UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY My Photos- Nature

These are my final photos from my documentary photoshoot which I planned and put together with a lot of hard thinking and discussions with my tutor, Mr Cooper. I took my photos within a park on a light but overcast day, which caused my photos to come out a lot darker and duller than expected however there is nothing I could do about this but I took it into consideration when shooting. However, I did take them at the peak of the day which is a benefit due to it having the most light at this time of day. To do this, I used a DSLR camera which I borrowed from the school, along with a tripod to help me focus the camera when shooting specific areas. I changed the focal length to 18 to ensure when taking my photos I got a wider view to get the whole shot in for the purpose of my photoshoot. I planned to create a documentary photoshoot to show how nature looks bright and vibrant. I loved Adriana Zehbrauskas's style therefore I copied her style by enhancing and changing the saturation, brightness, vibrance and colour balance in some cases. Hopefully my photos will reflect this. I further edited my photographs on photoshop using different tools to help me make sure my photos portrayed Adriana Zehbraskas work. I used various tools such as the ones I have mentioned a long with the quick selection tool to single out the focal point of each photograph and enhance that separately for the sole purpose. By enhancing these specific focal points of the image, it gives the photos a sense of happiness and liveliness.

BEFORE













AFTER

Spring scenes
Aperture=F4
Shutter speed=1/30
The quick selection tool was used to cut out the main focal point of this image (the two leaves) and to separate it from the background to enhance it separately. Colour balance (red +73), saturation, contrast, brightness and vibrance have all been adjusted.
If I was to improve this photo, I would enhance the leaves even more to make them stand out more. Also, I would brighten the background leaves by using the vibrance and brightness tool slightly to just give a more bright overall look.


BEFORE

Velvet flowers
Aperture=F3.5
Shutter speed= 1/40

The brightness, vibrance, saturation, contrast were edited in this photo. I took this photo relating to symmetry. Along with using the quick selection tool.

If I was to improve this photo, I would enhance more of the purple flowers along the top side of the photograph to make the purple stand out and be brighter.

BEFORE













AFTER
Little flower
Aperture=F3.5
Shutter speed=1/25
Brightness, exposure, hue, contrast, vibrance, photo filter, saturation along with the exposure have been edited, however only on the selected area using the quick selection tool to only enhance the main focal point of this image (the white flower).
If I was to improve this photo, I would enhance the yellow section inside the flower to make the flower stand out even more.

BEFORE


















AFTER

Pretty in pink
Aperture=F4.5
Shutter speed=1/34
The vibrance, brightness, contrast and selective colour tools have been changed to create this photograph, along with the use of the sharpen tool and the quick selection tool.
If I was to improve this photo, I would ensure that I did not use the flash to take the photograph as this made the photo originally look brighter therefore there was less for me to edit which I think would have looked better.


BEFORE

AFTER

Aperture=F4
Shutter speed=1/30

The vibrance, exposure, colour balance and photo filter were all edited however, only on the main focal point of the photograph, the two main flowers, by using the quick selection tool to select the two flowers to only enhance them.

If I was to improve this photo, I would again take it without the flash, however I took these photos in a darker and duller lighting area therefore I needed to use flash.

BEFORE


AFTER
Sunshine
Aperture=F3.5
Shutter speed=1/20

Vibrance, brightness, photo filter, contrast and saturation have all been edited as well as the quick selection tool to separate the yellow flower from the background and the other flowers to specifically enhance the yellow flower.

If I was to improve this photo,  I would preferably not have used the flash because its made the whole image brighter which I didn't want to do, I wanted to edit them. 

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY My Audience Feedback

Audience Feedback Questions

These are the thoughout questions I asked my peers and teachers to give me feedback on for my documentary photoshoot photographs. They responded what they thought and I recorded it for data to use in my evaluation. This feedback will really help me and aid my knowledge for the rest of my media course or if I had to do something similar like this in the future.

1. What emotion do you feel when looking through these images?
2. What type of photography do you think these images associate with?
3. What do you think the theme of these images are?
4. Do these images look similar to other documentary photographs you have seen?
5. What words come to mind when looking at these photos? Happy, angry, beautiful shocked?
6. How professional do you think these photographs look? 1- Very unprofessional 4- Very professional 

http://goo.gl/forms/plSmZAM4jMOSHgHF2

Below are the responses from my audience feedback:


Below are photos and evidence of my peers and teachers observing and evaluating my work:


Above are photos of people observing my work, giving me feedback and evaluating my work. From their results I can conclude that the majority of people stated that the emotion they felt when looking trough my photographs were "happiness" and " brightness". I'm happy with this response as these were the emotions I was hoping to get across. Furthermore, the majority of my audience ticked the "documentary" box when asked what type of photography do they think these photos associate with. Also, more people answered "nature" and a few stated "happiness" to the question which asked what do you think the theme of these photos are. Additionally, over half the people asked in my feedback voted "yes" rather than "no" when asked if these photographs looked similar to any other documentary photographers they have seen. The most common words they answered when questioned were "happy" and "beautiful" and these were what words I wanted to reflect my photographs are those words come into mind when looking at Adriana Zehbruaska's work. Lastly, when my peers and teachers had to rank my photographs on a level of professionalism the majority ranked a 3 out of a possible 4 being very professional, I was not happy about this result however I know where I went wrong and how I would improve if I was to do this again.

