Summer Preparation Task:
Over summer, I prepared for photography GCSE by doing a summer preparation task. I researched different photographers and recreated some of their work.
Summer Project/Irving Penn:
Irving Penn was an American Photographer, he was born in New Jersey (1917) but sadly died in New York (2009). He was best known for still life, portrait and fashion photography, he also worked for Vogue magazines. After graduating from the Philadelphia Museum School Industrial Art in 1938, he wanted to become a painter. Though he found all his results disappointing, he still used art to inspire and help him in Photography.
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The Photographer of this image is called Irving Penn.
The genre is Still Life Photography, and the props are ice and fruit. Still life with frozen fruit, 1977 - part of the the Vogue series Iced soups: Flash Foods The composition of the photo shows the viewers eye focuses on the fruit in ice cubes, this is because of the composition Irving Penn used. The photograph was taken at the same level as the subject. I believe Irving Penn used this perspective because it is best to show the frozen fruit. The Photographer employs a range of visual elements in his work. The most interesting elements are the texture the ice cubes have on the fruit. The colour of the fruits contrast with the plain colour of ice. It’s unknown what camera Irving Penn used for this particular photograph. Though, he began using a 1950 during his travel assignments for Vogue. It’s also unknown at what distance he shot from, though I doubt it was very far. |
I will use photography lights , a tripod, a plain white background and a plain white waterproof board to photograph the ice cubes.
For the lighting, I’ll go in a room with as much natural lighting as possible, and use photography lights to decrease the chance of a shadow.. I’ll set up in the kitchen, as the 6 lights from above will give it a more natural feel, I might do it in the conservatory or on the decking, if it’s sunny. Using the tripod, I’ll shoot eye-level with the objects. If I were to do another shoot, I would freeze bigger fruits, such as a slice of an apple, as well. I learnt from this that editing on a computer is easier than editing on a phone. |
I am very happy with the outcome of these images; I worked independently to achieve these results. Though in the future, I would not do the shoot in summer as the ice cubes often melted- I would also like to try this with different lighting, fruits and ice cube sizes to see how different the end product would look.
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Summer Project/Mirrors/Experiment 1:
Summer Project/Mirrors/Experiment 2:
As I was rather disappointed by my last 'mirror' shoot, I decided to have another go. This time, the location, technique and subject will change; though the focus still evolves around nature. Instead of going for an easy-to-manoeuvre mirror, I decided to have a shot at something a little more...fixed. Last time, I found the issue of not being able to stable the reflective glass whilst receiving a good angle, so this time I decided to take the subject to the mirror.
I think the images are better than the ones taken of a waterfall, though both as difficult to take as each other in different ways, If I had cleaned the mirror before shooting, I believe they would have been better- same if the sun was highlighting all areas of the horses face,
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Eventually, I decided an animal would be a good model- though I have only experienced photographing small animals before. A rugged, wild look would be up to standards, but the animal has to be large enough to fit into the frame. After some careful consideration, I came to the conclusion fell ponies would be best.
Considering its the middle of summer, the sun was out- perfect for the plan. Nothing except a moderately wild animal and a car wing mirror is needed- including the camera, of course. |
If I did this shoot again, I think I would do an animal I am more familiar with and comfortable around as the unpredictability made me cautious to get close in the beginning.
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Summer Project/Lucy Shire:
I think my shoot went well, and am pleased with the final results. I’m also happy with the texture of the tree. I learnt how different depths of fields affect the whole image. I mainly used the same, or similar, image and using digital manipulation to enhance it. The 3 images almost look as if they're taken at different seasons, and possibly a different type- the middle being a colourful blossom tree.
Though I liked the outcome of this shoot over the previous ones, I'll most likely attempt this again in the future when my editing and photography skills have hopefully developed. |
The photographer of this photograph is Lucy Shire. The genre is texture/macro photography, with the prop as a tree. I’m unsure of the title and date.
The composition of the photo is central, the viewers eye is lead around the photo due to this. The perspective Lucy used is from below, looking upwards. She also uses many visual elements, the main ones being texture and pattern. Texture and pattern are used to give a sense of reality to the viewer, as we all know the feel of a tree, something we can relate to. The photo was taken at an extremely short distance, outside and most likely without any props and in natural light. To take this myself, I would explore until I find a nice tree. I don’t think the photographer was trying to say anything, except look from different angles. |