My chosen theme for GCSE level photography exam is "Landscapes and textures". I am going to look at different types of landscapes, such as urban landscapes, textures and local landscapes. I aim to produce a gallery of images showing my work, ideas and reflections based on this theme. I will put together my favourite photographs that I have taken and put them in a gallery and can then reflect on which one I like the most and which one I dislike and then do further work on to it.I chose this theme specifically because it gives me a wide opportunity to explore and work on the skills I have already learnt. In order to produce a successful , creative and individual final main project. I need to start by doing some in depth research around my chosen theme. The way I am going to do this is by mind mapping to expand my ideas, mood boards so I have an idea of what I want to do and internet research. I am also going to look at different photographers that have a similar theme to me so I can maybe get some more ideas and inspiration. I could also look at magazines and books to get more inspiration, create some mood boards, mind maps.
I hope to explore lots of different options so that I can build up my understanding of my chosen theme. I intend to have a wide range of research using a variety of different media. This will allow me to create a successful project and will help inspire me. My main aim is to create a project that is very personal to me and one where I can explore and develop my photography techniques and skills. I am going to use my Weebly personal photography website to record all of my ideas and also Google sites.
I intend to capture a wide range of different shoots for this project. I went to different parks on my own and focused on capturing the natural texture of plants, trees, flowers etc., focusing on the autumn colours and soft light. Throughout my project, I hope to use as many processes and techniques as possible to gain a high quality project. When I am using my camera I will leave it on the manual setting so that I can change/control the images I am taking. If I am taking photos outside, I will have to constantly check my IOS, white balance, shutter speed and aperture. When using photoshop I can use a variety of tools such as layers, opacity, saturation, blur, magic cut and many more.
Mock exam:
CONTEXT: Daniel coyle
COMPOSITION In this image there is a foreground which is the tree, middle ground which is the rocky hills. The photographer has used a rule of thirds which is the tree with no leaves. The bottom of the tree is the darkest part of the image which also stands out, this draws our attention to it straight away as it's in the foreground then later on moves our attention to the rest of the image. The viewpoint is eye level which focuses on the image as a whole. In my opinion i think coyle has used a small F-stop, this is because the image is all in focus rather than blurring the background so there is a shallow depth of field. I think the image has the correct exposure as it isn't too bright or too dark. I also think the photographer had the iso setting on 400 because the image doesn’t look like it captured a lot of light but I think it makes the image look a bit more mystical. He may have used a tripod as the image looks very still but could also have been with his hands which would have needed a bit more skill. I also think he might have used photoshop not necessarily to manipulate the image a lot but maybe just to enhance the exposure, vibrance and colour of the sunset. The main colours in the image are purples, pinks, blues and greyish black, which in my opinion makes the image a lot more interesting and pretty to look at then if it was normal sunlight taken in the day. I think the 3 big branches coming off the tree frame the picture quite well as it gives us something more than the smooth background to look at and the fact that it has no leaves can indicate it maybe me autumn or even that the tree may be d CONNECTION In my opinion, I really like this image because I'm quite fond of the colours used and how he has taken it such as the rule of thirds and the scenery he has chosen to take it off. I think the strengths of this image is the colours and they way he has taken the image
INSPIRATIONS I don't think i would achieve this type of image because of the time it may have been taken and the colours it has, although it could be manipulated in photoshop to give the same colour effect. I want to be able to take landscape photos like this maybe even using rule of thirds to focus on one are.
Coggle mind map
Texture Shoot 1:
BEST
This is my best image because the image is clear and it doesn't really have much of a shadow.
WORST
This is my worst image because it has a shadow that covers half the wood which doesn't look too good.
BEST
This is my best image because it is clear and nothing is in the way
WORST
This is my worst image because it has bad lighting. bad angle and it is placed on top of the wood
BEST
This is my best image because it has the right lighting
WORST
This is my worst image because there is a big shadow on the objects so it makes it quite dark
BEST
This is my best image because I think it has the right lighting as it isn't too dark or too light.