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY What emotion/message I am trying to convey through my photographs

The emotions/message I am trying to convey through my photographs are; Happy, soothing, pretty, natural, summer, beautiful. These are all words I hope to get across in my photographs as I will be capturing the beautiful nature. By enhancing certain bits of nature in each photograph I hope this will give off a sense of happiness, powerfulness and make the audience feel lively and bright because these are all the emotions I am trying to communicate through my photographs by copying Adriana Zehbrauskas style. This photoshoot will also show the beauty of nature and how pretty nature can be and how sometimes if you look at nature in a different perspective or a different angle and way, it can look very different. I will be capturing the happier and brighter side of nature due to me enhancing the photos to portray this. I will do this by using different aperture settings, changing the brightness, focal length, contrast and exposure. By using a quiet and bright location; the park, this will allow my photos are realistic and natural and will ensure me to get the best possible photos I can get as it is has the best lighting. The photographs need to clearly show there is one main focus in each photograph to enhance this main focal point for the emphasis of the message I'm trying to convey as well as looking at symmetry and the specific background surroundings. The reason I want to do this is because Adriana Zehbrauskas uses this style and I will be incorporating her style into my photographs.

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY My Nature Photos

These are my final photos from my documentary photoshoot which I planned and exec
I edited my photographs on photoshop using different tools to help me make sure my photos portrayed Adriana Zehbraskas work.
To do this i used I used my DSLR camera which I borrowed from the school, along with a tripod to help me focus the camera when shooting specific areas. I changed the focal length when taking my photos to gain a wider or narrower view.


BEFORE



AFTER

Aperture=F4
Shutter speed=1/30
Focal length=
The lasso tool was used to cut out the main focal point of this image (the two leaves) and to separate it from the background to enhance it separately. Colour balance (red +73), saturation, contrast, brightness and vibrance have all been adjusted.
If I was to improve this photo, I would enhance the leaves even more to make them stand out more. Also, I would brighten the background leaves by using the vibrance and brightness tool slightly to just give a more bright overall look.


BEFORE



AFTER

Aperture=F3.5
Shutter speed= 1/40

Focal length=

If I was to improve this photo,

BEFORE



AFTER

Aperture=F3.5
Shutter speed=1/25

Focal length=

Brightness, contrast, vibrance, saturation along with the exposure have been edited, however only on the selected area using the lasso tool to only enhance the main focal point of this image (the white flower).
If I was to improve this photo,

BEFORE




AFTER



Aperture=
Shutter speed=

Focal length=

If I was to improve this photo,


BEFORE




AFTER




Aperture=
Shutter speed=

Focal length=

If I was to improve this photo,

BEFORE




AFTER



Aperture=
Shutter speed=

Focal length=

If I was to improve this photo,

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY Risk Assessment

Legal Issues

Photographers need to make sure they know all about all the legal restrictions and regulations when shooting as there is a lot to know and to understand before shooting. When shooting in a public area, you will need permission to shoot there from whoever owns it. For example, if you want to shoot in a restaurant you will need to ask the owner for their permission for you to shoot in his/hers restaurant. However, some places restrict people from taking photographs their such as temples or high holy places e.g. churches. Photographers cannot just go into a museum or a place with art and take a photo of it and pretend it is their own because these things have copyright which ensures nobody could copy or pretend that it is theirs. Furthermore, I will be shooting in a public area, which means there is a likely hood that passers by will be around. I need to be aware that I do not capture them because if I wanted to I would need their permission, especially if it is a child as there are laws such as child protection laws which ensure child safety. On the other hand, I am not photographing people therefore these regulations will be kept. To conclude, the photographer should always ask permission from individuals when photographing people to ensure they have a say in whether they want to be featured or not. 

This is my Risk Assessment table for potential risks, constraints and hazards that could happen and how to overcome or avoid them within my location that I will be shooting in, a park.

