COMPONENT 1 EVALUATION
How has my research influenced the images I have created?
The research I have done throughout component 1 has majorly influenced the images that I have created for the different elements of photography. I have learned different techniques and new ideas from all different photographers that I have looked at. The photographer that has influenced me the most is Henri Cartier-Bresson and his theory of the 'decisive moment'. This has helped me a lot in my work as it has taught me about the right moment to take a picture, which is especially important during documentary photography. By knowing and understanding the 'decisive moment' it has really enabled me to analyse other photographers work much deeper as I can talk about the reason why they captured that precise moment and how it altered the photo. The other photographer that has influenced my work is Vivian Maier, who's style is a mixture of documentary and reflection. I am inspired by how real her photos are and how they truly reflect everyday life, they aren't over glamourised but not all about poverty. This is reflected in some of my documentary photography as I try to capture everyday life without having it set-up too much. To me, her work is very interesting as you can clearly see her incorporating two elements together which shows how everything ties in. I have tried to do this in my own work by being aware of the different elements that make an image interesting and unique.
What technical skills have you developed? How have these impacted your work?
Throughout component 1 I have learnt so many technical skills that have really enhanced my work. The most important being how to work the camera settings to achieve different effects on photos, for example, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Before starting the course I didn't know how to work these different settings let alone how they would effect my photo. Now when taking photos I concentrate a lot on the aperture as it gives me the ability to adjust my depth of field, this has impacted my work as I have managed to create some unique photos by focusing on the foreground/background. I have also learned about the use of shutter speeds in creating blur, this gives a fine art look to some of my photographs as they appear very soft and very creative. Shutter speed is also important alongside the ISO in ensuring that my photos don't turn out over-exposed, this has impacted my work as my images no longer are too bright but a good brightness whereby the colours and detail show through well.
Another technique I have acquired is the use of studio photography, I have learned what I need to do when setting up for a shoot in the studio. The techniques with this are mainly how to use the lighting to your advantage and what settings you need to get the desired result. For example, a useful tip I have learned is when wanting a softer effect that doesn't cast many shadows I can use a soft box which diffuses the light more. However to get a harshly shadowed effect I can take the soft box off so I'm just using the bare studio light. Lastly, I have learned how to get the correct settings for the specific studio set ups, by using the light meter I can get the correct aperture, shutter speed and ISO values.
Has the way you take photographs changed?
I definitely think that my style in photography has changed since the beginning of Component 1, My work has improved massively both technically and creatively as I have a clearer idea of what I want to achieve or portray before shoots. From a technical point of view, my work has come on leaps and bounds, from the beginning when I kept my settings on Auto mode to now using Manual mode so that I have complete control over the outcome. I know how the ability to play around with the exposure, blur and depth of field of my photographs which his evident from my recent work. Learning about aperture, ISO and shutter speed has enhanced my work and given it a more professional appearance, compared to the beginning where they were all the same focus and exposure.
My photography has also changed from a creative point of view as I have learned along the way more about the style I enjoy to shoot. This style being photos of landscapes and people which are quite detailed but not over complicated, a documentary style. This has meant that many of my photographs now have a meaning behind them and have been purposefully taken to either show a story or to evoke feelings. At the beginning of Component 1, this wasn't the case, many of my photos from the start were just showing the elements of photography with no real purpose however it has evolved since then to reflect my style. I also think my work has changed in terms of composition as I now consider the golden rule and the rule of thirds to make my images more aesthetically pleasing. This gives my photographs a focus and a main subject or at least a direction that your eyes travel in rather than it being over complicated and a lot to take in.
In what way have you demonstrated your ability to experiment?
During Component 1 there have been two occasions where I have shown experimentation in my work, the first being through editing and creating composite image and the second physically altering images.
Whilst doing my composite images I wanted them to be light-hearted and have a childish feel to them to reflect a young imagination. I wanted to do this because I was trying to create photos in the style of George Logan whose composite photos are based around what he imagined when he was young. I think this is a clever way of using composite images rather than creating an image that could be taken completely out of context and therefore slightly controversial, whereas a photo that we know could never be real brought to life. Logan shows this through his idea of wild animals roaming around where he grew up, something we know did not happen so cannot be taken in a wrong or offensive way.
The other style of composite images I did was my physically altered series, three of which were based around the work of Barbara Kruger. Kruger was a feminist who showed the issues women face in society through the use of quotes placed on an image. I really enjoyed creating my physically altered photos because it meant that I could portray the meaning of the photo through words which made the message much clearer. It also meant that I could address some issues that I think women face in today's society compared to when Kruger made hers (many of which haven't changed over time). To make the photos I took a few photos of a friend and my sister, printed them and then created quotes. The quotes were bold white writing with a red background which I then cut out and stuck onto the photos.
Is your work developing in a particular direction?
As I have mentioned before I think my interest lies with documentary photography. I particularly like this style as there are an infinite amount of subjects that you can photograph which will all end up with a different outcome. I like how when documenting people every photo has a different meaning that can be interpreted by the viewer, some that can relate to many people. This makes this style very unique as the photos create a story or can show someones entire life, this can be very personal but interesting for viewers. Documentary photography can also address an important issue and raise awareness about it, this means that the photographer can be passionate about something and show that through their photos.
In what areas of work were you the most/least successful?
I think that my most successful areas of work were portraiture and documentary. During portraiture I based some of my photos around the photographer Thomas Ruff which went really well. The images definitely reflected his style with the colourful backgrounds and emotionless models who are just average people. As I used the studio for this I had good backdrops and my images were in focus and well lit, this gave them a very professional look similar to Ruff's work. My documentary project is also something that I am very proud of because the photos are good and include many elements and I used a subject that reflects part of my life. For my project I decided to show 'the life of having a dog', this is something still quite new to me therefore I recorded the fun parts but also the naughty and annoying side. This is a big part of my life as its what I deal with everyday and the walk we take him on is my local area. My project therefore reflects Vivian Maiers work as her style is about self-identity and my project showed part of my life and who I am.
