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. 

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.

Unit 1 - Editing Images

Adding different types of media onto an image

We looked briefly at John Rankin and how he asked a group of celebrities to take a self portrait, and, though self expression, ruin it by ripping it up, drawing on it, adding stickers to it and so on. We were asked to use our own self portraits to do something similar. Below are my examples.

Image 1

On image one I used google+ lightbox. I didn't use the effects in any particular order, I just played with all the different options available to change the photograph until I ended up with something I liked. 

Image 2

On image 2 I used Picasa. As with image 1, I experimented with the different effects available. The main effect I used is called 'Comic Book'. I also made the dots in the background slightly larger. 

Looking at both images, i realised image one looks old and worn, yet image two looks quite futuristic. I like the contrast between the two images and how using different media can change the same photograph to make two different styles. 

If I was asked how these images represent me through self expression, I would say the image that looks worn (image 1) represents the old me, and the futuristic image (image 2) represents the new me.  Even though my daughter is present in image 1, i'd say this is accurate as i feel shes always been a part of me, even before she existed.

Photoshop - Levels

Uploading/Nondestructive Editing

To upload an image: File/Open/Select image

Nondestructive Editing:

Nondestructive editing enables you to make changes to an image without damaging the original image image.

The Tarn - Ulverston 

To create an adjustment layer, on the right hand side of the screen click on then drag and drop background copy to 'create new layer'. 

Levels

The levels tools allows you to adjust the contrast levels on the image. Holding the alt key down, start by moving the white slider, the screen will turn white, as the slider is moved to the left, the image will slowly come into view. The more white that comes through, the whiter the image will look. If too much white comes though, parts of the image will look washed out.

An example of what happens to the image when too much white has come through by moving the white slider too far to the left.

The same applies when using the black slider, by moving it to the right. Use the same principle as the white. Clicking on the middle eye dropper and clicking on the image will change the colour balance, clicking on different parts of the image will change the balance each time.

Levels and colour balance altered

Curves tool

Ensuring the background copy of the image is selected, go to image, adjustments, curves. It can also be accessed to the right of Photoshop (it has a square symbol with a line going through the middle). Once the background copy has been selected, the image becomes destructive. The image cannot be reverted back to its original form once the background copy has been edited. However, If a mistake is made, go to window at the top of the screen  and click on history. This will bring up a box containing all the actions that have been made to edit the image. You can drag the action and drop it onto the bin symbol at the bottom of the box to erase that action. 

The basic rule to remember when using the curves tool is, when moving the line that runs though the middle of the box to the lower half of the square will darken the image, moving the line to the top of the box will make the image lighter.

The most commonly used shape used on the curves tool is an S shape. The steeper the S curve the more contrast in the image. Tip - when you click on the image, a little circle will flash up on the curve line, this is telling you which part of the image is on that point, so for instance, if i wanted to darken the water i click on the water and i will be able to see at which point to move the line.

Using the curves tool gives more control over which parts of the image you want to lighten or darken. 

Making some adjustments to the vibrance/saturation 

When editing is complete it is always best to flatten the image. Flattening the image ensures all the layers are saved so parts of the image aren't lost when its saved.

The result - Before and after. 

This photograph was taken by myself at Alderly Edge. Using the levels and curves tools has dramatically increased the green tones to make the image look much brighter and less washed out. You could almost describe it as a 'healthier' image.

Image before and after