Assignment 4: Applying lighting techniques

It was too difficult to get a real scull. I could get access to a laborotary if I had the time to wait a couple of  weeks.That was too long time for me to wait. They could however, lend me a copy of a scull in live size. I went for the copy.....

I have tried to use different lighting techniques to reveal shape, form, structure and colour.

The monochrome  images have been converted to have a TRI-X 400 look. I have always liked that film.

Shape

To light the scull in order to outline its shape, I wanted to show as little detail as possible. I chose to use one silhouette picture and one with a flat front light. The edges are more important then the detail in these images. The first photograph is lighted with a Speedlight and a small soft box.

The silhouette was created with a backlighted diffusion panel. The image was slightly underexposed in camera to get a dark enough shape.

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Flat, one source lighting

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Silhouette, back lit diffusion panel

Form

To show the form of the scull I tried to make it look as 3 dimensional as possible. I wanted to model the scull with light. I used One flash and mixed i with the ambient light. On one of the photographs I placed a small flash inside the scull to get a different kind of result.

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Balanced lighting, ambient light and flash with softbox.

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Flash inside scull

Structure

To show the structure in the scull I decided to use side lighting. That will create shadows and highlights on the rough surface on the cranium. 

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Side lighting, flash

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Side lighting, flash

Colour

The color on the scull is not very saturated. To make the colour stand out a bit, I decided to place it on a blue backdrop. I warmed the scull slightly with a cto gel.  The white balance in the camera was set to 2500 K. The warm colour on the scull is complementary to the blue backdrop.

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Side lighting, warm flash

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Side/front lighting, warm flash 

Assignment 5. Photography for a Magazine story

This is the photographs for assignment 5.
It is a story covering the medical emergency dispatchers in the second largest hospital in Norway.
I am NOT very good with text (certainly not in English)
so please have focus on my photography, not my writing skills :-)

Scetching for assignment 4

The cranium photography plan is coming along

The scull is now arranged for.

I have not killed anyone......and I have not been shopping on the Russian black marked.

I have just used my personal charm. (I have a lot.........)

That means a lot of studio photography and experimenting with light in near future...

Scetches......

Scetching for assignment 4

I have been doing some thinking about what object to use on this assignment. I am going to show shape, form, texture and color with various lightning techniques. After some thinking I have decided NOT to do it the easy way. I am going to use a human scull as a model.......
But sculls are not laying around in Norway. I guess that is a good thing, just not right now.
I will have to be creative:-)
For now scetches will have to do......

To be inspirited on the lightning I have read Light-Science and magic. By Fil Hunter, Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua.

It i a fantastic book I very much can recommend. It describes step by step how you light just about anything!

Art of photography-assignment 3

Color relationship

The use of colors in photography has always interested me, and I have been trying to use it as a part of the composition for many years. Colors are quite often bringing out feelings in humans, both happiness sorrow and anger. That means that you can get strong reactions by using colors clever in photography. I have spent so much time in the past using colors as a part of the composition, that I have included some archive photos I like in the assignment. I hope the photographs will show that I have had a clear focus on color combinations. 

About the photographs

Again, I have tried to use images that means something to me personal. I hope the images will give the viewer some of the feelings I have when I look at them. Some of the images are taken in New York in the Sandy aftermath where I worked as a volunteer after the storm struck. I found it more interesting to use images from this operation, rather then images from around the block.

I have also included some underwater photographs from a resent trip to the Red sea , where the colors are absolutely fantastic. I had this assignment in mind during the dives, and I tried to capture color combinations whenever I could. I like to travel, and most of the images are from travels around the world.

I have always loved the northern part of  Norway and have also included some images from this beautiful place. My family is from this area. 

Retouching and development

I use Adobe camera raw as my developer. I always shoot raw files to maintain the highest quality in the images. I have saturated some of the images slightly more than I normally do, to emphasize the point.

Although not more then 25 percent. I also do some adjustments to the contrasts. 

