IMAGE & TEXT Assignment : Task 2 : Test images using in-camera techniques

Here are some examples of my own in-camera effects.


CARD CUT OUT - STAR:

For this effect I cut out a star from a piece of card. I then lit 5 tea lights and blurred the focus so they were just hazey circles. I then placed the star cut out infront of my lens to create these interesting shapes. Unfortunately I didn't get the outcome that I wanted because I wanted the whole flames to be stars instead of just part of a star, however, I do like my outcome as it's very abstract and interesting. The way this type of imagery works is with a standard lens for a camera the aperture is constantly looking through a round hole. Putting a cut out shape infront of the lens makes the camera think that the aperture is a shape and therefore creates these shapes instead of hazey circles.

SKIN COLOURED TIGHTS:

For this image I stretched some skin coloured tights over my lens and secured them with an elastic band. I don't really like the effect that the tights apply to an image because it looks quite washed out, however, I do quite like the vintage feel to the photograph of my dog.

BLACK TIGHTS:

Here I stretched a pair of black tights over my lens and secured them with an elastic band.

CLING FILM - STRECHED:

For this effect I stretched a piece of cling film over the end of my lens. The outcome was quite disappointing because it didn't really affect the image at all. If anything it made the image a little more grainy than normal.

CLING FILM - CRINKLED:

For this effect I crinkled up a piece of cling film and attatched it to the end of my camera. This has an interesting effect because you can't really make out what is causing the blur in the image. 

VASELINE - WHOLE LENS:

For this effect I covered my lens in vaseline. I don't like this effect because you can't see anything at all and can barely make out what is in the picture.

VASELINE - OUTER EDGES OF LENS:

This is by far my favourite in-camera effect. I really like the way your eye gets drawn into the centre of the picture because of the blur created by the vaseline. At first I was absolutely terrified to put vaseline on my camera but it wiped off fine and hasn't damaged it. I would have never thought of doing something like this and would always rely on photoshop if I needed any effects like this however I like how raw the effect is.

NAIL VARNISH FILTER :

For this effect I painted over a section of cling film and put it over the end of my lens. This was to create the effect of a graduated filter of colour. This would work well for skylines to make the sky appear a different colour to the buildings/anything else in the picture. I think this effect would look better if the colour of the nail varnish wasn't as pigmented/ dark.

TIN FOIL - COLLIDASCOPE :

For this effect I got a large piece of tin foil and created a cylindrical shape. I then put it over the end of my lens and it created a sort of collidascope effect. I think this is really interesting and I would have never thought to do anything like this before.

CLING FILM - DOUBLED OVER :

For this effect I used cling film and folded it over lots of times to increase the density. This gave the images I took the same effect as vaseline without the risk of damaging my lens. I think I prefer this effect to the vaseline effect because you can make out what is in the picture whereas vaseline makes the image so blurry you can't tell what is in the image.

CLING FILM - ROLLED :

For this effect I rolled up cling film in a sausage shape and wrapped it around the outer edges of my lens. I don't really like this effect as it is quite obviously make-shift and doesn't really make you wonder how the effect has been achieved and I think that's the beauty of these in-camera effects.

TIN FOIL + CLING FILM : 

For this effect I ripped up really small sections of tin foil and placed them on the end of my lens. I then secured them in place with a piece of cling film. I was a bit disappointed because I expected the shininess of the cling film to be visible however they just look like black dots. 

NAIL VARNISH :

For this effect I painted onto an acetate sheet in red nail varnish. The nail varnish was quite seethrough/wasn't very opaque so you could still see what I was photographing. I really like this effect and how it creates a haze over my images and how the colour blends/fades so well.

VASELINE AND CONFETTI :

For this effect I applied a circle of vaseline to a piece of acetate. I then stuck heart shaped confetti onto the vaseline. I found this quite hard to work with because I could either get my subject in focus or my vaseline and heart confetti in focus, I could never get a happy medium between the two.

LIPSTICK :

For this effect I applied a red lipstick to my lips and kissed a piece of acetate to create the lips effect. This didn't work very well because I didn't really have any bright lipsticks so the lips don't show up very well. I also couldn't get my camera to focus on the lips so it sort of looks like a blur. This effect isn't very successful and I think this may be more effective if created in modern digital in-camera techniques.

