Reflection and Frame Work Diary

Description of shoot:

For this topic it was all about photographing reflections with in a framed/enclosed areas. I found this was easy to do outside as buildings especially have framed windows that have reflective surfaces. I found it quite difficult however to photograph these reflections with a good background as everything in the background can be seen so its important to consider it. Also I found it quite difficult to get a lot of variation in my pictures because a lot of the reflective surfaces came from mirrors or windows and most of these were in similar settings e.g. on the sides of buildings.

Image I liked:

I liked this image that I took of myself in a mirror that was inside a room in college. I liked how the light reflected onto the smudges and marks on the mirror and this created a sort of layer that goes over the mirror that is quite blurred as the focus is on me and the camera. I also like how the light makes a high contrast in tone on my head as on my right their are almost white tones and then they turn into much darker shadows.

Progression and image I disliked:

I wasn't to keen on this picture as there is no real focus as the reflective surface was created a blurred effect that meant the whole image has no definition to it. Therefore to improve this shoot I could have focused on better reflections with more of a focus point like in the image above.

Images from the internet:

I found this image online and I really liked how the reflection is with in the wine glass which is also the focus point of the image. If I was to repeat this shoot I would try and take more images like this where the reflection is in an object rather than on a window or mirror. 

Reflection and Frame Straight Images

Reflection and Frame Contact Sheet

Reflection Work Diary

Description of shoot: 

This shoot was all focused around reflection. This meant I focused on shooting objects and beings as they are perceived on surfaces and objects.

I did this task both outside and inside. I found myself quite limited in the amount of objects with reflective surfaces when I was outside especially as the sun was not shining so there was no natural lighting which would have brightened any reflections.

Image I liked:

I took this image using a spoon that I found inside a shop. I liked how, because spoons are curved, this created a curved reflection. And also this caused the reflection to be upside down. I like the pattern and form this creates as it the reflection seems quite abstract and almost disjointed because of the curved surface that it is being reflected off. I think this creates a different perception as we wouldn't normally see the world around us in this way. And because its such a small object, it always has reflections coming off it but people never tend to focus on the image that the reflection creates and I think I have captured just that in this image.

This is an image that I took when looking into a shop window. This shows how thinking about the background and the object of the image is important. The window reflects me and other people in the street but the reflection is quite subtle. Then there is also the actual window which we can see through and it has a poster of an enlarged human figure. I think this creates quite an abstract image as its easy to focus on either the reflection or whats on the other side of the window, in real life.

Progression and image I disliked:

I think my results would have been better if I experimented more. For example a lot of my pictures are of myself/people in reflections of surfaces like the image below. In some of my pictures I did include the actual background that the image is being reflected from however in the majority I only focused on the reflected image. I think this can make the images less abstract and creative.

Images from the internet:

This is an example of an image that I found on the internet. It has the same elements that my picture of the spoon above has only with a different shaped spoon and with a different scene being reflected. However the principals are the same as the curves of the spoon make the landscape reflection appear disjointed and abnormal.

Reflection Straight Images

Reflection Contact Sheet

Colour Manipulation

Here I have used photoshop to manipulate the topic of colour within my own photos. I selected the area of the photo that I wanted to be in colour then inverted the colours. I chose areas of the photo that were quite large and were one solid thing as I think when thats then in a bright colour it creates a nice effect and it makes the contrast of colours quite high.

For this photo I increased the saturation of the red making the colour very solid and bold. I liked how the background was slightly blurred as I think this, along with the manipulation of colour, puts a lot of emphasis and definition on the foreground object.

In this one 

Reflection Image Bank

This image shows human hands being placed above water and the image is directly reflected off the surface of the water. I really like how this makes the image look very abstract as normally we wouldn't think of this when we think of human hands.

I like this image as it shows how the background can be bought into the object (the person) by manipulating angles and placement when experimenting with reflection. 

I liked this image because we can clearly see this is a human form however the way he is standing and the angle from which the image was taken, shows the real life shoes placed to what we perceive to be the end of the human figure however it is a reflection of a person.

I really liked this image as it shows really well the different things reflection can offer to photography. It creates quite a distorted atmosphere as the reflected eyes are unattached and misplaced in comparison to the rest of the face. I think this image really captures the emotion behind the figure and the image.

This image shows branches reflected on the surface of a building. I like how the image was taken from a low down perspective thats looking upward into the branches. I like how the reflection was used to create an image that has the branches all the way around it.

Reflection definition post

Reflection:
-The throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
-Although it is not strictly a formal element, reflection is an important consideration of framing a composition and establishing balance.
-There is no literal definition of perspective on the term of reflection, we should also review reflection in a wider abstract perspective.