Equipment

I have mainly used a Nikon D800 and my spare camera Nikon D300. The underwater images was shot with the D300 in an Ikelite underwater housing. I also use two external flash strobes under water to capture the colors. 

What I have learned

I have enjoyed the assignment very much. It has taken some time, but in-between work, family and other photography assignments, it is natural. The assignment has given me the opportunity to learn more thoroughly about the color relationship. I am certain that I will have more focus on the subject in the future. I hope you will enjoy looking at my photographs

Complementary colors

Colors opposite of each other seems to work very nice together. You can say they have some sort of chemistry. They are pleasing to the eye and add some interest to the image.

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Simular Colors

Colors next to ear other or near each other on the color wheel . You can call them similar colors if you like. They are relatively easy easy to find in nature. Setting sun, cool winter evenings, or blue-green tones in the ocean often gives this kind of color relationship. 

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Contrasting colors

Contrasting colors du not necessarily match each other. It is a color that stand out

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Color accent

To capture color accent you can use any of the color combinations. A small object with a different color 

then the surroundings will get attention. 

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Feedback on assignment 2

I am quite happy with the feedback from my tutor, and I think it will move me in the right direction

Tutors feedback

Overall Comments

Thank you for your submission, which includes a series of 14 uploaded images to your blog and 14 associated prints. The images that you have submitted are very well observed and illustrate some experience and a keen eye for composition.

This is a very good submission - you have taken great care to produce work that is considered, stimulating to look at and that meets the criteria that is laid out in the assignment.

One point I would make is that you need to start expanding the vocabulary of the photography that you are looking at. Although your work is effective, if you want it to be taken seriously, it would benefit from a more contemporary conceptual approach. At the moment the ideas are a bit staid. I have recommended a few artists below for you to look at.

Feedback on assignment

One point

An effective composition that gives the viewer an idea of depth and scale. The image evokes a sense of calm and tranquility reflected in the still water. The rock is positioned well, slightly to the right of the frame so that it is not too obviously central, and this aids the ideas encapsulated in the image.

At the moment there is too much space in the foreground. Would it be worth moving the camera up slightly so that there is less water in the foreground? By shielding the lower ¼ of the image you will see that the composition becomes much stronger with the rock standing out more within the landscape.

Two points

This is a very similar composition to the above image. The sense of calm and tranquility are also in evidence here. The rocks are positioned well within the fame, using the space well with the foreground rock slightly to left of centre and the background rock slightly right of centre.

However in this case there may be not enough space in the foreground. Would it be worth either stepping back slightly or pointing the camera down slightly?

Several points in a deliberate shape

Again an effective composition with your use of space achieved by placing the foreground object well to the left of centre.

Although you have deliberately used a small aperture here it would be worth experimenting with a wider aperture so that you could try a different depth of field. Allowing the background to become softer can be a good way to try to experiment with shapes. Also would be worth placing object on the left slightly further in the frame.

A combination of vertical and horizontal lines

Wonderful photo with a great use of foreground detail. You have placed the sun in a good position and the exposure is finely balanced to capture some detail in the foreground. Well done.

Diagonals 1

Good use of lines in this image. The walkway acts as a good line to draw in the viewer to the image. The use of black and white is effective here and aids the highly geometrical nature of the image. Would recommend perhaps raising the camera slightly to see a bit more of the faces as the crop is a bit too pronounced.

Diagonals 2

An effective use of angles that gives the viewer a dynamic view of the spices. You have used depth of field to  good effect here too – as well as the diagonal lines leading the viewer into the frame, the plane of focus does the same.

Curves 1 and 2

Good use of colour and depth of field. The blue armbands and shorts are an effective echo of the blue water, contrasting well with the red. Again, we have an effective use of depth of field here too that allows the figure to stand out from the background, accentuating the curves.

The detail on the dragonfly is excellent – the head and legs are all in focus but the depth of field is soft enough to allow the leaf to fall gently out of focus to accentuate the curve. Excellent imaging well done.

