Street Photography

Brief

To Produce a series of images fitting the theme of Street Photography. Record ambient sounds, from these you will assemble a slide show.

Health and Safety 

Before we start, we have to consider basic health and safety when photographing the public. 

Road safety - Ensuring we consider our surroundings when taking photographs.

Equipment - Safeguard equipment and personal items, ensuring nothing is left unattended to reduce   the risk of it being stolen.

Hostile reactions from the public - Ensure we walk together in groups of two or three to ensure we have the necessary support if we were to be confronted by a hostile person. 

Weather - Dress appropriately to suit the weather condition, wearing the correct shoes and sun screen/hats for very warm days. If it is a hot day, drink plenty and take regular breaks from the heat.

Street Photography

Our group met in Manchester armed with our camera's, ready to take photographs of the busy city centre. On the journey there I took some practice shots on my phone as this was my first attempt at street photography and I was feeling slightly nervous. 

Once in Manchester, we split into groups, recording sounds and taking photographs. I interacted with some people, asking if it was ok to take their photo, others i didn't ask, but these were mostly the shots of the busy centre where there were lots of people, so I didn't seem quite as intimidating to those who are camera shy. Coupled with the fact I am not quite well trained enough to be as subtle enough as someone like Joel Meyerowitz, who can take photographs without most people realising.

At this point, I didn't really have any idea of the kind of sequence I wanted to put together, I only concentrated on taking lots of photographs and recordings. Whilst waiting for the metro to go home,  I started to think about the shots I had taken on my journey into the city, and decided to take a few more along with some sounds on the way home. It was at this point a sequence and other ideas were starting to form for the slide show. 

By the time I was walking home, I had decided exactly how I wanted the sequence to go together. 

I had to record a few extra sounds (setting the alarm, keys jingling, door closing etc). I knew what I wanted to do would be quite difficult to put together from a technical point of view so I asked a friend if he could help. We used a program called Vegas Pro which can edit movies, images and music. We didn't have a lot of time due to the assignment deadline and Rob's availability, so the photographs were not enhanced or edited in any way. 

I was unsure that I could project the vision I had in my head onto the screen so was pleasantly surprised when it all started coming together exactly how I wanted it to. 

The sequence

I designed the sequence to show as a photographic story, using sounds as the narrative.  It starts with someone leaving the house (me), walking down the road, which is key to the first part of the sequence. Without that, the viewer would just think I had randomly taken photographs of different places. The second key was using the metro link to show the journey. Using the photographs I had taken out of the window to give the impression of movement. I used the song Sun shine on a rainy day as I thought it fitted in perfectly with the rainy day the shots that were taken, the sunshine represents a happy place, even though it may be a wet a gloomy day. After watching 'Ways of seeing', a programme by John Berger in 1972, I am fully aware of how music can have an effect on how people perceive images, and I wanted mine to be seen in a positive and uplifting way, regardless of how gloomy the day was. 

The sequence then goes onto pictures of the centre of Manchester, using sounds I recorded exactly where I took the photographs, then eventually ending up at a cafe with a picture of the cafe entrance. At this point my aim is to give the impression of stopping for a coffee by showing the images and playing the sound I recorded in that coffee shop.

I still had quite a few photographs I wanted to show, so decided to end the sequence with random shots I had taken throughout the day.  

I was very strict in ensuring the photographs were in the right order of the sequence, right down to the part of the man sat on the metrolink, you may notice him stood outside in the background, then the next photograph is of him sat on a seat. It is his voice I recorded just before the song begins. I was aware of making sure the metro stops were in the right order, and ensuring male and female voices matched up to who was in the photograph, even if it wasn't their voice.

The very last shot is of myself, this is my favorite part of the sequence. Not because its a photograph of me, because I think its nice to end the sequence with a photograph of who is behind the camera. I purposely used a self portrait, rather than asking someone to take a photograph of me.  

Conclusion/Evaluation

As we had very limited time to put the sequence together, there are some parts of the video that do need editing. The photographs look satisfactory, but I would have liked more time to edit them, mainly enhancing the colours and changing some of the levels slightly. Some of the timings of the sequence are slightly out. This mainly occurs at the end of the sequence when we had be working on it for 3 hours. The song fades in too quietly at the end and the last few photographs don't fade in and out equally. 