WORST
This is my worst image because it is too dark which might be because of the white balance.
BEST
This is my best image because I think all the setting's for the camera are correct.
WORST
This is my worst image because I think the white balance is too high.
BEST
This is my best image because the lighting isn't too bright
WORST
This is my worst image because the depth of field is shallow and the white balance is too bright.
BEST
This is my best image because I like the deep depth of field and you can see the texture of the shell.
WORST
This is my worst image because I don't like the angle I took the photo.
BEST
This is my best image as I like the lighting and it is quite close up.
WORST
This is my worst image because the lighting is bad and it didn't have a nice background.
BEST
This is my best image because I like how close it is and there isn't any shadows. or bright lighting.
WORST
This is my worst image because there is a shadow on the side of the shell and I could've taken it more close up.
Texture Shoot 2: man made
BEST
This is my best image because I like the angle of it.
WORST
This is my worst image because my finger is in the corner.
BEST
This is my best image because you can see the ripping of the painting clearly and closely
WORST
This is my worst image because you can see the side of the cabin where it opens and closes.
BEST
This is my best image because it has the rays of sunlight shining on to the ground which gives it a nice effect.
WORST
This is my worst image because I shouldn't have taken if off both the object and the floor.
BEST
WORST
This is my best image because it uses the rule of thirds.
This is my worst image because I do not like the angle .
Natural
BEST
This is my best image because I like how it is taken from an angle below and taken with a fast shutter speed.
WORST
This is my worst image because it is really blurry and not in focus.
BEST
This is my best image because it has a deep depth of field and focuses on the plant and not the leaves.
WORST
This is my worst image because it is quite dark and nothing stands out.
BEST
This is my best image because it focuses on the red berries rather then the leaves behind.
WORST
This is my worst image because you can't really see the red berries and the leaf in the front is in the way.
BEST
This is my best image because I like how close it is and it isn't either to bright or too dark
WORST
This is my worst image because I could have taken it at a better angle.
BEST
This is my best image because it kind of uses rule of thirds and it is clear.
WORST
This is my worst image because it is a bit blurry and I also don't like that the leaf is folded.
BEST
Although I like the ones with the trunk of the trees in the image I like this one as is it has bright lively colours which looks pretty against the sky.
WORST
This is my worst image because the lighting is really bad and dark which makes it hard to see the trees.
BEST
This is my best image because I really like the tone of the image with the little leaves in the backkground.
WORST
This is my worst image because I feel like with this leaf it doesn't really look good when it is close up.
BEST
This is my best image because it has the best lighting, although they are all mostly dark
WORST
This is my worst image because I don't like the angle or the lighting as it is too dark
BEST
This is my best image because I have got the texture of the moss that I wanted and the lighting is better then the rest
WORST
This is my worst because you can't see the moss and it just looks like it is of the ground because it is really dark
Texture Shoot 3: telescopic lens
Working with a professional photographer:
For this shoot I was working with a professional photographer. We used a tripod which had a camera with a telescopic lens this helped me to focus more on the details and texture of the plants, although I did take some photos without using it. We also used a light which made the plants stand out behind the black backdrop. For some of the plants we used a silver reflector which brought out the colour of the plants and made it more shiny.
BEST
This is my best image because it has the correct lighting the details of the sunflower are clearly standing out which I really like.
WORST
This is my worst image because the centre is too dark and that was the main part of the sunflower I was focusing on
BEST
This is my best image because I like the silver shine on the leaves which were used by a silver reflector .
WORST
Although I do like this image because of the lighting, it was ruined by the hand in the back .
BEST
This is th best image because the depth of field is strong which brings out the texture of the thorns
WORST
This is my worst image because the left side of the image is quite dark which I don't like.