Distinct, even if irregular, shapes

An obvious choice but it works well within the criteria on the brief.

Implied triangle 1

Great use of lighting and composition.

Implied triangle 2

The close focus works well to form a triangle

Rhythm

Interesting to see the sunflowers in black and white instead of colour – a brave choice that works well. It is worth experimenting more like this to challenge expectations.

Rhythm 2

Like you acknowledge in your blog, its not as strong as the previous sunflower image, but there is a theme that works.

Pattern

Effective use of space, and a well made photo but not sure it really is about pattern?

Learning logs/critical essays

Generally your comments are interesting to read and help inform the work. I would suggest that you try to evaluate your images more in depth – be more self critical and describe how you would improve them.

Assignment 2

About the assignment
I have tried to have the assignment in mind wherever I go with my camera, but it has taken some time to finish it. I spent some time trying to find out which of the themes to use, and finaly decided to mix them all. I found it a little limiting to just use city life or food as subjects. A couple of the photographs are  from my archive. The images are not snapshots, and I had a specific plan before I captured them. I found them relevant to this assignment. On this assignment I used photographs that have some kind of personal meaning to me, not just the elements described in the text. That is a little risky. The viewer may not have the same feeling. But just that is the challenge with photography. The most challenging  about the assignment is the writing. I am not used to describe my feelings about my photography. And certainly not in english:-) But that is the way to learn, I guess!

Assignment 2:

Elements of design

One point

I decided to use landscape.
I wanted something simple. The rock is standing out from the rest of elements. It is captured with a Nikon D800 on a tripod. The lens is a 24-70mm f/2,8. I used cable release  and mirror lock-up to prevent camera shake. A polarizer and a graduated  ND-filter is also used. The last to prevent the sky from burning out. I personal like the simplicity and the quiet mood in the picture. It was one of two usable picture from that day, and I spent much time walking around the lake to find the composition I preferred.















Two points

From the same day, and same place as the first image, but slightly different viewpoint. The nearest rock is actually the fundament for the tripod in the previous image. This image does not have the same quiet mood as the first. The rocks in the lower left corner is somehow disturbing the calmness of the scene. I  still think the image work. The rocks fills the foreground and leads the eyes to the rest of the elements in the frame. I also found the colors a little distracting and chose to convert it to mono. The texture on the rocks stands more out when converted to black and white.
The image is not as successful as image one.

















Multible points in a deliberate shape

This mage is captured this summer i Provence, southern France. It is one of my favorite places to photograph.
About 20 frames was captured and I tried several compositions. I had a hard time trying to place the elements in some kind of pleasant order. Ideally a higher viewpoint would possible work better to make the foreground elements stand out. But the sky would probably suffer, and I wanted the sky to balance the image. I used aperture 13 to get some depth of field. D800 on tripod








Horizontal and vertical lines

The horizon and the row of flowers indicates the horizontal lines while the stems on the flowers makes the vertical lines. It may not be the clearest example of vertical and horizontal lines, but I like the soft, subtle lines in the picture. I used a 70-200 mm lens wide open to get the soft effect I wanted. I am impressed with the way the camera  handles the difficult lightning conditions. I don't think my older D300 could capture the subtle tones in this scene.








Diagonals #1

I shot a number of images with diagonals. Train tracks, buildings and gravestones have all been captured during the last month. But I settled with an image that also have some life in it. The boys where looking for frogs and couldn't care less about the photographer. I find my eyes following the diagonal lines to the boys, then to the faces and back to the reflections in the water.  It is quite obvious that the boys are looking for something, and not posing. I could have used a more typical image with clear diagonal lines present, but this picture has a better feel to it. I also find it more dynamic then my other pictures. It is a more interesting  image because of just that. As with a lot of my images, I find colors distracting when I want to point out a specific shape in the composition.

