i am happy with as it's not over exposed and looks natural.

A moment after the previous image was taken i was able to capture this shot. I really like this shot as it shows a father and daughter relationship. The father being the mature adult, he is left with taking care of the train tickets and money where as my niece is looking directly at me pulling a funny face. This symbolises that she has no stress and can do what ever she wants. showing opposites just like the way Martin Parr illustrates the typical British lifestyle.

For this image i was going for more of a Henry Bresson feel. What i mean by this is the way in which he captures the environment around him.
This image is of the Notre Dame building in Paris and i tried to capture the path as well as the building. This is a basic image and i feel that if i had made the image portrait and zoomed in a little more, i would be able to focus more on the building itself.

This image was highly influenced by Martin Parr, the reason for this is due to the fact it's a natural shot. Capturing the life style of Paris and how people make a living. As the subject has a pigeon on his head it shows that he stands out from the crowd. I took this image without looking through the view finder only due to the fact that the pigeon may have flown off so i tried to be as quick as possible to capture the image. To make this image more effective i should have used the 55-300mm lens and to focus on the man more to get more of an effect.

This image here is of my sisters family, a use for symbolism as it shows that the family is united walking down the path. The usage of having more people within the horizon shows a different meaning to the image. Creating maybe a sense of relief. A strong image as this relates to the who Paris situation.





This portrait image of a man fishing in the river shows the natural life style of people in Paris and what they do to pass time. I really like this image because of the way it captures the man in his own world.

This image was taken using a telephoto lens as i was far away from the subject. If i was closer to the subject i feel that i would have gained a better effect within the image.

i used 55-300mm lens and i reduced the aperture down to F5, i tried to blur out the background however if i was closer i would have been more successful with this concept.

The pad lock bridge is an iconic location for romance, however i found that this image is a great use of imagery as it shows hope and togetherness during the tough times within Paris.

I used a macro lens to blur out some parts of the padlocks to focus on the middle of the image. A use of alignment much like Alfred Eisenstaedt's technique that i was able to use.






The most effective image that i had captured was the
 French flag in the middle of Paris. The usage of black and white as well as having colour highlights the flat within a dark time.
Knowing what has happened shows a form of symbolism and makes this image really emotional. This was heavily influenced by all three artists as bright colours are used by Martin Parr and both layout and the usage of black and white is used by the other two artists. This is one of my strongest pieces and feel that it has a powerful meaning behind it.  

The final picture that i will be looking over is the picture of the couple kissing. This has a huge use of symbolism as its much like the New York photo produced by Alfred Eisenstaedt'. The reason why the image is landscape is manly due to the fact of trying to get a mid shot of the couple with the Eiffel tower in the back.

I found that this photo was over exposed and a slight camera shake due to it being dark. For me to have corrected this i should have used a tripod and a flash defuser to have corrected the image.  

The usage of a collage makes the images seem as though they have a form of sequence creating a scene between each image. This has been done to show the before and after of the Paris incident.

Creating the collages

To create the collages i used an online editing software called : www.Befunky.com  
This is a free software that enables anyone to edit images similar towards what Photoshop can do however, this website gives you the choice of creating collages with different images. Simple and yet affective when it comes to quick editing.

Proposal for the next project

For the next photography project I will be using all the techniques used within both projects (Identity/A Place in time), to produce an overall final product. This product will be based on both themes and merged into one manly using the theme of identity as the topic. For example for the previous project I based my assignment on my niece and nephew.

This time I would like to base it on myself portraying what I identify as the things I enjoy and what I like doing. Using the environment/ background, which is based on assignment two. I should be able to capture each element within its surroundings producing something new and unique.

I will be recording each idea onto the excising blog to create an online portfolio of my recorded work. Highlighting the positive and negative elements within all my projects, illustrating the journey in which I had taken to create each final product.

Evaluation for project two

Project two-A place in time

For this project I was going to base it on the fact that I was going to Paris as a holiday and capturing Landscapes of Paris and it’s life style. However 2 days before I arrived back into the UK, the tragic event took place of the Paris bombing. This changed the whole concept for the whole idea and I thought that I could use the images that were taken and form it in such a way that it shows a happy family in Paris to a sad and dull family who manage to unite through dark times.

To help me with this process I have used numerous photographers to become influenced by. The influence would then guide me on the path of how I would like to take my images using the techniques, which they have used, and being able to illustrate how I was able to do it.

The first artists is called Henri Cartier Bresson, a famous French photographer who specialises in capturing the subject within its environment just by taking one click rather than numerous clicks. This technique can only be done by being organised and being able to think ahead. A technique, which I tried to use as I feel that it, helped me gain more of an idea of what I wanted to capture.

