Location/Landscape Work Diary

Description of Shoot:
In this shoot, we went on a class trip to Trafalgar Square to take pictures. I focused on taking location and landscape pictures.

Best Images: 

 I liked this picture because of how it is quite rustic and quite abandoned looking, like it's not taken good care of. As well as being an amazing city filled with very famous landmarks, there are also some places in London that are not so looked after, places that represent the real London. I have edited this picture to put a cooling filter on it, and to make the tones stand out more.





F/4.2    ISO 400    SS 1/30





I like this one because it shows the typical London that we all know; the London we all expect it to be.
I like the way some buildings are in the background, as a silhouette, like Big Ben Tower. I think this adds depth to the picture, as we see how the street goes really far back. In addition I really like all of the lights that create a real atmosphere of city night life. I also think this adds a lot of business to the picture, there is a lot going on. I also like the taxi in the picture and how I managed to get it in the picture when it was moving, this must have been a result of the shutter speed allowing the movement to be captured while still recognising it is a car, rather than just a blur.







F/5.6    ISO 1400    SS 1/15





Progression:

This shows a location portrait that I tried however I don't like how it turned out because of the flash, it made the model stand out too much because of the way it illuminated her but the background remains dark. I also don't really like the position she is in.

To improve this shoot I could have taken more location portraits but with no flash and I could have her look at the camera instead of looking away.

Location/Landscape Straight Images

Landscape Image Bank

I like this image because I like the way the colours and tones all work together. Especially in the sky and the way the red tinted clouds work against the muted blue sky. I also like the angle the picture has been taken from as all the trees are in line and leading downwards and we can see that direction. I also like the simplicity of the trees, I think it has quite a powerful connotation as trees are known for being very bright and full with green leaves however seeing trees in such a bare way is quite contradicting. I think this portrays quite a lonely connotation.

I like how this picture has been taken from above so we can see the rooftops peering through hills. In addition I think the background horizon of what appears to be a landscape of factories and smoke. I think whilst this is not very obvious as it appears to be quite far away in the picture and can't see much detail, I think it adds depth to the picture. I also think the dark tones and shadows give the picture quite a mysterious connotation.

I really like the overall effect and connotation of this picture. The denotations are a very shadowed and transport tree landscape that has been reflected. I think the reflection and the way the clouds start to fade into the trees it makes the trees look like they're fading away. I think this has a mysterious connotation as it is quite an abstract way of seeing a landscape. I think the tonal contrast and the simplicity of the picture helps build this connotation.

I like this picture because of the abstract aspect of it. This is because the picture shows the top of the skyscrapers but because of the dark shadows, the rest of the buildings is quite difficult to see. This makes the picture have quite eery and daunting connotation because of the dark tones and shadows. I think it's quite powerful how there is no other objects, like the background is very plain, this makes the buildings stand out even more. 

I like the way the back half of the picture is overpowered by the clouds and mist. This makes the picture have quite a frightening effect as the building in itself is quite strange and ancient looking. I also think the way the picture has been manipulated, especially the way the dark tones have been accentuated, in addition the way the colours have been muted, this adds to the eeriness as bright colours portray happiness and adds life to the picture.

Landscape Straight Images

Landscape Work Diary

Description of shoot:

After researching landscape photography and landscape photographers, I went out and captured my own landscape pictures. I was very interested in Rut Blees Luxemburg's work after researching her. So within this shoot I tried to work in her style. I used a tripod in order to keep the pictures steady, this is because of the camera settings. In order to maintain in the style of Luxemburg, I mainly took pictures of landscapes that were man made / artificial as a pose to natural landscapes and horizons.  In this sense, I focused on buildings, construction scenery, and car parks. I found that a main factor of her work that stood out to me, was how it seems to represent urban city life. This is a sense that I have tried to re create in this shoot.

Editing:

In order to further work in the style of Luxemburg, I edited my pictures in photoshop and tried to make them similar to the effects that her pictures have. I think her style is very clear and defined as most of her pictures follow this particular style which makes her work very recognisable and memorable. I also found that this made it easier for me to work in her style. I made most of my pictures underexposed to she the darkness and has a connotation of night life. I also manipulated the colours in the pictures by making the yellows and oranges stand out more so than the other colours to emphasise the warm undertones in the pictures. I also edited the levels in the pictures to make the dark tones and shadows even more dark to create that tonal contrast.

Examples and picture I liked:

The pictures below show two examples of pictures I captured and edited. It also shows screenshots of the processes I manipulated the pictures with in photoshop.

The picture above is my favourite picture that I took in this shoot. It is also the one that I think most represents Luxemberg's work. I was inspired by the image to the right which is one of her pictures. I have used a similar sort of landscape through the use of an inside staircase in an urban and rustic looking setting. The most important factor of editing this picture was creating the darkness of the shadows to create a tonal contrast but also to manipulate the colour balance in this picture. I focused on bringing out the oranges and yellows and I put a slight orange based filter on there picture.

Progression:

In order to improve the quality of this shoot, next time, I will try and get more of a variety. I can do this by looking at natural landscapes and scenery as well as man made landscapes e.g. buildings. This way I can explore all different types of landscapes to get a bigger range of images. I think the best way to achieve this is to go out to all sorts of different places and take pictures instead of keeping to the same places.

Here is a landscape picture from the internet. This is the type of image that I would aspire to get if I could re do this shoot. I think these are the type of landscapes I am most interested in as I am not really interested in very colourful and bright natural landscapes, I am much more interested in simplistic and minimalistic landscapes that have dark tonal features and muted colours.