Diagonals #2

The separating walls in the box is making the diagonals and brings some depth to the image. I really like the strong colors in the spicy powder.
I also have a composition with vertical and horizontal lines of the same subject, but that did not have the same dynamic feel. I could possibly have created more depth by choosing a lower point of view.
I think the image works ok.
I couldn't justify converting this to black and white:-)











Curves #1

One of my most personal photographs. It is my seven year old son checking if his diving mask is firmly positioned before a jump. He did this procedure every time before the jump. I found this very amusing, and wanted to capture the beautiful curves. Maybe a bit to personal, but I couldn't resist.

I used D800 with 70-200mm f/2,8 wide open to isolate Sebastian from the surroundings.

Curves #2

I tried to frame the image with the leafs as curving objects in the bottom. The dragonfly kept using the same landing spot again and again. I used D800, 70-200mm and a converter to get close enough. The bokeh is good enough to isolate the curving leafs and the dragonfly from the background.

Distinct, even if irregular, shapes

Archive image from Dubai 2010. I tried to frame the building inside the circular roof construction. 

The image is full of different shapes and lines. That is the reason why I wanted to use it in this assignment.

The warm light on the right side of the image adds a warm tone to the otherwise cool mood. I used Nikon D300 on tripod,  aperture of 16 and a shutter speed of 20 seconds to capture the scene.

Implied triangel #1

One of my absolute favorite photographs. The light is let through the transparent fabric in the ball and makes it look like some kind of planet. The triangle is made up of the two girls and the ball in the middle of the frame. Silhouettes is widely used in photography, and should be used careful. I like the dreamy feeling in the image, and decided to use it as the first implied triangle shot. I used D300 handheld and a 70-200 mm tele zoom to capture it. I underexposed deliberately to ensure the silhouettes. I  had a low viewpoint to separate the girls from the horizon.

Implied triangle #2

Another personal image. My daughter was willingly posing for me on this shot. The idea was that the eyes, nose and mouth should make a triangle. The eyes and the top left corner also has he shape of a triangle.

I used D800 with a 50mm f/1,4 lens to blur everything beside the eyes. The 50 mm lens is one of my absolute favorite lenses, and can be used very creatively. Again, a very personal image, but with a clear thought about the composition.  

Rhythm

A field of sunflower is my choice for the first rhythm picture. The flowers almost have a human look.
Its like thousands of faces is staring at the sun. I tried many different compositions, both vertical and horizontal. I think this picture had the best rhythm. It was a very colorful image, and as often, I converted it to black and white to keep focus on the composition.



















Rhythm #2

Again the French food is in focus.
I think the olives in the jars is making a rhythm in the picture. And the large spoons is almost like notes dancing from the bottom of the frame to the top.
Maybe not as strong rhythm as in the prevous image, but I still think that it gives an almost musical, rhythmic feel.


























Pattern

I spotted this beautiful artwork in the entrance of a local art shop in a small mountain village in the provence area. The work immediately got my attention. I think it makes a great pattern. The face is the main point of interest. I tried several compositions with straight and diagonal lines. I settled with the straight lines. The image was then converted  to mono in photoshop.

Summary
My wedding photography business has kept me busy with both photography and retouching this summer. That is, of course, a positive thing. But the study has suffered. I have tried to bring my camera with me at all times, and I finally have enough photographs to finish the assignment. Since the purchase  of Nikon D800 in april, I have shot over 10 000 images.
I personally like the photographs in this assignment better then those used in assignment 1.
I have used far more energy and time on this assignment. The most rewarding part of the assignments is the thinking. It forces me to look for the elements of design. Composition is the one thing a photographer must  master. A poor composed image is still a poor composed image even if the technique is great. The techniques in photography is possible for most people to learn.
I find it very inspirational to see how experienced photographers like David Noton, Ansel Adams, Morten Krogvoll, and Richard Avedon compose  their images. I find the photographs that I have visualized in my thoughts more successful than the ones I make spontaneously. It certainly is  rewarding to capture a good picture you have planned ahead.
I have learned a great deal of the assignment. And I have discovered that I used many of the elements of design before I started this course. I just wasn't aware of it.
I will use it more