Summing up...

Looking back over the exercises that have led to this point in the course i.e. poised to start on my first assignment, the first thing that strikes me is how much I've enjoyed the work. Secondly, how much I've learnt ..that is, in tackling the various exercises, I've not only had to think more about what I was trying to achieve but think carefully how my camera was contributing to the final result. This may seem rather odd to say but linking the technical and creative side continually is not something that came naturally ...it is still not quite second nature  but I've set off in the right direction. I've also learnt to slow down and look more before lining up a shot ..I hadn't realised how much I rushed taking photographs.

Though I'm still suffering from the frustration of not always being able to deliver in photographic technique what my 'inner eye' is seeing maybe I'm becoming better able to analyse what isn't working even if the solution does not always present itself! 

Preparation for Assignment 1 - Contrasts

Getting ready...

I've been thinking for a while now how to approach this assignment which presents all kinds of challenges. It is not as easy as first imagined.I found myself having to define exactly what the actual contrast words meant e.g. referral to a dictionary re 'opaque'. What seems a good idea in theory fails in practice due to maybe an uninteresting composition presenting itself / too busy a background to define the concept visually e.g. a railway line for 'straight' / how to express 'diagonal' using flights of stairs in a block of flats - much more effective at night than during the day during tothe vagaries of  light. Or the difficulty in delivering the concept accurately in 'photographic terms of technique'. It is also easy to become obsessive in looking for contrasts when out and about.

Some contrasts seem easier than others but in wanting to avoid more pedestrian interpretations I've come up against whether it is better to create a visual interpretation sometimes rather than pull something from the surroundings inside or out ( more satisfying not to 'create' I think ...at the moment !). What I am finding, not surprisingly, is how much I'm drawing from the previous exercises in deciding / shaping and executing shots. 

So I'm gathering a number of pictures at the moment for each of my chosen constrasts, wanting to leave a little time after taking each shot before going back to assess how effective it is in expressing what I'm looking for... the theory is that that slight distance will help decide the final shot for each contrast.This may seem all rather serious but the actual process of getting ready and carrying out the actual assignment is proving very enjoyable !!

Assignment 1 : Contrasts

It took a while to decide which photographs taken best defined the various contrasts - a juggling of concept / composition and technique. Rarely did all three come together in one picture but the challenge was all the more enjoyable for that...

Some images suggested themselves such as 'straight' and 'rough' while 'transparent' and surprisingly 'dark' were more difficult to express visually.I found myself constantly referring to dictionary interpretations to judge what exactly I was looking for. My final selection of dark (P145) was defined or suggested by the light and impression of 'menace' presented by the silhouette in  the picture.I found 'transparent' very difficult as I tried to show the transparency of the material presenting itself in an interesting way..many attempts were defeated by my inability to solve the problem of reflected light and accurate focusing. 

  

Straight
P136: f8 @ 1/100

Straight : I think P136 is my favourite image - I count myself lucky to have spotted the workman. I looked at various expressions of 'straight' e.g. railway lines/ a row of floor lights but either the images were too busy or uninteresting visually.I wanted to come up with a real expression of 'straightness'. While the image is very obvious in showing the act of painting a straight line, the marking board emphasises straight and placing the line diagonally is intended to further emphasize this.

Curved
P137: f11 @ 1/125

Curved : Taken at Port Solent - part of a lock mechanism. I was looking for a sense of movement to highlight a 'curveness'. This repetition of 'curves' in a pattern of shadows and railings caught my eye and seemd right here.

High
P138: f4.5 @ 1/25 tripod

High - I thought about this concept a great deal and decided that I needed to be either under or at the bottom of a high structure looking up. I decided on this image as I felt the structure of the composition adds to the feeling of 'high'.

Low
P139: f4 @ 1/30

Low : I mulled over what 'low' meant and how to express this visually for some time. I rejected 'low tide' as too simple or maybe confusing. Out leafletting, I caught this impression of 'low'.The position the body and suggestion of movement here is intended to emphasize the 'low' position of the letter box.

Smooth
P 140: f4 @ 1/60 tripod

Smooth: I looked at a lot of items with smooth / shiny surfaces e.g. pottery / metal balls but nothing seemed to give the impression of smoothness but rather shiny in a two dimesional way. I felt that the skin of this mango suggested 'smooth' better..may have been influenced by the shades of colour which seemed to enhance the smoothness of the skin. 

