UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY Research 1- Fine Art

This is my detailed report on how Fine Art is used to communicate ideas

Fine Art is created using the photographers vision of the artist and how one wants to interpret the scene. Fine Art is about a message or an emotion, the artist has something they want to convey in their photo. Their is always a subject when it comes to Fine Art as they are the main focus of the image and the message they are trying to get across. It started out in 1822 and has changed drastically over time. 

Fine Art:

THESE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

RESEARCH:

https://fstoppers.com/landscapes/and-after-post-processing-travel-and-fine-art-photography-130000

This is a newsletter article about how Peter Stewart, a Fine Art and Travel photographer takes his "awesome scenery photos". He states there are three basic light qualities you need to master; colour, direction and intensity. It also shows that time of the day is a key concept as choosing the right time is a foremost in capturing a scene at its best. Peter uses Photoshop to edit his photos to enhance some details as well as give life to the photo. Peter says that "understanding natural light develops your ability to create better images" this means that by knowing how to use natural light it can change and improve your photos massively as light is the most important aspect of capturing an amazing photo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anXzfP8qA9k

This is a documentary interview with Brooke Shaden a very successful Fine Art photographer as she explains what it takes to succeed as a Fine Art photographer. Fine Art photography is especially hard to get into and their is a lot of competition. On the other hand there is always something to capture as different things are happening every day in peoples lives, in different countries and different areas. Fine Art photographers have to work fast and efficient and things could move or people could leave, as Fine Art is all natural and shows exactly what is happening which is mainly why people like it so much.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oBG0cQAACAAJ&dq=fine+art+photography&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIgJfFiubMAhUDC8AKHYyiDJYQ6AEIJTAA

This is a book about the marketing side to selling Fine Art photography as it isn't just like selling normal photographs, they are some what unique and very different. It explains how over the years many photographers have decided to sell their work to make a profit and to help defray the high costs of maintaining and buying new equipment to take the successful photos however, many of them don't quite have the knowledge and know enough about selling them for the appropriate pricing etc. Fine Art is very popular and a lot of people want these photos therefore they are willing to pay high prices for them, especially the really famous ones. Some of the most famous pieces of fine art were in black and white which were shot by some famous black and white photographers, for example Ansel Adams.

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY Research 1- Documentary

TASK1-
For this task we were asked to research three different areas of photography and look at the way in which each area uses imagery to communicate ideas. I have chosen to look at; Advertising, Documentary and Fine Art, as I feel these three are different to each other and each have a unique style of getting across appropriate messages and ideas. Also I enjoy their images and I am inspired by various artists who photograph those three specific areas. 

Documentary photography is popular form of photography usually snapping historical events or issues happening in the world as well as every day life. Documentary photographers are our eyewitnesses to show hidden messages within society and capture moments of time for all of us to see. They take shots of what they see in the world with their observation and skills. They have to be mentally and physically stable and prepared as some photographers come into contract with horrific and traumatising conditions.

Documentary:

THESE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

RESEARCH:

http://digital-photography-school.com/documentary-photography-six-tips-for-creating-a-legacy/

This is a website article about how to capture Documentary photographs. It explains that "documentary means as it happens naturally" this means that when capturing a Documentary photograph, photographers don't push or make a scene for the photo to be happen, they wait for something to happen to capture it or capture every day lives of some people so they ensure the photos are natural and shows exactly what is happening, yet sometimes the photographer captures only a piece of whats happening to portray a specific emotion or feeling. Erica McDonald is a documentary photographer and she captures real life events and people in their every day lives not pushing them to do something or react a different way she just shoots what she sees to communicate an idea across.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s3zn2PivtX4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=documentary+photography&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid_L_9mubMAhUkM8AKHaOIAmUQ6AEIJTAC#v=onepage&q&f=false

This is a book called Engaged Observers about Documentary photography and different photographers such as; Lauren Greenfield, Leonard Freed, Mary Ellen Mark. These photographers shot different events such as; Fast Forward and Girl Culture, Migrations, Black in White America. Documentary photographs are extremely popular as many famous and historical events are captured by many photographers and a lot of people want these photos and they are willing to pay high prices for them, especially the really famous and historical ones. Documentary photographers have to be emotionally and mentally stable compared to other photography field photographers as they may witness some horrific and disturbing scenes as well as some amazing and exciting ones. Pieter Hugo is one of these photographers as he is based in South Africa, he see's various scenes and has to remain professional and stable whilst capturing shots.They also have to work very fast and move around a lot because they are capturing real life and there aren't do overs. Many photographers only choose to capture a specific piece of whats happening to portray a different feel or emotion towards whats actually happening, whereas looking at the event on whole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nT5lM-jL0I

