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.

Location Contrast 2 Work Diary

Evaluation

This particular session of location contrast was very much on the natural side rather than man made. I found differences in texture of plant, for example, or differences between the colour of flowers. One of my favourite images, however, was the photograph showing the contrasts and differences between a man made and a natural ground. This difference is shown by a very clear line, which is one of the formal elements.

The second photograph shows the contrast between the colour and tone of these leaves. This photograph is particularly good in my opinion due to the sharpness shown within the leaves, as well as the clear difference shown. This is the photograph: 

Progression:

Although it was a nice change to take photographs of mostly only natural contrasts in my second location contrast shoot, I think this decision made all the pictures look very similar, due to the lack of man made objects. So if I was given the opportunity to go out and shoot location contrast once more, I would definitely include more man made objects, and less natural objects, and try and find a balance between them. An example of a photograph that has two man made objects comparing to each other is by Ellie. 

Location Contrast 2 Straight Images

Top Forty Photographs

David Bailey

The fifth photographer that I will be analysing in greater detail is David Bailey. In this detailed log, I will be writing about who David Bailey is, what style of photography he uses, why I have chosen him, what it is about his photography that I like, and how his work relates to any of the formal elements commonly used by photographers. This photographer is famous for his portraits of famous people, both black and white and coloured (though almost always black and white). The first photograph of his that I saw was this portrait, taken from a very slight high angle and is black and white. I liked this photograph because of the use of shadow's across his face (which is also use of the one of the formal elements, form).

A second photograph by David Bailey that I like was a portrait of a man wearing a coat with a fur hood. I liked this photograph especially due to the use of the formal element of texture found within the fur hood. The photograph has been taken at such an angle that allows the texture of the hood to be noticeable, which is a good way to take a professional photograph due to the fact that texture is one of the formal elements used by every photographer to be able to describe what is shown within their photograph.

 The third photograph that I liked was also a portrait, but this time it portrays two people instead of just one. This photograph in particular includes specifically one of the formal elements that I identified straight away. This formal element is contrast. The contrasts that can be identified within this portrait is the contrast between male and female, between their skin colour, and the contrast between the emotions of the two people in the photograph. Due to this, I find this photograph works quite effectively in terms of how professional it looks.

The final photograph by David Bailey is probably one of my favourite photographs by him. It includes the formal element of tone, which is effective due to the fact that the viewer is able to identify colour through a black and white photograph. The portrait also features the formal element of texture, which is used to allow us to be reminded of what an object or person feels like, making the picture seem more realistic.

David Bailey has influenced me to not be apprehensive about taking photographs of people, due to the closeness in which he gets to the people. I also have taken to how the use of black and white photographs can actually be more effective in terms of portraying emotion, rather than using colours. Another influence from David Bailey is the fact that he includes texture in his portraits, which I think works well. An example of a photograph which shows that I have gotten closer to people without fear of invading their personal space is from my Mapplethorpe location shoot. This photograph of my classmate, Keir, is similar to the work of David Bailey due to the detail that can be seen in his skin and hair. Here is the photograph:

To summarise, David Bailey is a photographer that specialises in portraits, particularly of famous celebrities. He manages to capture emotion, and many of the formal elements in his portraits, such as texture, contrast and tone. All of the images I've seen of him are similar in the aspect that they all have blank, white background, which I also think works well, for the viewer is made to focus on the people and not be distracted.                                                              

Extended Mapplethorpe Notes (With Illustrations)

From the Internet:

Name: Robert Mapplethorpe

Born: 4th November 1946

Died: 9th March 1989 (aged 43)
Attended the Pratt Institute

He was born in New York

He died from AIDS.

He is known for his black and white portraits

He mainly sold his portraits to the rich
The homoeroticism of this work fuelled a national debate over the public funding of controversial artwork.
He was influenced by artists such as Joseph Cornell and Marcel Duchamp
He moved into Chelsea Hotel with Patti Smith in 1970
In the same year, he acquired a polaroid camera so that he could incorporate his own photographs into collages, saying he felt that way was more "honest".

From the Video:

He controversially documented Manhattan's gay community in the 60's and 70's.

Brought up Catholic

At sixteen, he moved to Brooklyn because of the lack of excitement in the place that he was brought up in

He was known to have had a close relationship with famous artist Andy Warhol

Many portraits of celebrities were taken by him.

His work has been described to be "A statement about how we're living"

He described some of his work as pornography, for he was attempting to arouse the viewer, but it could also be seen as high art.
Mapplethorpe began his photography using polaroids
His first portrait was of Patti Smith
Mapplethorpe's work became 'respectable' due to the fact that he decreased his photographing of what could be labelled as pornography, and focused on classical work.

He took many self portraits:

Here are examples of the celebrities that he took photographs of: