Photography-Experimenting with the camera

After the research stage of the project was two weeks of photography, which is the aspect of 'Media Production' that I am most interested in. The following photos show the first task, which was to photograph different objects experimenting with different apertures, shutter speeds and cropping techniques that I had just learnt.





This first photo shows the use of a shallow depth of field as I experimented with aperture and also cropping as in this image the focus is on the back of the bike (wheel and seat). What I like about this picture is the different colours which I think stand out because it was such a dull and dark day, you can also just see the raindrops falling and bouncing on the seat of the bike. I think I could improve this if I was to re-take the photo by capturing this image from a different angle/perspective which would allow you to see the bike in an unusual way and may also make it look quite abstract.
 

I have also used a shallow depth of field in this photograph by experimenting with different apertures. As I was taking this photo inside I had to focus on getting the lighting right by changing the aperture and the shutter speed, which control the amount of light coming in and how long the shutter is open for. In this image the main focus are the bristles on the brush because the rest of the picture is blurred. I think what was successful about this image is how clear the brush is because that was what I found most difficult because the focus would go to the background of the photo whereas I wanted it on the foreground.










I also took this photograph inside and again had to experiment with contolling the amount of light that I wanted and how long the shutter was open for, however I found this more difficult in this image than that of the previous because there is a source of light from below the tree, which is what the photo is of. I like this photo because of how the lighting has had an impact on the colours because they look quite dark, howvever I could improve if it by being careful not to create a lens flare that can be seen on the left hand side of the picture.


 

This image shows water rushing from a drain pipe. What I wanted to achieve with this photograph was the water rushing as one in a smooth motion however I found this difficult because I was unsure on what settings the camera had to be on. Although I do like this picture because of how crisp the water looks as it is coming out from the drain pipe compared to the slight blur as it reaches the drain at the bottom. If I was to take this photo again I would improve it by trying to get closer to the subject (such as the water) as this is the focal point, I would also like to try and capture what I originally wanted with the water running smoothly.




 



This photograph is one of my favourites from the selection that you can see on this post. I like this image because of the strength of the use of a shallow depth of field as the focus is completely on the triangular shape in the middle of this image as both the foreground and background are blurred. This picture is of the underneath of a table, which is difficult to tell from the photo, I think this image looks quite abstract because you are uncertain of what it actually is and also because of the shapes and lines that comprise the photograph. I think I could improve this image by perhaps taken it from a slightly different angle/perspective in order to try and remove the background as it doesn't add to the overall photo. 

 

I find this photograph very different to the others that you can see on this post because they all show a close up image of a certain object/aspect and some also show the use of a shallow depth of field, whereas this image shows neither. The focal point in this picture is the man with the yellow umbrella, I feel that these two aspects stand out mainly because there is no one else or any other object in the frame of the image, I think this also suggests quite a lonely feel to the photo. The umbrella stands out as well because it is a bright colour in contrast to the dark and dullness of the weather. I also like how you can see the raindrops against the background of the O2 itself, however if I was to improve this image I would crop the leaves that are in top right of the picture.

Lastly, this photograph is more obvious in what it shows as you can see in the image itself. What I like about this photo is the clearness of the sign and also of its reflection in the mirror. I also like how the frame is closely cropped, particularly on the right hand side, however I could improve this picture by cropping more off of the left hand side of the frame and therefore making the subject matter more central, however it shows the use of the rule of thirds in the composition it is currently in.

Timeline

EINSTEIN: 'Time is not chronological but it co-exists'.

 

 

My task to conclude the exploratory stage of the project was to create a timeline based on the weeks events. The pictures I chose to include for this can be seen below...

 

 

 I chose to use these pictures of various objects and work as part of my timeline as they show the different aspects I have looked at during the research week of the project. I have included images from the Design Museum, the Serpentine, the V & A, the Tate Modern and concluded with a picture of my final timecapsule. I feel that including these photos of each thing I have done so far, helps to sum up my research to end the week.

 Pictures of my timeline:

I experimented with different ways of displaying my images to create a timeline because
I wanted to present my photos in an interesting way. However I found this difficult because the pictures I used were showing very different things therefore arranging them in a way that had some order was quite challenging. The picture that follow show my various ideas, my favourite of these is the one of the images on the stiars as it shows the pictures at different levels which can represent the different times from which they are taken, going from the least recent to most recent.

This was the first experiment I used to present my photos, I laced the pictures in the wires of the hand rail by balancing them in the gaps. I did this because you could see the windows in the background that show where I was which add to the timeline because it is shows the present. However, because of the light from the windows it makes my images look dark and difficult to see what they show.

These two images are of the same concept but from different angles. I decided to use this idea as it reminds me of when people release photos into a river and watch them float which links to the idea of memories. I like the idea behind this concept however i dont feel that it is portrayed very well in the way I have done it, this would be something I would change if I had a chance to do this excercise again.

 

After my images had floated in water in the sink, I decided to stick them to a chair which allowed me to see them from a different perspective. I like the way they look against the background of the chair and the climbing effect as you work your way up through the pictures. However, again it is difficult to see the images clearly.





The next three images that you can see show the same concept but taken from different angles. This was my favourite of the four experiments that I used to display my timeline because I like how the pictures are on different steps so you see them at different levels as you go up the stairs. I think I could improve this idea but trying to make it easier to see the images that are towards the back of the picture.

 

 

I found that the given tasks for the day were quite challenging in parts because I found it difficult to know where to start with what pictures to use and how to present them in a timeline in an interesting way. I feel that overall my timeline is successful because I experimented with a variety of ideas before I found the concept I liked the most. The feedback I got from others was positive because they thought the way in which I had presented my timeline was unusual and they hadn't thought of doing it in that way, however to also be careful with the angle in which I take the photograph from so that you can see all the images as clearly as possible. I think if I was to do this again and if I had more time I would experiment even more with different ways of presenting my ideas and using different images that perhaps relate more to me personally.