My least successful piece of work has to be motion, I found this topic difficult to get interesting photos on. This area of work was a challenge for me as when taking the photos I couldn't get the settings right as all the photos were coming out majorly over exposed. Therefore the images I did get were either over exposed or didn't really show very good motion blur.
What technical skills have you developed? How have these impacted your work?
Throughout component 1 I have learnt so many technical skills that have really enhanced my work. The most important being how to work the camera settings to achieve different effects on photos, for example, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Before starting the course I didn't know how to work these different settings let alone how they would effect my photo. Now when taking photos I concentrate a lot on the aperture as it gives me the ability to adjust my depth of field, this has impacted my work as I have managed to create some unique photos by focusing on the foreground/background. I have also learned about the use of shutter speeds in creating blur, this gives a fine art look to some of my photographs as they appear very soft and very creative. Shutter speed is also important alongside the ISO in ensuring that my photos don't turn out over-exposed, this has impacted my work as my images no longer are too bright but a good brightness whereby the colours and detail show through well.
Another technique I have acquired is the use of studio photography, I have learned what I need to do when setting up for a shoot in the studio. The techniques with this are mainly how to use the lighting to your advantage and what settings you need to get the desired result. For example, a useful tip I have learned is when wanting a softer effect that doesn't cast many shadows I can use a soft box which diffuses the light more. However to get a harshly shadowed effect I can take the soft box off so I'm just using the bare studio light. Lastly, I have learned how to get the correct settings for the specific studio set ups, by using the light meter I can get the correct aperture, shutter speed and ISO values.
Has the way you take photographs changed?
I definitely think that my style in photography has changed since the beginning of Component 1, My work has improved massively both technically and creatively as I have a clearer idea of what I want to achieve or portray before shoots. From a technical point of view, my work has come on leaps and bounds, from the beginning when I kept my settings on Auto mode to now using Manual mode so that I have complete control over the outcome. I know how the ability to play around with the exposure, blur and depth of field of my photographs which his evident from my recent work. Learning about aperture, ISO and shutter speed has enhanced my work and given it a more professional appearance, compared to the beginning where they were all the same focus and exposure.
My photography has also changed from a creative point of view as I have learned along the way more about the style I enjoy to shoot. This style being photos of landscapes and people which are quite detailed but not over complicated, a documentary style. This has meant that many of my photographs now have a meaning behind them and have been purposefully taken to either show a story or to evoke feelings. At the beginning of Component 1, this wasn't the case, many of my photos from the start were just showing the elements of photography with no real purpose however it has evolved since then to reflect my style. I also think my work has changed in terms of composition as I now consider the golden rule and the rule of thirds to make my images more aesthetically pleasing. This gives my photographs a focus and a main subject or at least a direction that your eyes travel in rather than it being over complicated and a lot to take in.
In what way have you demonstrated your ability to experiment?
During Component 1 there have been two occasions where I have shown experimentation in my work, the first being through editing and creating composite image and the second physically altering images.
Whilst doing my composite images I wanted them to be light-hearted and have a childish feel to them to reflect a young imagination. I wanted to do this because I was trying to create photos in the style of George Logan whose composite photos are based around what he imagined when he was young. I think this is a clever way of using composite images rather than creating an image that could be taken completely out of context and therefore slightly controversial, whereas a photo that we know could never be real brought to life. Logan shows this through his idea of wild animals roaming around where he grew up, something we know did not happen so cannot be taken in a wrong or offensive way.
The other style of composite images I did was my physically altered series, three of which were based around the work of Barbara Kruger. Kruger was a feminist who showed the issues women face in society through the use of quotes placed on an image. I really enjoyed creating my physically altered photos because it meant that I could portray the meaning of the photo through words which made the message much clearer. It also meant that I could address some issues that I think women face in today's society compared to when Kruger made hers (many of which haven't changed over time). To make the photos I took a few photos of a friend and my sister, printed them and then created quotes. The quotes were bold white writing with a red background which I then cut out and stuck onto the photos.
Is your work developing in a particular direction?
As I have mentioned before I think my interest lies with documentary photography. I particularly like this style as there are an infinite amount of subjects that you can photograph which will all end up with a different outcome. I like how when documenting people every photo has a different meaning that can be interpreted by the viewer, some that can relate to many people. This makes this style very unique as the photos create a story or can show someones entire life, this can be very personal but interesting for viewers. Documentary photography can also address an important issue and raise awareness about it, this means that the photographer can be passionate about something and show that through their photos.
In what areas of work were you the most/least successful?
I think that my most successful areas of work were portraiture and documentary. During portraiture I based some of my photos around the photographer Thomas Ruff which went really well. The images definitely reflected his style with the colourful backgrounds and emotionless models who are just average people. As I used the studio for this I had good backdrops and my images were in focus and well lit, this gave them a very professional look similar to Ruff's work. My documentary project is also something that I am very proud of because the photos are good and include many elements and I used a subject that reflects part of my life. For my project I decided to show 'the life of having a dog', this is something still quite new to me therefore I recorded the fun parts but also the naughty and annoying side. This is a big part of my life as its what I deal with everyday and the walk we take him on is my local area. My project therefore reflects Vivian Maiers work as her style is about self-identity and my project showed part of my life and who I am.
My least successful piece of work has to be motion, I found this topic difficult to get interesting photos on. This area of work was a challenge for me as when taking the photos I couldn't get the settings right as all the photos were coming out majorly over exposed. Therefore the images I did get were either over exposed or didn't really show very good motion blur.
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