Task 6.pptx!!

Experimental Photography

Alan SmithTask 6

Images (1)

Multiple Exposure

This idea came about when looking at the themes Nature and Fear.

I was trying to merge two ideas as well as using the different experimental photography techniques.

Multiple Exposure is used here because I felt that it would be the best way to show the fear in the piece.

Having something which is not seen as the norm and almost surreal will make the person looking at it think.

The process was made using Adobe Photoshop. The idea behind multiple exposure is the changing of the layers and merging the two images together.

The two images I took were both imported onto the software. I Then placed the image of the face behind the other picture but above the background. Then I changed the tool above on the right hand side from ‘Normal’ to ‘Overlay’.

The idea of using an elderly person was brought into light when experimenting and finding out that the wrinkles an older person possesses can be used with the bark of a tree and look very effective.

The taking of the image was premeditated so that the person in question would have a certain facial expression. This is to tie in the theme of fear.

This piece will be considered developed upon even further and I will consider making multiple faces or body parts through the natural objects I find when taking more images.

(1/3)

I feel that I have indeed produced what I had imagined and pictured beforehand in the planning stages of this experimental photography unit. When looking at the mood board and mind map, it is clear that the theme of nature and using that to combine the idea of fear has remained the same throughout.

Jerry Uelsmann’s work was an influence in the making of this particular piece because he demonstrated that Fine Art can come in any forms and using the simplistic of techniques can produce very unique pieces.

The idea beforehand was to produce a set of images to tell a story and link the images, now after I have made this piece, I share that idea but have moved towards having a set human body parts merged into natural subjects.

When comparing both my work and Uelsmann’s it is clear that he has used more older techniques compared to my contemporary ways of production, however, I feel that the themes become clear through the surrealism of the work in both.

My intentions now involve using this idea as a platform to produce much greater advanced pieces and have a set of images with the same style photographs but produced on Photoshop in different ways to multiple exposure.

The idea of using an older person in the work is to try show the idea of fear and that fear of dying at that age of their life.

When looking at the work in an aesthetic way I would consider it to be of a professional piece that focuses on two images and sticks to the brief given. The aspects I like about the piece are that of the bold bark, had this been poor image or of a different tree I believe it wouldn’t bring the same effect. Using a tree bark that stands out gives the impression of the work being more life like. I also like the way the eyes and mouth merged well into the other image and did not ruin the composition.

However, I feel that the image could have been developed further and maybe built a full body on a tree instead of just the head.As it was just an experimental stage, should the piece be seen as a good technique and a good use of the equipment then this is an idea that can be explored later.

Having the original image of the face put in black and white helped bring out the bark and make the image look more realistic.

The technical qualities of the images themselves I believe are up to a good standard for the project. As this topic is all about experimenting with images and all types of media, I took the two photographs for this piece on a phone and therefore did not have to set the shutter speed or aperture. If I was to use these I would make sure that I had a low paced shutter to capture all light in the picture and make sure the facial features were clear.

I felt that I did not need to use a DSLR on this particular piece because there was going to be a lot of post production and as long as the images were not out of focus and relevant then it would work for developing upon.

In the planning stages I did mention I was to use a camera of that type, however for the purposes of the first experimental stage, I felt that the resources nor time was needed. Should this piece be a success then I would have to use a much more professional camera.

The ways in which I could improve the work would be using the piece as a slight platform to work upon. I could make a collection of images with human body parts merging into natural surroundings. Such as I have looked into before in the images (Slide 3). I have started developing a human hand but using the same multiple exposure technique to make it look very peculiar.

To advance from this, I would experiment further by taking more images and also brainstorming more ideas of how I can merge the two themes together.

When Looking at the other pieces I made I believe that I can produce much more then the minimum of three final pieces in the brief. I can produce a Surreal Nature/Fear collection of work that is of a professional style.

All the work made share some of the same ideas, and many are just developments from each other, such as the hand turning the page of the two images being worked upon since the first post production on the hand.