I am very happy with the overall sequence, especially because it is my first attempt at doing something like this. 

Video preview

 For best results do not switch to full screen as photographs become distorted. High resolution version is available on hard copy or you can visit https://vimeo.com/77792591. 

Art and Design (Phase 2)

Mini Brief:

To produce a series of 5 images that work sequentially, and show a creative use of camera controls, digital techniques or a mixture of both.

Health and Safety

Basic health and safety rules to consider when photographing outdoors.

Road safety - Ensuring we consider our surroundings when taking photographs.

Equipment - Safeguard equipment and personal items, ensuring nothing is left unattended to reduce   the risk of it being stolen.

Weather - Dress appropriately to suit the weather condition, wearing the correct shoes and sun screen/hats for very warm days. If it is a hot day, drink plenty and take regular breaks from the heat. 

Plants and wildlife - When photographing plants or other wildlife, ensure that you do not touch anything that could pose a threat. If you touch any wild plants/flowers, ensure you wash your hands thoroughly after. 

Influences

Chris Friel is a British photographer who is known for his abstract landscape images. Originally a painter, Friel moved into photography in 2006. His images are captured with intentional camera movement, this gives his photographs a 'painted' effect. As Friel was a painter for many years, it seems only natural that he would use this style of photographing. In a previous interview, Friel was asked who his favorite photographers are. His top three; Alexey Titarenko, Keith Carter and Mark Yankus.

Chris Friel 

I have used Friel as my influence for this piece of work because I am fascinated with the concept that with some creative flair and technique, a photograph can be transformed into something that looks exactly like a painting. I like the soft, smooth colours Friel captures in his work. Friel also photographs people using the same movement technique. One photograph in particular is of a boy wearing a tutu and a skull mask (below). I feel this is a really interesting image, but it is not something i find very attractive. 

Chris Friel

Friel usually shoots with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Most of his shots are taken with a two or three second shutter speed. 

Wild Flowers

I have used a large bed of wild flowers to capture the following sequence of images.

The individual colours of the flowers are not connected with the over all sequence, as part of the creativeness of this sequence is to show the colourful variety of Autumn wildflowers.

My aim is to show increasing movement through each image, so the sequence begins as a photograph and ends with an abstract effect. I plan to achieve this through natural cause, shutter speed and camera shake.

In each image I have altered the contrast, colour balance, brightness and saturation in Photoshop, so the images appear vibrant and colourful. I have used exactly the same tools at the same level in each of the images, apart from image 5. Image 5 has been altered using the same tools in Photoshop, but at different levels than in images 1-4.

  

Image 1 (Left) 

Camera setting; 1/500, f5.6, ISO 640.    

A still image with no blur.

Image 2 (Right)

Camera setting; 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 640. 

The image has been captured with the same camera setting as image 1, however, this image was captured with a very gentle breeze to give a very small amount of movement to the image. 

Image 3 (Left)

Camera setting; 1/6, f/36, ISO 320.

Movement can be seen clearly in this image. Causes are most likely to be movement from myself combined with the breeze as the shutter speed is much slower than in image 2.

Image 4 (Right)

Camera Settings; 1/3, f/36, ISO 200.

As with image 3, causes for the blur will be from the environment and my own body movement. The blur is amplified more in image 4 because the shutter speed is much slower.

 

Image 5 (Left)

Camera settings; f/36 2 Seconds, ISO 100.

A shutter speed of 2 seconds has been used in this image. Because the image is so blurred, it gives the impression of an abstract image.


            




       

      Please see PowerPoint presentation (attached) for larger 5 image sequence. 

Conclusion/Evaluation

For my first submission I am pleased with the results. However, I think I could have got better results if I photographed subjects slightly more defined (i.e trees), using less colour to show stronger contrast, therefore producing a reduced amount of distraction in the image. I am aware of this because I have worked with shutter speed and camera shake to create abstract work previously and was pleasantly surprised with the results. Along with Friel as an influence, the work I have done has also influenced me to photograph other subjects in nature, as I was curious to see what other images I could produce. 
  



References: www.andrewgibson.com
                      121clicks.com
                      en.wikipedia.org

Texture layers

Blending a texture layer into your photograph is a really good way to make your images more creative.

Adding textured layers in an image.