In my opinion, reflection is a good way of manipulating light and objects to create quite abstract and unique pictures.

Here are some examples of reflection in photography:

Vivian Maier Research

This is an example of a reflection photo that Vivian Maier took where she photographs herself in the reflection. At a first glance, I thought this was quite confusing as the photo contains a lot of overlapping parts and because it's reflection rather than a straight up object or person, it isn't clear how the picture is taken and what's what. However after focusing on the picture and seeing the image with it's separate parts, I could identify that's she is looking into a room that contains a mirror and she has taken the picture from outside the room looking through a window, which is why there is a little and clear reflection and the bigger less defined reflection of herself. I think with an image like this, if you had never walked passed a window with a mirror on the inside of the room, you wouldn't realise what the image is, maybe making it difficult to see this picture as art. However, I think this picture should be considered as art because I think the way she shot it is very creative and I like how there's the focus of the room and the mirror but at the same time theres a focus on the bigger reflection of her in the window.

Vivian Maier is an american photographer born in 1926, she has travelled around america visiting many cities to capture the architecture. She is known for experimenting with street photography, reflections and she often uses self portraiture, especially in relation to reflection.

Reflection is a way of manipulating perception of things and objects. People can see a reflection of something completely different to how it actually is. This is thought to be why she involved herself in her images. As a way of seeing herself and a way of others seeing her as how she wanted to be perceived rather than how she actually is. Bad aspects of her life suggests she wanted to escape that in her photography. Also another reason why she used this theme so much was because it was a way of representing that she can look into places and see what's inside but she's not actually in there. She's 'stuck' on the outside.

Shape Studio Images Contact Sheet

Tone Studio Contact Sheet

Form Work Diary

Description of shoot:

For the topic of form I found the best way to capture different by using close ups of objects that has light reflecting on it to create highlighted tones that contrast with the dark shadows in the contours of the object. I found that objects with a lot of contrasting tones and a defined structure showed the best examples of form and when capturing them from close up, it may be difficult or easy to see what the image is of. This is why even though tone is a separate topic, it is still important to consider it when taking images for form as without the tones, there wouldn't be much form as the form of objects would't be clear and photos would appear more 2D rather than having more depth and appearing 3D.

Image I liked:

This image is a very close image of a horses nose. I think it is quite unclear what the form is when first looking at it. This is because the image is really close up and a lot of the horse isn't in the image. I also like how when I took this, my camera was angled slightly upwards, so it was looking up at the horse, I like how this has an affect on the way we see the picture and gives the picture a sense of direction. The darker tones on the bottom right of the horses nose creates a contrast with the subtle light tones that come from the top of the image. I think these tones are important for creating the form.

Progression and image I disliked:

I took this image as I noticed the different tones and when looking at it in real life, these tones created depth and an interesting and complex form. However once taking the picture I saw how the picture looks very 2D and there's no real sense of form in the picture even though there are still different tones. I think this was because this was a flat but layered ceiling however the layers are not shown well in the image therefore it just appears very flat. I think this creates quite a boring and dull picture. Therefore to improve this topic shoot I would photograph images of things with more contours in them to emphasise the form even more.

Images from the internet:

This is an example that I found on the internet of a picture that contains the same principles as my picture of a horses nose. This is because it is a close up of an animals nose, and I think because only this particular part of the animal is seen, it makes it quite difficult to comprehend what it is. Also all the contours and curves on it add to the detail of the form.

I liked how this shows many different tones and contours and I could re make this image by using the right lighting and editing the picture after to create that contrasting effect.

Shape Work Diary

Description of the shoot:
For shape I found my favorite pictures were ones that I took of things that curved edges so they curved around the image. I found a lot of these kind of images outside in buildings and in objects that had been placed together to create the curve.

Image I liked:

I really liked the layout of this image as the building slightly curved outwards. I like how this gives the image some dimension as it appears that depth has been added to the picture as the building has been pushed back. I also like the top edge of the picture because of the way the top of the building appears to be quite straight and the horizon of the town peers above the edge of the building. I like how even though there is this straight image the inside of the building shows how the building curves.


Progression and image I disliked:

I photographed this image as I liked the effect it gave because of the different colours and sections that create a complex pattern. However I don't think it's very suitable for the topic of shape. This is because it's more of a pattern as all the sections are separate and there isn't one clear and defined shape. Therefore I think if I had a chance to re do this task again, to improve it I would focus on getting clear and more simple shapes that are defines with an object and a background.

Images from the internet:

This is an example of an image that I found on the internet of a curved building in a portrait view taken from a low down angle. I like how the image almost follows the building round and it travels upwards which gives the image direction. I think this has a similar idea to the image that I took of the curved building above. 

Form Straight Images

Form Contact Sheet

Shape Straight Images