VISUAL DIARY - TASK 3 - IMOGEN NISSEN
TASK 1: Recreate a Photograph or Painting
REFERENCE IMAGE: ORIGINAL IMAGE: FINAL IMAGE:
For the original image, I had a warm light behind the model, having the light shine from above would have created a better effect, but I only had a light that could take a lower vantage point. I had the model pose with their head tilted to their right, similar to the pose modelled in the reference photo.
Using Snapseed I cropped the photo to better match the framing of the reference photo. Using the white balance tool, I adjusted the temperature to -15. Doing this added some blue to the picture and changed the background from white to a similar blue/purple to better match the reference photo.
TASK 2: The Exposure Triangle
The exposure triangle is made up of three settings in a camera, Aperture, Shutter speed, and ISO. Those three elements set the level of exposure an image has, if the image is under exposed the image will appear darker, when the image is over exposed it will appear brighter, when photo shopping its easier to fix an image that is underexposed by brightening the picture.
Aperture: Aperture is the amount the camera lens is opened or closed and affects the brightness and depth of field an image has. If the lens is wider (lower number) the image will appear brighter and less in focus. If the lens is narrower (higher number) then the image will have less light and the central focus will be closer to the camera.
Shutter Speed: Shutter speed is used to capture movement. If a photographer wants to capture a sharp, clear image like something is frozen in time they will use a lower shutter speed (for example, 1/1000), if they want to show the movement and get an image that shows anything moving as a blur they will use a higher shutter speed (for example, 1/15).
ISO: ISO is the sensitivity of the image sensor and is used to brighten an image when taking a photograph in a dark room, with this it also adds grain to the image. The default setting on most cameras is 100, if a photographer goes lower than that the image will get less light and will have a finer grain. If a photographer uses a higher number the image will have more light, and more grain, higher ISO also affects aperture and shutter speed. Using a low ISO is ideal for photographing outside when there’s more light, using a higher ISO is better for photographing indoors when there’s little light.
TASK 5: Elements
Elements of Design:
LINE:
Line is a design element used to draw the focus of a viewer’s eyes, whether its drawing their eyes towards or away from something. Lines in a photograph can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, short, long, thin, thick or pretty much anything else.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
SHAPE:
Shape in photography is an element that is identifiable and easy to accomplish. As long as the shape or silhouette isn’t too surrounded by clutter and easy to identify. Its easy to show off this design element by having it back or front lit.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
FORM:
Form is similar to shape. It’s a three-dimensional object that uses light and shadows to keep focus on it and to make the picture more interesting.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
COLOUR:
Colour is used in photography to help convey a specific feeling or emotion. For example, more vibrant, bright colours like reds, yellows and greens can convey a more positive, energetic feelings.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
TONE:
Tone is the contrast between the brightness of colours. Especially used in black and white photographs, tone can help draw a person’s eyes, and help set the mood of the image.
[J, Lovett, 2017]
TEXTURE:
Texture brings interest to a photograph. Light is one of the most helpful with this design element as it helps accentuate the roughness or smoothness of a surface or object.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN:
BALANCE:
Balance focuses mainly on symmetry. Symmetry is aesthetically pleasing and are more interesting to look at then asymmetrical designs.
[M, Reid, 2019]
EMPHASIS/SPACE:
Emphasis is used to highlight the important elements of a photograph. Space can be used to draw attention away from something to keep focus on something else.
[M, Reid, 2019]
PATTERN:
Pattern and repetition are something that eyes pick up on quickly and a continuation or a break in patter can make a photograph more interesting.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
CONTRAST:
Contrast is used to make something pop, usually through colour and a difference between the colour of something that’s the main focus and the background. The use of bright colours on a dark background can help a photograph be bolder.
[D, Eftaiha, 2010]
MOVEMENT:
Movement is used to catch a viewer’s eye and have them follow around the photograph. Whether that’s following a line, pattern, or colour.
[D, Graham, n.d.]
UNITY:
Unity is a principle in photography used to create cohesion in an image. By using similar tones, colours, and concepts an image can look a lot better with the principle unity.
[S, Stratton, n.d.]
TASK 6: Before and After
ORIGINAL IMAGE: FINAL IMAGE:
Cropped from 867 x 1300 to 867 x 1000, +50 Vibrance, +30 Saturation, +50 Temperature, -30 Highlight, +10 Contrast
TASK 7: Composition
LEADING LINES: has a line that leads the eye to a different part of the image
FRAMING: a frame around the central focus of the image
PATTERN: has a continuous, natural pattern
CENTRE OF INTEREST: has a main focal point supported with empty space
TASK 9: Photographer Research
BROOKE SHADEN:
Brooke Shaden is a 33-year-old, American fine arts photographer, who primarily works with self-portraits and whose art features a consistent mood and theme. By looking at the examples above, it is clear that Shaden has very much established and is comfortable working with her own unique style of photography. Shaden uses dull tones and colours to convey the emotions she is portraying in her images, a darker, almost creepy vibe as if her images are bad dreams come to life. Most of her photographs have focal points and all have unity in their theme and style. The centre of interest and unity help tell a story through her photography, which is her aim. Shaden relies heavily on photoshop to bring her images to life, she uses very heavy post production to achieve her final product. She shows how she edits her photos in her YouTube videos and how proper editing can have such a drastic and beautiful effect on the meaning of an image. I personally really like Brooke Shadens style of photography as its unique and every image has a different story behind it, her use of tone and photoshop really bring so much interest to her images.
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ:
Annie Leibovitz is a 70-year-old American photographer who is famously known for the weird and whacky portraits she takes of celebrities. Leibovitz has spent decades perfecting her photography skills and style, she’s even won the Glamour Award for The Visionary, and the Honorary Clio Award for her art. She is best known for the intimate and confronting poses she has her muses do, and her heavy portfolio of celebrity portraits. One of the most notable features of her photographs is her focus on a centre interest, and lack of unity. Leibovitz’s images often are focused on a particular person or persons, as shown in the examples above, and uses empty space or a quiet background to help keep the subject in the picture as the main focus. Her photographs, though interesting, rarely have a story and are used more as a way to show a different, more personal side to celebrities rather than to tell a narrative. I find Annie Leibovitz’s work really interesting as it’s a style that not many photographers can pull off in a way that looks both natural and comfortable for the subject of the image.
DIDI VON BOCH:
Didi von Boch is a San Francisco based photographer who is known for her maternity shots and family portraits. Von Boch has a very clearly established style of photography she uses and has perfected that style she is comfortable with. In her photographs she almost always has a centre of interest, most of those being the baby, mother, or family that she is capturing images of. As seen in the photographs above, she often uses the rule of thirds, and space to her advantage when capturing a subject. The empty space and the placement of the subject in the photograph is aesthetically pleasing and works really well in family or maternity shoots. Von Boch’s images don’t tell a story but it makes more sense for them not to, if she used a more narrative style it wouldn’t work as well for her family portraits. I find Didi von Boch’s style of photograph to be simple but elegant, there isn’t too much detail or crowding, it’s perfect style to having hanging on your wall in your family home.
TASK 10: Retouch
ORIGINAL IMAGE: FIRST EDIT: FINAL IMAGE:
I started by doing some spot healing on the face and removing a line near the models nose. I then played with the filters and colours and made the tones of the photograph warmer.
(+30 vibrance, +12 saturation, +20 temperature)