I believe that not only does the work have a hidden meaning, it uses shapes and patterns to entice the viewer more. With the image (Slide 4) it includes the pattern of the bark to merge in with the elderly persons face and their facial appearance. It also produces lines coming across the work in an almost life like manner.

The pattern remains similar in all the multiple exposure pieces that involve the bark of a tree and a human body part, that of a grainy type style that works well and blends in the skin due the wrinkles and the veins.

I found that using a black and white shade for the images with the face work better because it is more realistic and therefore produce more of a reaction when seen. The developed hand however is better to be in a light contrast so it can show all the detail behind the double exposure.

Should a collection of pieces be made of these then I would produce both black and white and coloured versions of both. When talking about composition I believe that the image of the hand turning the page would be the best image to explore.

Not only does this use a variety of techniques, but it explores into the surreal way of thinking again. (A pattern starting to emerge for all the work I produce).

Using the multiple exposure hand to turn the ‘Turned page effect’ page is a good idea. This turned page of the image was made through using the free transform tool and pulling the bottom right of the page forward. I then used another image I had taken to place underneath that layer to give the impression of a book and again telling a story (Another pattern throughout my work)

The images I produced did in my eyes meet the requirements on the brief. My work in fact went above and beyond what was asked, It did not say that two of the themes could be picked instead of one so thinking outside of the box should be commended. The images therefore did meet the theme and are all starting to produce a similar style

I believe that they are experimental because they are taken using different types of cameras, altered using different methods on Photoshop and of different objects with keeping one theme throughout.

3D

Here I took an original image from the first set of photographs when they were all about nature and before any specific theme was decided. I imported the image into Photoshop and then used the 3D effect to create the same image but in a much more unique fashion.

I was experimenting to show that the most normal looking of images can be edited to look more life like and appropriate to your theme(s).

I will use this idea of 3D imaging and merge it together with the fear aspect in later experiments.

Original images

Alter levels and colour saturation in Photoshop to make the image look more relevant to the theme.

Turn both 3D

Merge both together.

Have one 3D image and one normal to show the difference and make the hand stand out more.

Having the grave 3D with another image would not work. The idea of having two dimensions was to correspond with the two themes (Fear and Nature) Here. Fear being on 3D with the natural side being an original 2D photograph.

Development

I chose this particular 3D piece as it stood out from the rest I had made. Here I incorporated the familiar image of the hand I had taken in my previous shoot.

I used this image from a high angle looking down to portray the hand as it is in the ground and a person trying to get out, hence the grasping movement.

The 3D effect was used on these images to bring out the theme further. It can be seen as obvious due to the bushes and hand, however it does not hurt to be more clear to the audience.

I consider this piece to be surreal and a development from the original set of photographs.

Using Photoshop to alter the images to 3D was a good method as the audience is to made think yet again, not only with the two themes and imagery but now with their sight.

Using Red and Cyan colours and moving them in opposite directions created this image. The hand itself remained neutral to give more clarity to the image.

The Second stage of development was taking what had been created from the first and improving them or using it as a platform for similar ideas. The idea of using human body parts to feature in nature where you would not expect is a current idea that has been looked at thoroughly.

(2/3)

Here is another image I have altered on Photoshop to tie in with my themes. I am using this here to compare it with the one I have chosen on the right.

The idea behind these similar pieces is that I consider the hand as almost a house style and as it may change in shape, size and position it will still feature in many of the images I produce.

This is to not only make sure all the criteria is met for the brief as I chose two themes, but to keep an identify in the work I create and have a unique side that others may not have.

The hand symbolises the evil side of nature (hence why it is merged in with photographs of less beauty such as litter and nettles instead of Bright colourful flowers. The hand can suggest the human beings choices and that dropping litter or destruction to nature.

The 3D aspect is to make the message more clear and to psychologically tell you that if the image looks real then the piece itself has to be and makes the viewer question it which all great pieces of Art do.

I feel that I have realised what I want to achieve in this project now. I have a clear theme and idea set out and all that is left is to produce what I believe will be very professional images.

When I compare the second stage of images and looking at how I have moved on it is very strange. The first stage was about looking at many ideas and choosing which particular one would work and which techniques could help bring the theme across.