This is a documentary called Telling the Story: Documentary Photograph with Thatcher Cook. It is about his documentary photographer life, his career and how he takes his images and what he does to them. He states "My technique was I just hold the camera up to my face and then i let people walk through the frame and then i just go snap, instead of chasing them around" this shows how photographers photograph what they see as a pose to capturing a made up scenario. However, this way it portrays a emotion or feeling towards the audience as they approach how they feel towards it or what they thinks happening in the photo. Thatcher talks about how he approaches people he would like to photograph and asks them politely and respectfully, he also keeps a good relationship with his clients which is good for documentary photographers as they can capture more of an individuals life and create a portfolio on the same individual over time which is really cool and interesting.

UNIT 51: Task 2- 2 Photos for my magazine

There are my before and after's of my 2 images i will be using for my double page spread which were edited in Photoshop.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

WHAT I DID TO THIS IMAGE:
This image needed improvements to make it perfect for the magazine as it is the main image of the double page spread and this image needs to draw the reader in and grab their attention. I started by cropping the image slightly so it is smaller as Saul is the main image and attraction, not the background. This photo is now the perfect size to fit into the space for the image on my double page spread. I altered the saturation, brightness, shadows and contrast of the original image very slightly to overall brighten the image and to enhance the colour on Saul's trousers as they are a feature in the article. I used the spot healing feel along with the blemish tool to get rid of any blemishes, spots, freckles or imperfections he had on his face, chest and arms along with the spots on the wall and the railings. Bits of his hair were out of place and sticking out by the clouds so i used the clone stamp tool to hide the hairs which makes it look more professional and perfect. Furthermore, I used the surface blur filter to blur the overall image which gives it a smooth finish.

BEFORE:


AFTER:


WHAT I DID TO THIS IMAGE:
This photo needed quite a few improvements to make it perfect, professional and magazine standard. I started off by enhancing the photo, using the brightness, contrast and saturation slightly to make his jumper and trousers stand out. I slightly cropped the image down to hide some of the clouds as i thought it took away some focus from the main focus. I also did this to make sure the photo was the right size to fit into my magazine, now it is the perfect fitting. I used the blemish tool to blemish out all the imperfections in this image starting with his face and chest, moving onto the railings, surface and background to take away any distractions from the main focus. On his jumper there is a rectangle logo in the middle which is important to the magazine, therefore i sharpened the writing to make it stand out and make sure its clear for the audience to read. Then I used the clone stamp tool to remove all the pieces of hair that were sticking out and covering the clouds. I finally used the surface blur tool to make the overall image smooth and professional. I learnt how to use a whole range of new tools from using Photoshop and by looking up tutorials on how to use the application and the different tools.

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY- Contact sheets for Advertising, Documentary and Fine Art

TASK 2-
We had to produce 3 individual contact sheets for 3 different types of photography and each of these contact sheets need to include 20 images. The three different types are; Advertising, Documentary and Fine Art.

Advertising:


Documentary:












Fine Art:

UNIT 51: Task 1- My Mood Board on Photoshop

This is my screenshot of my mood board for my double page spread. This shows that I created my mood board using Adobe Photoshop CS6 editing, cutting and using various different tools on this software to make my mood board exciting and relevant. My mood board reflects my article for my magazine and you would instantly know what my article was about by looking at my mood board, a interview with a model who is into his skating, fashion and brands.

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY Texture and colour

We were asked to take 5 photos for texture and 5 photos for colour and we had to edit them by only changing the saturation. This would make the photos more clearer and brighter to see. I have learnt by changing the saturation for all 10 photos that the saturation makes a huge difference as the ones without saturation on look boring and dull and the ones I have edited look alive, bright and exciting therefore it does make a big difference on the photo. I will remember this for next time I take photos and for my assignment. My favourite photo from the 5 from colour is the photo of the last flower photo. this is because it shows different colours and it is very vibrant and colourful. furthermore, my favourite photo for texture out of the 5, is the third photo of the purple chair over because you can really see all the tiny detail and stitching of it to create a weave effect.

Colour

Texture