Photography experiments evidence

1

Experimental Photography

Henry Buckham

Out of FocusExplain the experiments you did and your findings.

To perform this method I took a series of shots that were greatly out of focus, as opposed to well adjusted shots that would be in focus and lacking any blur. During this I found that the blur can obscure certain motifs and features and create a much more smooth image that isn’t too heavy on the eyes with a certain artistic integrity to the obscured details and fuzzy lines. Because of this, this allows for much more interpretation on the viewer’s part – Something as simple as a spotlight could be interpreted as an eye or an alien spacecraft.

Talk about the results you got.

I mostly centred my out of focus shots around the various lamps and spotlights that are installed around the college, as well as the roof sky light over the atrium. I chose these because I believed they were bright spots against the concrete structure and with a a bad focus they would stand out much more against the solid block of colours that make up the walls and floors. I am quite happy with how my images turned out as they are all unique and quite striking but next time I would like to try and get some different subjects and expand my range of things to photograph instead of limiting myself to the college.

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Spotlight stands out greatly against the black and blue of the ceiling and walls.

The skylight is very obscure – could be interpreted as almost anything, and could put us in a place like a train station or mall instead of college. This lets the viewer imagine the scene as something that it isn’t.

Deep contrast between the pale blue and black of the background.

Simple and only uses three colours to be effective.

MovementExplain the experiments you did and your findings.

With this experiment I took a series of photographs that displayed different types of movement in the image, whether it be people ‘ghosting’ thank to a long exposure photograph, or intentional movement thanks to deliberately shaking or moving the camera. I found that a long exposure can have quite a cool effect on a photograph as it captures every frame of someone’s movement, creating a blurry trail of their body across the image. When coupled with more people passing through the same area that were captured by the camera, this makes an are seem a lot busier and more active.

Talk about the results you got.

The results that I got involving movement were taken using a high vantage point and a tripod to eliminate camera shake which resulted in a very clear picture. I am particularly fond of how most of the movements were captured and how the long exposure gave them the drifting effect, which gives the entire image quite an ethereal, otherworldly feeling. If was to repeat this experiment, I would likely take my shots in a much more busier where there is a lot more going on. This way the movement would be much more apparent and the long exposures would likely capture this extremely well.

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Unique ghosting effect of moving people created by the long exposure.

Background appears normal in the long exposure provided there is not camera shake, making for an interesting contrast against the drifting figures of people moving.

ReflectionsExplain the experiments you did and your findings.

For this experiment I took a series of photographs where the subject in question displayed some sort of reflection, either through light or transparency. This was mainly things like windows, glossy signs or metal fittings. These shots ere achieved with a very fast shutter speed in order to avoid camera shake and to capture the reflective detail. What I like about reflections is that they seemingly offer a 4th dimension onto subject, with the reflection itself acting as a window of sorts and providing a much more unique perspective on things.

Talk about the results you got.

I took these shots using just the camera and a steady hand and I was very pleased with the results. The reflections themselves are very clear and offer a great amount of detail into a picture, allowing the viewer to look at another perspective of a scene or object that couldn’t normally be accomplished. If I was to repeat this experiment, I would like to find some more reflective objects and photograph them, perhaps incorporating actors or props in order to make the image even more interesting.

Use the boxes on the right to show samples of your work

Use this slide to annotate your best image

The angle of the shot shows two different levels of reflection – one that goes much deeper and clearer than the other.

In an abstract sense, reflections can be seen as windows and portals, offering view angles that are otherwise unseen from the original angle. This gives the image almost a 4th dimension as we can see something that isn’t being focused on.

PhotomergeExplain the experiments you did and your findings.

This experiment involved taking a series of photographs all from the same subject (usually in a row then descending a little) and then using the Photomerge feature in Photoshop. What this did was automatically stitch the picture back together but not perfectly, creating quite an appealing patchwork effect. The subjects that appeared in my examples shown here included detailed pieces but not necessarily overly detailed as to not confuse the automated process. Typically involving posters and pictures, I also included a shot of a bookcase that after deleting some uneven pictures, came out very nicely.

Talk about the results you got.

I took my pictures by photographing one row then descending to the next and continuing on, applying this process until my subject was photographed entirely while still leaving little gaps between photographs. The results from the Photomerge were very appealing to me and ended up as very patchwork, rustic images that had been stitched together from different sized and angled images, creating a very artistic image when coupled with some colour changes, which I applied to my Photomerge of the poster at the top. If I was to attempt this again, I would like to find some less detailed subjects and take less images per subject, as too many images will sometimes confuse the automated process and fewer images might look a little better when merged together, rather than the entire image being represented from a lot of pictures.

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Use this slide to annotate your best image

Breaks boundaries of a normal photograph by having uneven edges.

Focuses on only one subject and its contents. Not overly detailed and confusing.

Edges of each individual photograph have differing shades of exposures, helping to distinguish them.