As now I have a better understanding on what needs to be done, I can take much more accurate photographs and more relevant to the theme rather than a broad collection.

The qualities I believe my work possesses are that of looking very surreal as well as keeping a natural look to them, with many images (such as the one chosen on slide 9) the second theme of fear is seen later to the original one of nature.

This is exactly how it was meant to be seen, the idea was that the longer you look at something which you believe to be the norm, the more you start to see something that does not quite look right and almost out of place.

I believe that the 3D aspect makes the work look very unique as it shares many components. The theme being of two parts, the images also of two parts and now with the use of both red and cyan to manipulate the viewers thoughts.

In particular I like the camera angle itself, the way I have taken the photograph makes the hand harder to notice at first glance and brings the natural surroundings out more.

I believe the strongest elements of the piece are that of the simplicity and surrealism combined to make a very unusual piece of Fine Art.

Weaknesses however I think could be that of the image quality. As this topic was all about Experimental photography I chose to take the images on my Android Phone rather than a much greater pixel camera. Using an DSLR may have produced a much more clear image to help see the hand better.

The technical qualities of the images and especially the one chosen on slide 9 are that of being well thought through and developed on Photoshop. A good use of tools have been used from Rotoscoping the hands tool, Using the magic Eraser tool to remove unwanted background colour and the use of the Levels and saturation to adjust the colour in the photographs, this was to help make the images look more appropriate to the theme of fear.

I believe that images and their development has been done well so far and that with more time on the production stage I can produce more and use these experiments as a platform to produce a set of good quality pieces of Art.

I could improve my work my taking many more images on both themes, from this I can start to get a much greater understanding of what I will produce.

I could also improve my work by spending time researching previous work made for the ideas I have looked into and take a lot of encouragement from what has been made and then try to emulate or even strive to produce better pieces of work.

In addition I would also use the images I had taken of much more relevant pieces and then use a variety of Experimental techniques not just the Multiple Exposure and 3D then try to produce one which will look good for the themes and brief in hand.

When looking at my work I like to think that I have spent a lot of time looking into the topic and researching what was involved in the themes. This can be seen through my work.

The piece seen here on the right shares many aspects with the other images taken.

The colour of the work has remained similar in each due to the 3D effect and only changed when looking into double exposure and exploring facial features on natural substances.

I believe that the images do meet what I wanted to produce as they are still linking to the original idea thought about in the mind map and proposal.

When answering the question of are the images experimental I have to explore this image in particular.

Yes, they are. When looking at the image you can see a variety of mediums used. Not just the two contrasting themes but the way in which the images are of the same style but can still be adapted from double exposure to 3D.

Development

3D Background of a natural object.

Incorporating the ‘hand’ idea to the design.

Having images within images gives a surreal look to the piece.

Using a 3D Background adds that extra look to the work which makes it look very peculiar. This piece I made on Photoshop is a collection of all my ideas and thoughts as well as merging all the themes and techniques that I have considered during the experimental photography unit.

I wanted to keep to the theme of telling a story through my images, also keeping along the idea of both nature and fear together. Here on this particular piece of work I believe that it shares all the qualities and ideas. The bark of the tree being incorporated as the background rather than for the multiple exposure. The hand being used as the main attraction that appears from the background to the front. (The 3D effect attempting to make this look more life like)

The reason behind the Ellipse shape in the hand is that I wanted to portray the fear more clearly. Having an unusual image(s) makes the piece more interesting to look at. The idea is that the hand is looking at a journey of life (Hence the image above being a path) and the second being of a grave. All these include nature and fear. The fear would be the fear of dying (Hence the old persons hand holding the Ellipse shape.

When exploring the techniques used in manipulating the photographs I came to the understanding of using a variety of methods in one image.

This is showing progression through my work as all the recent images I have taken all play a part in the composition of this piece of Art.

Here is another image I have taken to further explore the themes of both Fear and Nature.

I decided to move away from the human aspect and turn to the animals.