The second artist that I looked at was Martin Parr, a British photographer who is famous for his abstract images that portray the British culture by using a bright artificial flash within majority of his images. He sticks with this theme, which means he also thinks ahead and sticks to a specific theme to portray some form of meaning.

The final artist that looked at was Alfred Eisenstadt, a famous American photographer/ photojournalist who has captured many famous works such as the couple kissing once the war was over. The reason why I used him as an influence was due to the fact that he captures his images using such a use of composition and lays out his images really well using the technique of black and white, thus the reason for using his techniques to create the perfect image within the development process.

My strengths within this project were that I thought about each step and how I was able to capture exactly what I needed to build such emotion. An example of this is the way in which the French flag is in color and the background is all black and white. I was able to get this technique from all artists, as that is what they did to capture each perfect image.

My weaknesses within this project were that I wish I captured more of the element of France rather than just Disneyland. This is something for me to learn from as I got to caught up within the moment.

Overall I feel that this is a strong project as it has a range of meanings behind them, which can be seen in different lights by the audience. I feel that there is room for improvement and that I can learn from this for the overall project next year.

Identity

Introduction:

This blog piece is about the chosen topic of identity through the usage of photography, Identity showing images that relate to myself and family members, showing the relation between me and that object/person. For the chosen topic i have decided to base my project on my niece and nephew, the reason for this is to show the relation between the both without showing their face. By doing so i will illustrate how close they are as brother and sister. I will be researching 3 well known photographers that i feel like i can relate to as then i will be able to follow certain techniques to produce something similar.

Sally Mann

Sally was born in Lexington, Virginia around 1951. She is one of Americas most renowned photographers who specialises in photography based around children. She has received numerous awards, including an NEA, NEH and a Guggenheim Foundations grant. Her work is held by major international institutions.

Sally is known for her expert photography skills which emphasises what she has taken, using certain techniques such as creating black and white portraits of her object. Giving a feel towards her images.

The reason why i have chosen to use Sally as an influential artist is purely down to the fact that she knows what she is doing when it comes to capturing young children and the way in which the environment changes a simple image.

This image captured by Sally has a great feel to it. The reason for this is that the usage of a younger child smoking shows a form of opposites as smoking is considered dangerous and manly done by elder people. Knowing the fact that she is young creates a form of empathy and worry towards why is she smoking. The usage of black and white creates a sad emotion behind the image. A technique i am looking to use as it makes the image more dramatic and more unusual.
 Taken as a mid shot of her face and the cigarette is a good usage of form as it portrays the meaning of the image with the subject.

The image here shows an amazing use of proportion. The reason for this is that its within a central line of sight showing the group of kids playing games. The other two children are blurred out which highlights the two girls within their environment. The usage of one girl looking at the board games and the other looking at the camera creates a form of feeling for these children. Giving an impression of how heavily fixed they are within passing time. The usage of timing is key within an image as each movement can signify different types of emotions between the images. A technique that i need to use as a guidance to create the ideal image within my project.

I really like this image of the young girl, the reason for this is because of the way it is shot and the meaning behind the image itself. A young girl in such an elegant dress shows a form of class or illustrates the background from which she is from in contrast to the other two images presented. The way the girl is presented within the shot shows a form of being well organised and forward planning. What i mean by this is that the way the dress flows within the wind as she twirls shows a form of forward planning. Another technique i wish to use as i feel like i will be able to find out how i would like to create my image before it is even captured. By doing this i will be able to have more thought into the image and will enable me to add more elements within the image.

Anne Gedde

Anne Gedde is an Australian born photographer, currently living and working in New York. Gedde has produced 18 million books and 13 million calendars all based around her work.

She is well known for her work based around young children and dressing them up into different costumes to portray certain images within the costume and background. A cleverly thought out process that involves forward planning to construct the images she creates based on identity. Here are 3 example of her work that influences me within the photography project.

This low lighted image caught my eye by the way it has been taken. By using a low-key form of image it creates a higher value of shadow around the subject. This creates a sense of identity as the shadow and the black background takes away what could be surrounding the image. Creating all sorts of emotions for the way the subject is presented. For example having the baby by itself could suggest that the baby is alone and that mother nature is looking after the baby by the way the baby is sleeping on the plant as well as having a leaf as a cap to keep it's head warm. The usage of Symbolism is an amazing technique to use as this creates a range of emotions. A technique i wish to use as it will enhance my images to make it seem different towards what it could look like.