Before starting, produce a collection of textured images. This can be anything from images of bricks, stones, cloudy sky, grass etc. 

Start with an image that preferably has a plain background. I have used my bracelet in this image.

In Photoshop open the image along with your first texture image. 

Using the move tool, drag the texture layer over the image.

The two images do not match in size, so to enlarge the top image, go to Edit and Free transform (Ctrl + T) Then drag the image to cover the image below it. Press enter to lock the two images together.

The two layers locked together -

Next, using the layers section on the bottom right of the screen, click on the 'normal' tab and that will give different style options that will blend the image.

Soft light:

Now changing the opacity and fill to enhance the background textures:

I have changed both the opacity and fill to 100%, but do not like the lines that have blended into the stone. So to remove this i will use the eraser tool.

You can still see a hint of colour in the back ground, but the stone looks clear.

Keep adding different texture layers using the instructions above, until you are happy with the image.

    

Other images I have created using textured layers

 

  

The photograph above is the original image I started with. The image to the right is exactly the same, but with textured layers added to it. I have added the original photograph to the blog so you can see how using textured layers can completely transform an image, giving it a totally different look and feel. 

HDR - Using RAW files and HDR in Photoshop

Raw files

The way to best describe a RAW file (image), is as a 'naked' photograph. An image that has had nothing taken away or added to it, so what you see in that image is exactly the same as what your eye has originally seen. 

HDR & Shutter Speed
Stands for High Dynamic Range. Some camera's, like the iphone's camera has this software built in, so with the touch of the screen, the camera will convert the image to HDR itself. The only problem with this is that you have no control over how this image is converted. Using camera RAW to capture an image, then converting it in photoshop does give you that control. 

Below is an example of how to convert a RAW file and transform into an HDR image.


Upload the original RAW file into Photoshop:

Now save this image into a file and name it HDR. This image will be saved 3 separate times. First, save as mid-tones only changing the format to JPEG. Now move the shadows tool looking at how dark you want the shadows to be on the image. I have chosen -100 as i want the shadows to really stand out. Re-save as shadows. Moving the shadows curser back to zero, now change the exposure to what you want it to be. Save this as highlights. Ive changed this as +2.70. Ensure each file is saved as a JPEG.


Open all three images up in Photoshop.

Blend the shadows and mid-tone images together by using the move tool.

Add a layer mask.

Using the gradient tool , ensuring the gradient editor is set as foreground to transparent, as this is what blends the images together, making them seamless.

Repeat the process above, this time using the highlights copy.

All three images layered together 

This image is looking too bright, so using the Dodge and Burn tools, I can darken the trees and pathway, then highlight the sun streaming through the trees. Using the brightness/contrast and levels to add the final touches to the image.

Final result

                                  Before                                                   After

Photoshop - Selection Tools

Using the selection tools in Photoshop allows you to select parts of an image to copy, edit or remove.

Below is an image I captured of my friend. I am going to use the selection tools, along with the blur tool to make her face appear soft and smooth.

Using the Elliptical Marque Tool, select the part of her face that is to be edited.

Next, select a colour. In this instance I am going to use a very pale purple. I have chosen this as it will blend in well in to the background.

Using the feather tool, changing the radius to 160 pixels. 

Press the delete button on the keyboard, which brings up another selection of options.

Change use to foreground colour, mode to soft light and leave opacity at 100%.

The result. You can see her face looks softer and very slightly illuminated, to give it an overall soft glow. When I used the selection tool, the area I selected came away from her face and into the background, to ensure there wasn't a block colour when applied.

Using the smudge too, you can decrease some of the lines around the eyes.

Zoom in on the area that is to be edited;

The area around the eye is now much smoother.

Before 

After

Using the Rectangular marque tool.

This is an image I captured of my house plant. The image doesn't look very creative and the radiator is still in view so I am going to cut and paste part of the image and use a white outline so the image appears softer.

In Photoshop, open up the image.

Using the rectangular marquee tool, select part of the image to be copied. On a pc, ctrl and c to copy the image.

Go to file, new and ensuring background contents are selected as white, press ok.

A white layer will appear after pressing ok. Press ctrl and V (on a pc) and this will paste the part of the image that was selected with the marquee tool.

The result. I have added a black border using Fotor so the white effect can be clearly seen.