BEST
This is my best image because
WORST
This is my worst image because
best
This is my best image as I like it close up. This really brings out the detail of the rose.
worst
This is my worst image because the lighting is really dark which doesn't bring out the rose's natural colour
Fletcher Moss Garden
best
This is my best image because it has a sharp depth of field bringing out the detail of the leaf
worst
This is my worst image because nothing is in focus and a lot is going on
best
This is my best image because the flower is close up with a sharp depth of field.
worst
This is my worst image because the exposure is too high and it doesn't focus on anything
best
This is my best image because I like how there are leaves on the side which gives the image a variety
worst
This is my worst image because it is really dull and doesn't have any colour
best
This is my best image because it really focusses on the texture of the tree which is what one of my project themes was.
worst
This is my worst image because I don't like the angle and it is quite random
best
This is my best image because I like the lighting
worst
I don't know what happened here but you can barely see anything
best
This is my best image because you can really see the texture of the tree which is quite unique
worst
This is my worst image because of the lighting which was really dark and also may be due to my camera setting
best
This is my best image because the texture is really clear and the lighting is correct.
worst
This is my worst image because you can see some of the landscape behind the tree which ruins it
best
This is my best image because it has a high aperture which brings out the little parts of the plant
worst
This is my worst image because it is really blurry because the shutter speed might have been high and I didn't focus the camera on the texture of the plant
best
This is my best image because I have used maybe like a Fstop 3 or 4 to bring out the foreground and the background blurrier
worst
This is my worst image because I have used the wrong white balance which makes it look washed out
Developing my journey:
Pictures I have already taken:
for this photography project "texture". I had taken some photos in October, Autumn , which some were done at school. For this I did it of both man made and texture. However, I wanted to develop my photos so I also went outside of school which gave me higher chance of developing my skills and a wider variety of photos. Later on, I had a chance to work with a photographer which helped me broaden my project idea. When I went outside of school to take the images I went to Fletcher Moss in Didsbury. This was a really nice garden with lots of variety of plants. Many of which we wouldn't really see in this country. When I worked with the photographer. Justin, it was taken place in school using an actual Photoshop set up. I really enjoyed this because it gave me a chance to understand how the camera and set up really works. we were trying to capture a variety of images such as close ups of: plants, trees, texture of plants, texture of both man made and natural objects. what I found was successful was that I had gotten both images for man made and natural and close ups. I also used a telescopic lens which helped my project as I am focusing on texture. However, it would have helped if I had a bit more experience with using the lens because my images didn't turn out to be as successful as I thought it would be. When taking the photos with the photographer I felt I had really good outcomes which I like the most compared to my other shoots in school and outside of school. To improve, I think I should go out more on my own and take my own variety of images. This will also help with my photoshop as well as having a wide range of images.
Next Steps
My next steps are to look at different photographers that are linked to our images and make sure they are not random photographers, make sure the photographers being used are appealing and inspirational which are linked to our own images we have already taken. For Photoshop I will watch YouTube videos which will explain how to do the steps for my desired Photoshop. This will teach us to make the images better and develop our images from simple photos to complex Photoshop using different tools. This will make it more personal and meaningful.
Development
in order to develop so we are able to achieve the grade we want we should go out and take pics of the landscape that we want such as trams and buildings My next photoshoot will be in the graveyard creating the weird and wonderful unique theme that will create an achievable outcome. I will also venture out to take many photos and landscapes so I can make it into my own work in Photoshop via the internet. I want to create 3 different photoshoots which consist of urban landscapes and will be edited with colour splash. The first photo shoot will be a halo landscape, to carry out this I need a sinister and eerie vibe. I will need an abandoned building which would help my work be distinctive. For my next photoshoot I will be more unique using light bulbs, colour pencils and buildings, i will be using a microscopic camera lens to improve the quality of my images as the equipment will be leng. For locations I would do it inside a studio without natural lighting. I may go outside to do man made ones and I will plan out fighting the weather and possibly take a coat when it's raining so I can take some images of the rain.
MOCK EXAM:
Final Ideas
In Photoshop I have enjoyed doing layers and different colours on my images. I also have enjoyed making patterns with my photos. I have successfully used the lens flare tool to give my image a glow and the magic cut. Although it was a bit difficult to start with I think I ended up with a really good outcome.