Photography

 In response to photography Lessons




In response to the photography Lessons I decided to take a

photograph that I have been studying and try and recreate it. The

photograph above is the one I took inspiration from. It depicts 17

year old Jan Rose Kasmir holding a flower during the rally known

as the March on the Pentagon to protest against the war in Vietnam.

To try and recreate this image, asked my sister to pose in a similar

position to Jan holding a single flower. Although I couldn't reproduce

the solders, I used this particular background as it is a wall hanging that 

depicts the tree of life which is often associated with hippie culture and

peace. I think it links well with the message of this photograph as it 

expresses the need for peace and harmony. Furthermore, I put a black 
and white filter on my photograph so it reflects the image more. 
In retrospect, I think the position f the tree is also interesting as it seems
to be coming out of the girl in the image, representing the inner peace
that so many people tried express during the 60s and 70s.

  

  

In this picture, I wanted the focal point to be the flower as it symbolizes the peace and

I took this photograph because I wanted to capture the dress as I think it reflects Riboud's image of Jan as she is also wearing a similar flowery/hippie dress which you can't really see in my black and white image. Furthermore, althoguh it is not very clear, the ring that the girl is wearing depicts the tree of life which (similar to the wall hanging) links well with the peace movement and hippie culture.

  

Photography Lessons
On 11/1/16 and 12/1/16 we had three lessons where we focused on photography. It was very useful for me due to the fact that I have been studying a number of photographers such as Marc Riboud and Jacques Gourmelen and I wanted to recreate some of their images to use for my project. We learned about the different techniques in photography and how they help to make the image more visually pleasing. We also learned about some of the techniques which makes the photograph have good composition.

I think, out of all the photographs I took, this is the strongest owing to the fact that it has one main focal point which is the palest skull and also includes the technique called the rule of thirds. This means that if you divide the photograph into thirds both horizontally and vertically and place the key elements (in this case, the skulls) then the image becomes more visually pleasing.

For further information on composition and the rule of thirds - Key definitions

I think this particular photograph there is a lack of depth which is a key aspect when taking a photograph as it
makes the image look flat. I wanted to focus on the small poster on the locker as it is more interesting than the lockers themselves. To do this, I used the camera to make it the focal point and slightly blur the rest of the image to make it stand out more.

I think photograph is slightly stronger than the previous one given that it is taken at a more interesting angle and shows a little more depth. I kept with the idea of focusing on the poster as, again, I think it is the most interesting aspect of the image.

This photograph is way too dark and due to this you can't confidently see the text which takes up the majority of the image. Furthermore, it ha a weak composition given that there is no depth but it can be argued that it is taken at an interesting angle.

These two images are photographs of particular art around the collage. I particularly like the one above as due to their being no flask on the camera, the image hasn't got a beam of light which could've ruined the image. As well as this, it has a strong composition due to it being taken in a way that shows the imaginary lines that are used to draw the viewer into the centre of the image. The photograph below is at an angle that causes the panting to become distorted.

  

Using photoshop

Another aspect that we learned about was how to use photoshop to edit an image. I had two more images that I edited using photoshop. One of which was using the image of the skull and using Lasso tool to remove the skull and place the image of the painting. Unfortunately, it didn't let me post it onto blogger after a number of attempts.

The edited picture below was created by removing  parts of the image underneath and pasting the other painting I took a picture of onto the original.

Final Pictures 

These are the 10 pictures which I chosen out of the others owing to the fact that I think they reflect my personal theme of music effectively but also they can be linked to the overall themes of time, memory, faded and traces.

This photograph is a depiction of the 60s flower power and peace movement era. This can be linked to the theme time, as it is showing a poignant time in our history.

The theme time can also be associated with this photograph as well as memories as it shows a girl reminiscing over past times through the use of music

I think by editing this image and making the guitar slightly transparent and with a sepia filter will reflect the theme of faded and give a nostalgic feel to the image

This image illustrates a certain point in an individual's journey, With a sepia filter, I think it will show more of the theme traces as it is showing a trace in a person's journey through life.

This photographs evokes memories of past times and

shows how music and technology has changed of the years, linking with the theme memories and time. The fact that the cases are slightly worn and torn intensifies the idea of faded and time as they appear old and suggests they've been used a lot.

WIth a black and white filter, I think this image will further reflect the theme of memories as it shows an important and sentimental aspect of music in the form of a cassette. 

With the iconic Beatles record, Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band, in the background, it captures a period in history, especially with the record player it shows the theme of time, memories and traces.

This image of a person playing the piano depicts the theme of memories due to the fact that the piano sheet is 'Memory' from the theme of Cats. I think a vintage filter will further enhance the idea of memories being played.

With a black and white filter, this image can reflect the theme of memories at it shows a person using the guitar and music to reminisce over times gone by.

the theme traces can link to this image as you can see the traces of the grains in the wood which create an effective pattern on the guitar. I think the light coming from the back of the image is effective as it makes the metal parts on the guitar look shiny to create an idea of the guitar's texture.

Photography linking to my theme of music