Final Images

Top Twenty Photographs (Checked)

Final Project Evaluation

Now I am at the end of this section of my photography course, I find myself happy, or at least content with the work that I have produced over the last 3 months. I think that my photography skills and overall knowledge in the subject have improved to a great extent, and I can confidently say that there are many photographs that I have taken in the last 1-2 months that I wouldn't have even thought about taking prior to the course beginning. I had no knowledge of what formal elements were, or what is considered as a formal element, but now that I reach the end of 2014, I am able to list all of them and what they are used for.

As mentioned in the pre-completion evaluation, my favourite parts of the entire course so far were the Mapplethorpe shoots (both studio and location) and both of the walks. The walks ended up being one of my favourite parts of the course due to the fact that it allowed me to extend what I could capture on my camera to more natural places. The Mapplethorpe shoots ended up being one of my favourite parts of the course due to the fact that it was the first time that we were directly being influenced by a specific photographer, and I enjoyed trying to capture his style of photograph in both the studio and the location shoots.

I also mentioned my least favourite parts of the entire course in the pre-completion evaluation. The multiple imagery shoot was very unsuccessful for me, and I had to go out and redo the session many times due to the fact that I kept mistaking what it was entirely that I needed to do. However, by the end of the week, I managed to get it right. The editing part was also troubling for me though, so it therefore became one of the most stressful parts of the entire session, and therefore one of my least favourite parts too.

Overall I have liked my a level photography experience so far, and out of all of my subjects, I find it to be my favourite, which I did not originally expect when joining the course. Whenever there is work set for us, it is always explained in great detail what it is we have to do in order to complete it to the best quality, which is always helpful. To conclude, I have enjoyed the majority of the photography lessons a lot.

Connecting Essay 5

Photograph I Took:

I took this photograph during the contrast session, looking at the contrast between wet and dry. This is one of my favourite photographs because at the time of taking it, I hadn't expected it to turn out as sharp as it did, and it ended up capturing much more than I had thought it would. Aside from contrast, the formal elements that can be found here are colour, pattern, and shape. All of these are seen on the both leaves, and due to the vast amount of formal elements, it has become one of my favourite photographs since I began the course.

Photograph I Found:

I found this photograph by searching for 'water droplet on leaf' on google images. This photograph includes the formal elements of colour, texture, pattern and shape. These formal elements can be found on the big leaf in the photograph. Texture is used to portray how something feels, whereas colour and pattern are used for more artistic purposes. The shape of the leaf allows me to categorise the photograph into the shape category.

Similarities:

These photographs could be considered similar to each other due to the fact that they both include the formal elements of colour, shape and pattern. However, texture is seen more in the photograph I found on the internet, therefore making that photograph a better picture than mine, due to the fact that other than texture, the photographs share the same formal elements. In order to improve upon my photograph, I would try to somehow include texture in my photograph, perhaps by getting closer to the leaves or taking it from a different angle.

Connecting Essay 4

Photograph I Found:

This photograph by Mapplethorpe, of Mapplethorpe himself, holding a knife is one of my favourite portraits by Mapplethorpe. This is due to the fact that it includes the formal element of tone. Emotion can also be seen within many of Mapplethorpe's portraits, and this is no exception, for he evidently has a look of surprise. Props can also be seen within many of Mapplethorpe's photographs, and in this specific case, there is a knife. If the knife was facing a light source, reflection could have been seen in the blade, adding another formal element. This lack of light has given the photograph room to improve somewhat.

Photograph I Took:

This photograph by me is a recreation of the Mapplethorpe portrait. This features a classmate, Katy, and includes the formal elements of colour and form. Colours is seen on her jacket and her hair, and her eyes are very colourful in this photograph. Form can also be seen slightly from the shadow behind Katy onto the wall. If looked at closely, reflection is a formal element within the photograph as well. The knife shows the reflection of the hand Katy is holding it in, within the blade. This was not intentional, however.

Similarities:

Although these photographs don't really share the same formal elements, the second photograph is a recreation of the first, making it look rather similar. In order to improve, I should have tried to include tone within the photograph I took, like in the original photograph. Also, I should have had Katy not look at the camera, and instead focus on the knife, as shown in the original self portrait by Mapplethorpe. Reflection is not seen in the first photograph, due to the fact that it is a black and white photograph, and reflection can not be seen easily within one. Also, the knife seems to be dirtier, making it less reflective, especially as it is not facing a form of light

Connecting Essay 3

Photograph I Have Found:

I obtained this photograph through searching for 'Footprint in the Sand' in google images. This photograph has a few formal elements that I will list. The first noticeable formal element is texture, which can be seen in the sand itself. Texture is used to allow the viewer to be able to see how something physically feels in a photograph. The second noticeable formal element is lines. A line can be seen going through the footprint, which means this photograph can fit into the formal element category of lines. The third formal element is shape. The shape of the human footprint itself falls into the shape category.

Photograph I Took:

I took this photograph in the 'Shape' session. This photograph has a few formal elements that I will list. The first noticeable formal element is reflection, which can be seen in the heel of the footprint in the sand. Reflection is used to show a copy or repeat of something within water, glass or just a mirror. The second noticeable formal element is texture, which is seen within the shoe prints pattern. Pattern is the third formal element, which is seen in the actual shape of the shoe, with shape being the final formal element within the photograph.

Similarities:

There are many similarities between both of the photographs, but seeing as my photograph evidently has more formal elements, I have to say that my photograph could be better than the one I found on the internet. They are similar in the aspects of texture and shape. The photographs differ somewhat due to the fact that the first photograph shows a footprint without shoes or socks, which is evident due to the fact we can see toes. The second photograph shows a footprint with a shoe, however, which is evident due to the fact that we can see the patterns left from the patterns from the bottom of the shoe within the sand and mud.

Multiple Imagery Image Bank

Multiple Imagery is the combination of 9, 12, 15 or more similar images put together in the fashion as shown above. This particular style of photography is used to either show a mixture of emotion, the differences between weather, or the contrast between various environments. Seeing as contrast is one of the formal elements already, it is useful to learn. For example, the bottom picture shows many different emotions, but you can tell that it is the same mouth and same person due to the green specks they have put on their lips.