Assignment One

I have been given an assignment involving choosing a collection of words to photograph using my everyday atmosphere. The words I have chosen are reflective, reflection, communication, decay and vibrant.

For 'reflective', I originally thought of reflective surfaces and water, however, I want to stretch myself and researched more into what 'reflective' could also mean. 

reflective [rɪˈflɛktɪv]

adj

1. characterized by quiet thought or contemplation

'Reflective' Chosen Photograph

I produced this photograph, using a 50mm f1.4 lens, so I could capture a shallow depth of field from my subject. I thought this worked better than capturing refection in water. I took other photographs of my model look out of the window but I didn't think they had the same effect as my chosen one.

Too bright (shutter speed to high)

Dislike the shadow on the forehead

Slightly blurred and unfocussed on the eyes

communication

n.

1. the act of communicating: transmission

2. the exchange of thoughts, messages or information, as by speech, signals, writing or behaviour

'Communication' chosen photograph

I captured this photograph using a 50mm f1.4 lens so I could capture the shallow depth of field, solely concentration on one part of the phone; the text messages. I took other photographs as well as part of this experimentation, but the depth of field wasn't right or the composition didn't look visually pleasing.

Screen became dark

Visually unpleasing composition and focus

Not focussed on text messages

reflection

n.

the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it

'Reflection' chosen image

Whilst I was editing photographs, I noticed that some of the photographs cast a multi-coloured beam when I half closed the laptop! I used this and photographed the reflection of both in the screen above, which in turn created a striking effect which represents reflection very well.

(this photograph, alternatively, could be seen as relating to the keyword 'vibrant' because of the rainbow that seemingly appears on the laptops surface!)

vibrant

adj.

full of energy and enthusiasm

'Vibrant' chosen image

I found this multi-coloured bracelet in my room, and decided to construct a makeshift studio and photograph the bracelet using available light. I used a bed side lamp, which offered a warm glow, highlighting the colours of the bracelet well. I also used a shallow depth of field, so that the camera was fully focussed on some beads on the foreground, offering a sharp detail. I took some other photographs, but the lighting was too harsh and they did not quite look correct (see below!)

Unfocussed and too bright

Too dark

decay

v.

to break down into component parts; rot

'Decay' chosen image

I experimented with using old people for the word decay, but I couldn't get the look I wanted unless I directly copied the work of Jane Bown. Therefore, I took a photograph of the damp on a bathroom wall of an abandoned house, and edited it in PhotoShop using a lot of contrast and added a little bit of brightness. I also had to straighten and warp the image to make the lines all look straight, because of barrel distortion. I love the effect this gives, because it makes the photograph look dark and depressing!