Rough
P141: f5.6 @ 1/2 tripod

Rough : I thought that fir cones might work here but the images I took suggested patterns. Then I saw these lychees displayed in a local shop. If I'm honest I was more attracted by the colour which I guess might detract from the 'roughness' of the skins. But sense checking with a friend came up with 'rough' so maybe it does work. That said I struggled a little with getting the focus right here..not quite there I think..

Hard
P142: f5.6 @ 1/4 tripod

Hard: A definition of hard is : firm unyielding to pressure, solid which came to mind when I saw this cathedral lectern front. The material reminded me of metal and the sharp sculptured edges reinforces 'hard' for me as well as presented an interesting 3D design.   

Soft
P143: f5.6 @1/60 tripod

Soft : This was very difficult to get right. Images of cotton wool or toy fur came over as flat. I was looking at this candyfloss thinking of 'light' when a sense check came up with 'soft'. I tried to focus in as close as possible to give some depth and interest to the image. Getting the focus right to express 'soft' was difficult and with hindsight maybe the candyfloss needs something else to place it with the composition. 

Light
P144: f4.5 @ 1/30 tripod

Light : I decided to use a dark surround to define the light of these candles.

Dark
P145: f8@ 1/25

Dark: I experimented with a number of images e.g. shadows on the ceiling / light through a blind at night / an office setting in the dark lit by street lights but eventually opted for this subway scene.The mix of dark areas, silhouette and sense of menace suggested 'dark' to me.

Diagonal
P146: f5.6 @ 1/6 tripod

Diagonal: I first saw these stairs in daylight but reflections in the windows worked against showing the diagonal clearly. I went back at night to get a clearer shot using a telescopic lens and tripod. The picture is cropped to better show the diagonal.

Rounded
P147: f2.8 @ 1/60

Rounded :Taken at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth at an angle to better capture the 'rounded' aspect.

Many
P148: f5.6 @ 1/40

Many: I wanted to find a less obvious interpretation of many i.e. showing many where you would not expect many to be e.g. ten people in a telephone box.Not easy to find so had to move on to something more obvious i.e rush hour crowds at Waterloo Station. This was taken with a telescopic lens from high up to get a better view of people. Lighting was very difficult and capturing the fast moving crowd in a suitable composition was a challenge.

Few
P149: f4 @ 1/640

Few: Again tried hard to find an image suggesting 'few' where one might expect to find a lot. I tried parked supermarket trolleys but the composition and reflected light from the perspex trolley 'shed' led to a very busy and slightly confused image. The carpark worked better with the central empty space underpinning the concept of 'few'.

Transparent
P150: f5 @ 1/15

Transparent : I wanted to find a way of showing the transparency of glass by somehow indicating the presence of the glass material .Experimenting with a glass of water with sliced lemon through which a room or pair of glasses can be seen and flower stems in a glass vase, I found getting the focus right proved very difficult. Eventually tried shooting rooftops through a window partially covered with condensation. Liked the final composition here.

Opaque
P151: f14@ 4" tripod

Opaque : I decided to add the figure to this composition to emphasize the opaqueness of this window ...influenced by Antony Gormley's 'Blind Light' I think!

Rough and  smooth
P152: f5,6 @ 1/60 tripod 

Rough / smooth : Spotted this straw hat and felt the smooth mango in the rim worked well to show contrast in an interesting way...

David Hockney : a Bigger Picture

Visited this exhibition recently...well worth it! There's been a great of publicity in the media re this one...the how and why of creating ' A Bigger Picture'. The exhibition went far beyond expectations.... almost overwhelming in the way you  become immersed in the richness / vibrancy of colour and composition. I was not aware till then of Hockney's very definite views on photography given his well documented use of this medium in his work e.g. - that it does not give depth to a picture ( not so sure about that myself ); can only provide a single view and does not capture time.
Decided to look further and found an interesting article re his view on photography etc. See :

http://bit.ly/wI50np

Enjoyed looking at what the exhibition offered re his earlier work useing photography in an unusual and imaginative way....e.g. getting around the 'single eye' of the camera i.e.the Grand Canyon photo collages. It was fascinating too, to see some of the film taken by the bank of nine cameras that he used to capture the 'Bigger Picture' through the seasons..the effect was rather like a rule of thirds grid across which the scene moved.

To my mind his oil paintings conveyed the feel of the countryside more than his watercolours - the use of texture, vigorous brushwork  and colour - but the results of his Ipad paintings were really intriguing ...not really to my taste as I felt that they came over a little flat and lacking in depth but nevertheless an amazing approach allowing the quick capture of detail.