Final Photographs - Age

For my final photographs I chose the theme age. Originally I wanted to use the theme time but settled for age as I found it to be evident in all aspects of life and interesting to photograph as age can be interpreted as youthful or as old and morbid. As a result I took five photographs of various different objects all related to the theme age.

The first photograph I took is of a dying flower. I used a neutral colour background and centered the flower head to ensure all attention was focussed on the flower head. I also took the photograph in portrait format to emphasise the length of the stem and the hanging flower head as this clearly demonstrates the effects of age on the flower. I used lighting shining upwards from the left to highlight the flower head and cast a slight shadow in the top right hand corner. I did this to highlight the details on the intricate flower head and to brighten the purple colour.

The second photograph I took is of candles being blown out. I took this photo in the dark to capture the strong colours of the flame and used a fast shutter speed to capture the flame as it was being blown out. I also used a wide aperture to give a blurred background and keep the viewer's focus on the one candle in focus. In regards to the theme of age, I took this photograph because the blowing out of candles on your birthday cake can symbolise the official change in age.

This is the third photograph I took relating to the theme age. I took this picture because I liked the idea that non-living objects can age too and show signs of age. Furthermore, each photograph pictured captured a moment in time and preserved a memory which too aged with the people in the photographs. I took the picture on the wooden surface as the lines draw the viewer's eyes along the photographs and I used depth of field again to focus on the central picture and keep the photograph from appearing flat.

This is the fourth photograph I took surrounding the theme of age. I took this phototgraph because the bud which is not old and will flower into a beautiful orchid appeared wrinkled and aged as much as the first dying flower. I used natural lighting in this picture shining from the righthand side to emphasise the cracks and the wrinkles on the bud and to enhance the purple/pink colour. Again I used depth of field to focus on the closer bud by blurring out the second bud and part of the stem.

This is the final photograph I took for the theme of age but by far my favourite. I took the picture to focus on my mother's eye specifically her wrinkles surrounding her eye which show natural aging. However, I chose to photograph these wrinkles because they are smiling wrinkles and so, although they represent something our society tries to avoid, aging, they are actually signs of laughing and smiling and happiness. I liked this idea because the theme of age can seem very morbid yet these wrinkles represent something much happier and full of life. To take this photograph I used a dark background and an external light source shining from the left to highlight parts of my mother's face and add shadows elsewhere. I also, used depth of field to focus on her eyes and to blur out her hair in the background. Using editing software, I enhanced the colour of her eye by increasing the saturation and contrast ever so slightly. This also added more emphasis on the shadows and highlights.

Bob Martin

Bob Martin is a multi-award winning sports photographer specialising in shooting action, graphic and editorial pictures for advertising, corporate and editorial clients.
Bob has been a sports photographer for over 30 years and has photographed every major sporting event from the summer and winter Olympics to Elephant Polo and Horse Racing on Ice. He has taken photographs all over the world and been published in a variety of publications including Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, Life Magazine, Stern, Paris Match, Bunte, L'Equipe, The Sunday Times and The New York Times. As he is based in England, he is the only Sports Illustrated photographer to be based outside of the USA.
His photography has been recognised by more than 57 national and international awards. He is a 3 time winner of the prestigous British Sports Photographer of the Year also having won the World Press Photo Sports Picture in 2005. Bob also played a large part in the 2012 London Olympics as the overall Photo Chief.

I think Bob Martin's photography is spectacular as it captures not only the raw emotion and action involved in sport but it also captures the beauty of sport. His use of a variety of angles is truly inspiring as they illustrate sport from angles viewers would not get to witness otherwise. In doing so, he communicates more of the emotion from the sports people being photographed allowing viewers to feel closer to the action. I love his creative use of angles as it allows me to not only see sport differently but also to feel the pure action and speed or grace and elegance in his photographs. It is clear he has had a large influence over sports photography and continues to do so with many stunning images. Below are some of my favourite:

Bibliography: http://www.bobmartin.com/

Scanography

Scanography (or scanner photography) involves capturing images at high resolutions using a scanner and a computer. The object is placed on the flatbed scanner and a light strip illuminates the object. The light strip passes along the object. While doing so the light reflects the object's image onto a curved mirror then onto another curved mirror and finally into a lens which focuses the image through a filter onto the CCD array. The CCD array processes the image and converts this onto the connected computer. According to the scanning software being used, you can alter the scanner settings for different results.
Before scanning the object you must follow a few simple steps:
- Always clean the scanner first to ensure dust particles aren't distorting the image.
- If you are using a three dimentional object ensure any apparatus, such as a clamp, are sturdy and secure.
- When choosing lighting and backgrounds ensure they compliment your subject.
Scanography has started become very popular with many photographers producing very interesting and innovative photographs using a scanner, as seen below:

Many people disagree with scannography being considered a form of photography due to it not using a camera to capture the image. However, I think it should definitely be considered as a form of photography as it involves different photographic techniques such as exposure and contrast. It also allows for objects to be viewed differently as they have to be placed flat against the scanner. I think it is a great alternative to using a camera and will definitely pose many opportunities for daring photographers in the future.

