Ass 211 - Task 1a & 1b - Presenting photo images

The first stage of the process was to download the images to a new folder on my computer desk-top, by selecting all of the images within the folder and touching the space bar I could view an index sheet and take a closer look at each individual image approx.150.

contact sheet

Once I had taken a look at all the images within the folder I started the selection process, I wanted to select pictures which would convey Pollys personality, 24 images were chosen. For the next stage I opened Photoshop and used the Automate feature to create a contact sheet, once I had this file I could either print it off and mark-up the sheet in a traditional way or I could view the same file on the computer and mark-up each individual image as to how it might be cropped, I could also look at how these images might work as a complete presentation, various crop boxes were overlayed, positioned and re-positioned until I felt that I new which images would work best together for my final image choice and how they would be cropped.

I had decided to present the images in a square format, to achieve this I would have to open each of my selected images in photoshop, the first part of the process was to crop the image to the required composition, I would then unlock the background layer and make sure that the canvas size was 300mm square, the image would be either enlarged or reduced to fit the canvas the image was then flattened and save.

The next stage of the process was for the background layer to be duplicated and an unsharp filter applied to the top layer, depending on the image and how the filter looked the top layers opacity is reduced for a natural look, the two layers are then merged and reduced to 97%, to create the border a new layer was added and positioned at the bottom of the file and a black fill was applied, these layers are then merged and reduced to 95%, a second new layer was then added with a white fill and positioned below the image layer and the file was flattened, the final part of the process was to reduce the image file size to 250 mm square at 240 dpi, this process was applied to all 10 of my chosen images.

The final part of the assignment would be to present the images together as a collection, this might be done as a printed booklet, it might be as a set of individual art prints presented in a traditional portfolio case or even as a single canvas with all the images shown together each of these options might prove expensive depending on the chosen supplier and the quality of materials used.

Another way to present the final images would be to use an online gallery sources such as Flickr or Blogger, with both of these options the gallery would be ready to view worldwide as soon as the images had been uploaded and published, this option would be very cost effective as it is free to most users at the moment, to support this option an email link could be mailed out to various contacts world wide informing them of the new online portfolio.

bored now...

Tony Briggs photographer

Tony Briggs’s began his career as a freelance photographer in the late 80’s working for London record companies and many of the leading style magazines such as Confused, Dazed, Face and ID he also went on to shoot the first major fashion stories for Loaded magazine helping to create a photographic style which would underpin the Loaded phenomenon.

Tony has consistently shot some of the UK’s finest comedians, sport stars, musicians and actors such as Jimmy Carr, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Kate Moss, Paul Weller and too many to list, He continues to work his own style with some of the world’s top agencies, performers and magazines.

I really like this shot for many reasons, the sitter has been cropped tight in to a square formatt the picture has been taken from a slightly elevated position and also at a slight angle the strong light source cuts acrosss the face and body which adds to the composition, I think that the shot has been taken with a low appreteur setting helping to create the depth of field.

Jill Greenberg - portraiture

My attention and interest was first drawn to the cover image of a sunday magazine, I was not sure if the images were illustration or photography, the person credited with the pictorial images was Jill Greenberg.
After doing a little bit of on-line research I found out that Jill Greenberg had a background in illustration and had been manipulating her photographic images manually and digitally to create her distinctive style since the 90’s, her photography has been used in magazines and by advertising clients at home in America and internationally.
I think that the way in which she creates this distinctive style is by firstly getting a good strong lights on to the subject with one of the lights placed behind the sitter, once the images have taken and chosen the post production work is done in photoshop using various masks, layers and filter combinations which are a closely guarded secret and her background in illustration would also help her.

Hove-wood bound - personal

Enjoying a stroll along the sea front in Brighton towards Hove in October, starting by the pier and capturing a few images along the way... Pictures were taken using various manual settings the weather was cold but very bright sunlight.

 

Richard Avedon - Portraiture

Richard Avedon was an American photographer who’s fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture. Avedon set up his own studio in the 1940’s and began providing images for magazines such as Vogue, Life and Harper's Bazaar, his style of photography did not conform to the standard technique where models stood emotionless and seemingly bored, instead he showed models and sitters full of emotion and on occasion action.

Henry Moore - what’s in a portrait, this single hand image is so different from the norm, by just showing one of his hands the image seems to encompass his art, inner strength and shows how his chosen carrier has left its mark. It would be very interesting to know what the initial brief was and where the image would be used and what the clients reaction was to seeing the images for the first time...

Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian artist, better known for his satirical sculptures and a reputation as the art scene’s joker, this humorous approach to work is captured well by Avedon the hands could be sculpting, molding or just pulling the face in to any number of looks.

Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. I like the way in which the hands have been used to frame the face and also draw your attention to the eyes, the hands also seem to be supporting a floating head which links nicely to the surrealist movement.

Ass 207 - Task 1b - Advertising poster

For the final post-production stage I used Photoshop software to create the high contrast look and feel I was hoping for.

The first part of the process was to draw various clipping paths around the model and pint glass, once I had done this I was able to add extra froth and detail to the pint pot, I also added a small logo to the glass which would eventualy link in with the poster heading.

With the clipping paths saved I was able to remove the background and add a colour graduation, then with the use of duplicating layers and various software filters I started to produce the high contrast look, the final element was to add the typographic heading and balance the graphic elements together.

Poster one

Poster two

Frogs in the garden - personal

A weekend working in Mum and Dads garden was rewarded with the opportunity to capture these images, the smallest frog was no bigger that 20mm and he was very nearly squashed a couple of times before I realised he was there.

I used the 50mm lens and did some quick test shots to try and get the correct exposure, in the end I settled on f5.6, 1/125, ISO 400 on Manual, and after downloading to my desk-top I have cropped in to each image slightly.