The photos above were shot off the top of a car park roof i found in Manchester. I decided to experiment with using slow shutter to capture the movement of the trains as they went past. At the beginning i found this really hard to do as i couldn't work the correct settings for my aperture plus Fstop so the images were coming out very white and blurred but once i did i felt the images that i captured were really interesting yet i would have liked to have used a longer exposure as i think that by doing so it would create much more of a blurred effect capturing more of the train thus capturing more of the movement in the process.

Assignmnet 3: Foreground and background

The Photos above show a clear difference between foreground and background, they were created by using manual setting alongside manual focus as this helped me capture a clearer and sharper image as well as having more control over the overall focus of the camera. Overall i found this quite easy yet enjoyable as i had never really used manual focus in such a way before.

Lighting techniques

 Hollywood- The light is placed behind the model yet still slightly to the side, this creates a very dark shadow leaving only the main features to be lit.

 Rembrandt- The shadow of the nose should connect with the far cheek. Light is places above the model slightly to side.

Butterfly- Light is placed above and in front of the model. The positioning of the light on the face can sometimes create a small shadow resembling a butterfly between the nose and lip area.

Broad- The face is lit from the side facing away from the camera, creating a shadow on the part of the face which is not lit closest to the camera.

Side/Split- The light is placed at the side of the model creating a dramatic shadow on one side of the face while the other will remain lit.

Lighting Workshop 9th October

 (Side)

 (Side with reflector)

( Hollywood)

(Hollywood with reflector)

Today we experimented with different styles of studio lighting and how when used correctly it can effect the overall appearance of an object or model. The lesson involved us being given a range of different lights along with reflectors and diffuses. The aim was to show the different effects that each reflector had when used in relation to specific lights and lighting angles. Overall i found this to be very interesting as i had never used studio lighting before with the introduction of a model. It made me aware of the dramatic differences that using both reflectors and lighting correctly can have on an outcome of a photograph something which i think will help me in any future studio works.

I've decided to concentrate more on getting the full face in shot. I want to have the subject engaging with the audience either looking directly into the camera or somehow drawing attention to the cigarette  I also wanted the light to be primarily on the facial area, drawing more attention to the forefront of the photo eg: the subject of smoking while creating a more darkened contrast behind almost highlighting the figure and their actions. I also found this contrast to work incredibly well when capturing the smoke as the whiteness of the smoke compared to the grey of the background really helped the it to stand out creating a clearer image. I would like to do this again but would maybe use a darker background as well as experiment with colour.

I'm having some trouble about whether or not ill be allowed to shoot the smoking portrait inside a studio environmental primarily due to the smoking laws within the building. Personally i understand why this would be a problem, i just feel it might compromise my work as i may have to either alter or completely change my main aims and ideas. A way around this could be to take the equipment needed to another area such as outside. Personally i feel that this would result in the desired effect and overall photo idea to be dissimilar to what i really want especially by changing the environment as for example working outside can result in different temperatures, lighting and overall atmosphere, something which all needs to be regulated throughout the shooting process. Time will also be an issue if i was to be placed in other areas which again i feel would be detrimental to the overall outcome of my work.

Micheal Muller

I really like the portraiture works of the photographer Micheal Muller. His works are quite similar to some experiments which I've recently done, both positioning and color choice. The way he uses black and white within his works i think work really well aiding the creation of contrast alongside the strong details of the face.  I find the usage of lighting within his works to very interesting and hold a dramatic importance to the outcome of his portraits. Due to this his work is very raw and bold, it dosnt seem to hide anything both of the subject used as well as towards the audience as a finished photograph. It allows the viewer to see and understand clearly the identification of the person almost creating some sort of personal relationship between subject and viewer especially in the way in which the subjects appear to be positioned, almost as through you are engaging in conservation for example, sat very close to the camera while eyes are in contact with camera lense almost looking directly into viewers eyes. The fact that Micheal Muller seems to work mainly with celebrities again i feel has somehow taken away the barrier in commonly created when it comes to celebrities in a way that makes them seem unreal and untouchable. Micheal Muller's work seems to strip this away leaving us with realistic images of the unrealistic.