Bibliography: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/scanner.htm
http://www.photogalaxy.com/articles/scanner.php

DSLR Cameras

World's first DSLR - the Nikon D1 

DSLR cameras (aka digital single lens reflex camera) are very popular with both amateur and professional photogrpahers. DSLRs were first introduced by Nikon in 1999. As technology began to improve DSLRs improved, they can now perform a whole range of functions, not just taking photographs, including recording HD video and basic editing of photographs. They use a prism and mirror based system which allows the photographer to see exactly what they are photographing and a huge benefit to DSLRs is that they can use different lenses to capture different photographs.
They work by letting light travel through the lens onto the mirror inside the camera body which reflects the light upwards into the viewfinder. When the shutter is fully depressed by the photographer the mirror raises upwards allowing the light to hit the sensor. The sensor will only be exposed by the shutter according to the shutter speed set by the photographer, so a very long shutter speed allows the sensor to be exposed to the light for a long period of time. The light signals are then converted into digital signals by the camera's processing chip. The processing speed depends on the quality of the processing chip. The digital signal is then buffered onto a memory card and stored as a jpeg or a RAW image file.

The path light takes through a DSLR

The ability to store photographs digitally is what makes DSLR cameras so popular and useful. Thousands of the same subject can be taken and viewed instantaneously allowing the photographer to fix any errors immediately without having to wait for photographs to be developed. Also, it is much easier to store photographs digitally as they can be easily filed and editied using a variety of editing programmes.

I use a DSLR and love it! The ability to view an image immediately means I can easily retake the photograph to ammend any errors or change the camera settings to produce different images. Furthermore, the ability to change the lens means all kinds of photographs can easily be taken by one camera so it is very versatile too allowing me to experiment easily. Also, the ability to store images digitally makes it very easy to edit photographs and share them with friends and family.

I came across this video while researching DSLRs and found it very helpful as it demonstrates how DSLRs work as well as explaining through important concepts:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjeCchGRQo

Bibliography: https://dslrforbeginners.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/brief-history-on-dslrs/
http://www.robertmackin.com/tutorials/photography/what-is-a-dslr-and-how-does-it-work/

Food Photography

Food photography has become very popular with the development of social media, specifically through Instagram, making it easy for us all to photograph and share our meals. But for some, food photography is an art that requires more time and effort than your average Instagram post, one of whom is David Loftus, whose work I previously wrote a blog post about. So, if you want to take more professional food photographs like David's, use the tips below:

1. Use a good quality camera. It doesn't have to be the best DSLR available, it could in fact be the camera on your phone, but ensure the colours are natural and the details are sharp.

2. Try to use natural light instead of a flash as this often flattens the dish and removes the natural element.

3. Use a tripod. You want the sharpest photograph possible which will be achieved through stability from the tripod. Also, a tripod will help you capture interesting angles, another very important element to food photography. A popular angle is the birds eye view that looks directly down on the dish which can be achieved using a tripod but other angles may be more appropriate for different foods, e.g. when photographing a tiered cake.

4. Be careful with composition. Remember the food is the main subject so don't overuse props as they may be distracting, but with composition, if it looks right to you it will generally look right to others so trust your instincts.

5. Photograph the food at its freshest as this looks most natural. With fruit and veg add a quick spray of water to add brightness and freshness.

I love food photography because I love food in general, but also because I think it's amazing how food photographers can make anything look appetising. Their use of lighting and depth of field is fascinating as it can make food jump off the page and draw the viewer's eyes directly towards the main food item even if props have been used. Props, as well, are very interesting in each photograph as I found the photographer is often very precise with the props without them seeming our of place or unnatural. Also, I think we forget how important food photographers are for chefs as great food photographs can completely change a recipe book.

To see some great examples of food photography check my blog post on David Loftus.

Bibliography: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-photograph-food

Sports Photography

Sports photography is a very popular form of photography as it captures moments of intense action and emotion. Whether it is a professional photograph or not, theses are some key tips that are essential for taking great sports photographs.

1. Use the burst mode on your camera as this allows you to track the players movements while taking continuous photographs. For amateur photographers this may mean you capture a photograph that you wouldn't have been able to capture otherwise.

2. Set your camera to aperture priority if this is possible. This will allow you to focus on the exposure and not have to worry about manually setting the shutter speed.

3. Shoot in jpeg. This may mean the photograph isn't as good quality as it would be in RAW but it does mean you are getting maximum buffer speed and so, will get the shots at the right time.

4. If you are shooting indoors, ensure your lens is f/2.8. This means you are getting a lot more light into the picture and at very high shutter speeds this is vital. Otherwise, ensure you have a fast telephoto zoom lens.

5. Use the image stabiliser setting. This means you can move around easily to frame the shot perfectly without having to worry about the image being blurred.

6. The subject must be in focus and and their eyes should be seen as this maximises the emotion captured in the shot.

Some of my favourite sports photographs of professional sports people:

I really enjoy sports photography as it captures the raw emotion on the faces of sports people and the power involved in sports. This allows the viewer to feel the emotion and almost be intrusively close to the sports person without actually intruding their space. This is clearly evident through the intensity in each moment which is captured so effortlessly and intriguingly. 

Biography: http://digital-photography-school.com/8-tips-on-how-to-photograph-sports/ 

Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Milan, 28 September 1571 - Porto Ercole, 18 July 1610) was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. He is commonly placed in the Baroque school, of which he is considered the first great representative.
I used http://www.caravaggio-foundation.org/ when researching Caravaggio and came across some of his paintings that I found very interesting:

After researching Caravaggio and his paintings, I quickly realised that he enjoyed using lighting in his paintings and reflections. Following this I took six photographs that fit with the theme light and dark, and use lighting and reflections similarly to Caravaggio.  

I found Caravaggio's work very interesting, especially his use of lighting to portray darker emotions. In doing so, his images felt as though they each told a different story without the use of moving images. Each story was intriguing as the lighting changed the tone of the photograph significantly and in turn changed the story. Although, I didn't use lighting to add emotion to my images I attempted to use lighting to enhance the object and reflections to add a symmetrical feel.

Bibliography: http://www.caravaggio-foundation.org/