Having a wild animal coming from the horizon suggests that fear of not knowing what might happen and the use of the surroundings enhance this.

I have used a 3D effect to make the piece come to life and make the viewer believe what they are seeing.

I wanted the dog here to be close enough to be visible but a good way back to see the facial expression.

Using the path again in this image links to the previous photographs and stays with the proposal of creating a story or journey.

Here I wanted to explore into the two themes I chose but to keep the image simplistic.

Instead of using Body parts or animals to suggest the theme of fear I wanted to experiment taking photographs of nature itself but looking rather peculiar.

The many branches coming out of the tree may suggest both themes together.

Again, looking into the realm of 3D. I Want to make all the images I took into another dimension because it makes it stand out as well looking more life like and therefore professional.

Having the camera at a low angle looking up can also enhance the theme and suggest the idea of fear to the audience.

Here I have returned to multiple exposure and back to the idea of a face behind the natural subject of a tree.

I have taken the advice from the first set of images and tried to take a better set in this stage of the experimental Photography.

I was told to try find a better image of a tree, with many different shades and tones as well as having multiple areas of bumps.

I like this particular one as you can see some of the background at the top right.

I also like the way that the bend in the branch has altered the look of the eye and made it squint.

The way in which the image of the elderly person is positioned behind brings the best out of both themes.

Using the circular shaped tool at the rear of the right hand side to change the colour into black and white was a good way to make the images look more realistic.

Using the dodge tool to bring the features out further was also very useful as it provides more clarity. This can help the viewer when they are looking at the piece of Art made.

(3/3)

I feel that I have produced what I set out to in the planning stage. I feel I have also produced what was wanted by the brief and gone above and beyond the theme given.

The results I have found were not exactly what I thought they would be, however did remain in the topic and initial ideas I came up with.

I wanted to produce a set of images that related to the two themes I had chosen. This was to be in the style of a journey and portrayed as a story.

I feel this has happened in the images and more so in the last one (Slide 19). The parts where I felt I may have strayed away from the ideas was the development stage leading to the second image.

The human aspect was incorporated in the image, however it was very hard to see and could have been made more obvious.

To compare the three I believe that the development can be seen and that the images get better the further the production process went on.

The qualities the work has in a aesthetical sense would be that they all share the same theme and can all be related to each other. The use of the experimental photography techniques have been made to a high level and the two chosen I believe were the best for the themes I chose.

The strongest elements of the work I would consider to be the Pre Production, in each of the three final pieces they have advanced editing done to them. The multiple exposure one using the layering and Rotoscope tools well and the 3D ones using the colours to an advanced level.

The weakest parts I would consider to be the actual photography itself. As a lot of freedom was given, the images were taken using a normal android phone and a low megapixel camera. The images would have been of better quality if I had used an DSLR.

The technical qualities I believe would be the use of the tools on the images.

I could improve the work further by going back to the original images I took and taking more relevant ones to the themes. Using a DSLR Camera to retake images would produce better quality images as well.

To improve the work again I would have to consider using a wider variety of experimental techniques such as Harris Shutter or the Joiners.

This would show more development and push the work to a higher grade.

When looking at the work collectively you can see many shapes and patterns, this is not artificial but through the photography itself.

The first image (Slide 4) has many lines going through the face, this is the bark of the tree and it’s grain. I wanted that effect to merge with the elderly persons skin and their wrinkles.

The second image focuses on the colour and content rather than the elements such as patterns, however you can say that the hand itself is a certain shape. The composition in this piece has to be the more thought about out the three, deciding where to place the hand after it had been cropped was important.

The last image uses the natural light to manipulate the piece. It as taken to let the sun come through the trees onto the subject coming towards you.

After many images taken this was the best as it shares both the nature and fear side of the themes.

Do the images meet the brief? Yes, I believe they do. All that was asked on the brief has been created plus much more. I would consider the pieces to be experimental as I have shown a great deal of development throughout and you can clearly see from the first set of images to the last.

In the early stages of the production a slight grasp on the idea was taken, however now after multiple experiments and photographs taken you can see that I have understood the brief and produced what I wanted to.