EYESHADOW :

For this effect I applied some black eyeshadow to a piece of acetate. When I was trying to photograph with it, I was having trouble focusing on anything so I removed some of the eyeshadow in the centre. I don't really like this effect because the black eyeshadow appears brown here and it is quite blurry.

STUDIO TECHNIQUES Assignment : Task 2 : Area of interest

Here are some still life images I took in my home made low key studio. I wanted to test some ideas for my Studio Techniques assignment because we can either do fashion, portraits or still life. I am interested in all three styles of studio work and I wanted to brainstorm lots of different ideas. I think for the resources I had, my images have turned out quite well. For this set up I used my tv with a black scarf draped over it and a table with a black scarf draped over it. My lighting was a daylight lamp. I am really pleased with his my images have turned out, however, I think I am going to move away from still life photography and challenge myself to do a more difficult fashion or beauty shoot.

This was my set up.

LO-FI ZINE Assignment : Task 2 : Research : Martin Parr

This image reminds me of home because it represents warmth and comfort.

DISCLAIMER: All of these images were taken by Martin Parr.

None of the above images are my own.

These images link to our assignment because he has taken pictures of lots of different objects around the home. I really like these images because I think for my assignment I will focus in on objects around the home to represent what I call home. 

LO-FI ZINE Assignment : Task 2 : Research : Julian Germain

This is an interesting idea to take photographs of the man's possessions - here he has used an old book of memories (photographs).

The depth of field used here is gorgeous!

I love this depth of field and how Germain has focused in on the food and the things on the table rather than on the man.

This is a really interesting angle capturing the man in the mirror.

DISCLAIMER: All of these images were taken by Julian Germain.

None of the above images are my own. 

For our next assignment we have been asked to take photographs on the theme of 'home'. This can be pictures of our actual home or a place where we feel like home. We can take pictures indoors or outdoors. These images by Julian Germain relate to our task because he has taken photographs of this man in his own environment. 

IMAGE & TEXT Assignment : Task 1 & 15 : Research In-Camera Techniques

Here are some examples of in-camera effects. These were used by photographers to enhance/change an image before editing software like photoshop was invented. 

DISCLAIMER: All of these images were taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/blondeshotcreative/

None of these images are my own.

EYESHADOW FILTER:

This photograph has been taken using a wide angle lens quite close up to the subject. I think they may have used post production techniques on Photoshop to make the area which is not speckled completely black and a lot darker than it may have been shot with. I think this image was taken using artificial light because the models face seems to be glowing quite brightly in areas - possibly caused by additional artificial lighting.

BABY POWDER FILTER:

LIPSTICK FILTER:

I think this image was taken in natural light because there is no harsh light added to the models face.

HEART CONFETTI FILTER:

I think that this was taken in artificial light and flash has been used here, I can tell this as the area around the dogs face is very bright. 

NAIL VARNISH FILTER:

Here a wide angle lens has been used very close to the subject as it hasn't focused properly and has form a sort of silhouette of the object in the image.

This photograph was taken in daylight, I can tell this because of the soft but bright light coming in from the top right corner of the image. 

Here I think a telephoto lens has been used to zoom in on the subject and focus on the fine hairs on the fur of the toy. 

HEART CUT OUT FILTER:

This photograph wasn't taken in any light, and flash hasn't been used, as the image is very dim and quite dark. This is to show that the only lights in the image are the fairy lights being highlighted by the bokeh effect. I think the image has been taken through post production techniques in Photoshop to create a vignette around the outside edges of the images to make it look even darker to show the lights.

I absolutely love these techniques. They are really creative and artistic and are aesthetically pleasing. I especially like the heart confetti one. They show photography in a different way and are really abstract. I had never thought about in-camera effects before and I am definitely looking forward to going home and trying some out for myself. 

STUDIO TECHNIQUES Assignment : Task 1 : Definition of Portraiture

Portraiture has been practiced since the invention of the camera in 1685 by Johann Zahn. The basis of portraiture is to capture a person or group of people; this is usually their face or can be their full body, and to capture their likeness, personality, facial expression and even mood. In most cases of portraiture the model (usually unprofessional) is looking straight into the camera and are for personal viewing.

There are lots of different types of portraiture:
Candid, posed, formal, couple, group, environmental, sporting, fashion etc.

Photographic portraiture became popular because it was cheaper and more accessible than painting.