This black and white image of the two children caught my eye. The reason for this is how the usage of black and white makes the image seem more dynamic. What i mean by this is how the shadows around the features of the subject is highlighted. This creates an amazing effect.
Having the subjects within a simple background and giving them hats to wear gives a motion of young and old within one image. As the children are wearing items normally seen on elder people this gives us the impression of old vs young. A technique i would like to use, I.e showing different body parts like hands on top of hands to create more shadows and a range of emotion as it can be a hand of any subject.

Another great image of an adult and a small infant adds an amazing effect especially being in black and white. This image captures different meanings as it use of symbolism applies to the adult as well as the young infant. The male model shows a form of a farther role by the way in which he is holding the baby. Even though we can not see his face we instantly get this image of him being a fatherly figure for the young infant. A great technique as this can be used within my work, highlighting the position of an adult and a younger child portraying emotions and what roles they have all within that one image.

Tom Hussey

Tom Hussey, an American photographer who specialises in commercial advertising and lifestyle photography. His work manly consists of illustrating the differences between young and old through a variety of set ups and techniques that he uses. He carried out a post graduate work at the acclaimed School of Photographic Arts & Science. This is where he began his journey as a photographer and established his great work within the commercial side of Photography.

I really enjoy looking at Toms work as he illustrates a range of emotions through the usage of reflection. As seen in this image you can see an elderly woman with her son. Within the reflection is a young woman holding her baby son. This image is meant to show opposites of young and old of the same person. As if they are both looking into the past. The composition of the image is set out perfectly. The reason for this is because of way a nurse is in the back this reinforces the idea that we are in a hospital as well as being in a world between then and now.
I would like to use this idea as i find that it illustrates both worlds within one image and creates a range of emotions.

As you can see within this image, it shows a younger child up against a window. As a window can reflect you can see an elderly gentleman within the background looking at what the child is doing. This is a use of symbolism, to me this image is seen as we all did it at one stage within our lives and when we look back at these actions we feel alien to it because we now live a more mature lifestyle where as children do what they please. Another use of opposites within an image. Being a portrait image we are able to see the child from head to toe and this also crops out any other unnecessary image around the focused area. A good way to highlight an area within an image.

This final image from Toms work shows an excellent use of opposites from mother to daughter. The way in which the younger daughter is watching what the mother is doing and that she intimidates her mother shows that she wants to be just like her within the way the image has been captured. As the girl is on top of the washing machine this shows a form of closeness between how the mother is looking after the daughter. Having her on a higher platform shows that she has a better sight of her daughter so she can look after her whilst she is folding her clothes. I really want to use this form of emotion with my images to create a better form of emotion and adds more emotion to the image. I will be using these techniques within my image to form a greater use of symbolism.

How i will capture the images?

Using a Nikon D3200 i will be able to capture my images through a 24 mega pixels which will make my images with a higher resolution. A 55-300mm Tamron lens with a macro lens will enable me to zoom into the subject from a far distance and the usage of a macro lens will enable me to get an enhanced close up of the image. This automatically changes the aperture size to create a better sense of depth of field as well as using a standard 18-55mm so i can capture images close up within the given distance. The flash will enable me to capture the image with a less harsher flash. The usage of a flash gun when used right can create an artificial use of natural light only hen used right. This i will try to do as i feel that images work better with the usage of natural light. The reason why i prefer this is because i enjoy the naturalness of an image without having to edit the image to much within an editing software.

Contact Sheet for images taken 
Here is the process of the images that were taken within sequence on my DSLR. The usage of a contact sheet shows each step that was taken and the images used within the final chosen selected images. This shows how my mind works within what images i wanted to use and what i didn't want to use.

Images taken

This first image which was taken in natural light with a 18-55mm lens is an image of bother brother and sister holding hands against a white wall. I have usage natural light within this image as i feel that the texture of skin is more realistic and pleasing towards the eyes. The usage of a portrait image focuses on a certain point within the image.

The main focus point is the two hands joined together. To me this image shows the bond between bother brother and sister within any circumstance. A close bond that will grow with both of them.

The usage of a Landscape shot of both brother and sisters shoes is another use of symbolism as they are only a year apart, however within this image it seems as though they are both the same size. I have taken this image with a 55-300mm so that i could blur out the background (A use of aperture).

I took a different approach within this image, the reason for this was to show my nephews toy car using an Aperture of F2. I used this so that i could blur out the background behind the image and the foreground of the subject is more focused. A usage of a focal point makes the eyes of audience go straight to the subject rather than anything else. The meaning behind this image is that even though it is a toy car it can also be seen as a real car. The differences between young and old. The same technique used by Tom Hussey.

Another technique that i've used from Tom Hussey techniques is of a doll and a doll house. A usage of symbolism that shows identity of the doll and a house. As it's my nieces doll house this shows a form of old and new as it could be her in the future looking at a house when she is older.

The usage of depth of field that was captured using an 18-55mm lens of the sculpted feet of my niece and nephews feet. The usage of reflection within the image shows that it's within a homely environment Another technique which i used from Tom Hussey's techniques.  

The black and white image of my mothers hand and my nieces hand creates a sense of an age gap and a relationship between old and new. This image was taken on a HDR mode so that the features of the hands are highlighted more to create a higher resolution within the image, The image was edited on photoshop using a black and white filter to highlight the shadows around the image and gives more detail within the image.

This image was influenced by Anne Gedde. The reason for this the way in which she captures the elements of young children within there living area. For example being on their bed shows an element of comfort as well as showing their feet which captures that they are so alike within feet size that they could be alike in person. Black and white within a HDR feature enhances the shadows around the feet, enhancing the use of detail.

The usage of shoes again symbolises the differences between sizes between the subjects. Boys sizes on one size and girls sizes on the other side. This is shown within patterned form because of the colours which are shown. The angle of which the images are shown within a tilt in a landscape mode captures the shoes as well as the box that it is in.

The differences between this image is that it is a usage of depth of field as well as scale. From large to small. Another technique which is similar towards Tom's work. I really like this image as it captures the age ranges between father and his two children. This was shot using a 18-55mm lens. I feel that this image could do with more work as i should have thought about the handbag being in the way. Forward thinking just like Sally Mann. I should have taken more time on this image.

The image of my nieces hand around her soft toy shows a form of security and that knowing she is asleep holding her teddy shows she feels secure. Something that is close to her and that she may need when she sleeps, a form of identity.

Another technique that i have used which was heavily influenced by Tom and how he shows the age range between parents and children. I found that this shot shows both Mother and Farther cradling the children's socks. A form of protection, another good use of symbolism.

This image is one of my weaker images as i feel as this image does not have much meaning behind it. It's simple and i feel that i know i can do better than this. However i think that it is wise for me to show my positive images as well as my negative images as it shows the way i think and what i prefer.

Editing the Images

The process of editing was all done on Photoshop. The reason for this was because i find that this is an amazing software to use for editing images and that i have been using Photoshop for all my images. Here is an example of how i edit my images. Using a Black and White mask i am able to create different effects changing each colour within the image by adjusting the colour channel.

Saving the file i made sure that each image was saved as a JPEG and saved at 300DPI. The reason why the image was saved at such a high resolution is due to that it will look more clear for print as the pixels will be higher reducing the chance of pixillation. 

Evaluation for project one

Project 1: Identity

For project one I based my project around the theme of identity, the use of identity which is based around my niece and nephew and how they have such a strong bond with each other as well as a family. I have highlighted aspects of what is close to both subjects, which varies from objects and certain elements of body parts.

Examples of what I have captured are the images such as the young hand on top of the older hand. This Image has a huge sense of symbolism, which shows the differences between ages, this is a technique that was heavily influenced by Tom Hussy.  The reason why I had used this technique is due to having two ages within one photo and how it shows an emotion within the image.

Another artist that I was influenced by was Sally Mann. Sally specialises in photography based around children, capturing them within their element, using black and white to add more emotion towards her images. Another technique that I was able to use as this made the shadows around the images stand out and made the image seemed more dramatic rather than being in colour.

The final artist that I looked at was Anne Gedde, She is a well known studio photographer who captures newborn’s within different lights. I felt that I was able to use some of her techniques as she captures children within different backgrounds, which changes the range of emotion within the image.

I was able to create 12 unique images from a range of different images as shown from the contact sheet, I feel really happy about the images that I produced as I put time into each effort to create a form of emotion behind each one. Each image was saved as a JPEG at a resolution of 300DPI. Each image was edited on Photoshop to create each visual for each picture.

My strengths within this assignment were that I use DSLR’s as an everyday tool, which gave me the upper hand on how to use them. I was able to capture each image using the chosen influences so that I could show a link between their work and my work to show a link between the two.

My weaknesses within this project was that I wish I had planned more ahead as I feel that the usage of theme was pretty basic and I wish I could have improved it by making it more dramatic or in some form more visualising.

Overall I have enjoyed the assignment I have learnt a range new techniques such as the usage of a macro lens and how the usage of the HDR mode adds more of a emboss effect to the images.