Risk/Hazard	How to overcome this risk
Camera gets damaged or broken	Make sure you use the tripod coreectly and ensure its tightly screwed to the camera. I am responsible for the equipment as I am the only person using it whilst shooting.
Injuring yourself in the location	Ensure you are always watching the equipment and where you are walking. Make sure you are aware of any potential hazards beforehand. I will be the only person shooting these photos therefore I will be responsible for my safety.
Not enough memory on camera	Ensure beforehand it has enough storage, if not sure get a new memory card to be safe.
Not having permission to shoot in the location	I will make sure I get permission beforehand to shoot in my location, the park, JCoSS to ensure I am allowed to shoot in that location.
Camera battery runs out	I will make sure the camera I use is fully charged before hand to ensure this does not happen whilst filming. In case of an emergency, I will keep a camera battery with me whilst filming.
Getting stung by a bee or getting an injury from an animal or insect	Keep arms and legs covered up and avoid touching insects of animals. If they get in a shot, avoid taking it at that time.
Park being overcrowded	This wont happen as I will shoot at school times where it is not busy, therefore no one would be around to get in the way of the shot.
Weather difficulties	If it starts to rain, thunder, snow and any sort of weather issue, the equipment needs to immediately put away in waterproof cases and kept out of the weather until it stops.

Permission form for the owner of the park 

I would be extremely grateful if you would give me your consent to film in BARNET PARK for my BTEC Media Assignment. Your permission would be highly appreciated and would help me a huge amount. The photos taken will only be viewed by myself, my peers, my teacher and the examiners.

I .................. give Olivia Spalter permission to film in BARNET PARK and to use these photos for my BTEC Media assignment. 

Name: …………………………

Signature: ………………………

Date: ………………….

RE-SUB: Blogger comments on Abbie Novack

ORIGINAL 

The layout of this template looks like it would be suitable for a women lifestyle magazine. The template has enough space for photos which includes a main image however it does not have enough room for the text due to the columns being too space in width. You could improve the size of the columns of writing and make them wider as you fit more writing in the article.

RE-SUBMISSION for my comments on Abbie Novack's template for her double page spread.

I think this template is suitable for a double page spread lifestyle article due to the text not being too over crowded and including the right features for a double page spread such as; pull quote, masthead, sub-heading, stand first, drop caps, puff, page numbers, photos etc. However, there are a few faults that could be changed to ensure it is appropriate for a lifestyle double page spread article. All the text columns are not all equal sizes which they need to be to make the article clearer and easy to read as the columns now are too narrow to read easily. This will also help the flow of the article as well as making it look fuller and more professional. To do this, one of the smaller images could be removed to make more room for the text or another quote as these are essential in lifestyle magazines as there are already a lot of photos which take over the article. I think one of the subheading should be removed as in a double page spread there is usually only one subheading as this is the brief explanation of the heading. Also, the pull quote should be a lot bigger to emphasis a specific part of the article as this is one of the main focuses of the text and draws readers to the article from seeing the quote. One of the smaller images could be replaced with another pull quote as these are significant and essential to intriguing the readers and there are already a lot of photos in this article. At the end of the article, the main image is covering the text, therefore the main image should be a bit smaller so all the text can be shown and not hidden. Furthermore, the margin should be equally in the middle to make it a suitable double page article. The colour scheme should be chosen appropriately for the content of the article, due to the article being about makeup the colour chosen should determine how the audience react to the article as the colour can draw the reader into it and will want to read it if it has a fitting colour. This article meets the brief of a double page spread as the overall template is very acceptable yet there are only minor changes that need to be changed in order to make sure it is the perfect double page spread article for a lifestyle magazine. Also, I feel you should add a drop cap to the start of this article which would make it more professional a long with making the article stand out and look more interested as you could've made it a specific colour which would relate to your photos or article to match. The stand first should be a lot longer and wider because this is the piece of writing which explains briefly what the article is about and will determine if the reader reads on or not therefore it needs to be big and long to catch the readers attention. The titles of each topic should be bold and highlighted to stand out and look more like a professional magazine. Likewise, in lifestyle magazines readers like to see big speech bubbles or fact boxes within the articles that quickly draws their attention, I therefore recommend at least one of these should be added to you article especially because it contains information about products and their prices and about different tips and tricks which would perfect content for a fact box or a speech bubble. Likewise, what colours are your photos going to be because the background colours are yellow and blue which means this may clash and look silly or it may go together and emphasis the photos really well. You should defiantly include at the bottom page numbers as this indicates the number of the pages which are an necessity to magazine articles as well as a hashtag, @'s, captions for the photos, the name of the photographer (you) or a short explanation under each photo as these are all important crucial factors to help the reader and make it clear. All these factors make up a successful professional magazine double page spread.

RE-SUB Content Checklist

This is my re-submission for my content checklist.

Question	Evidence	Has this been met?
Selection of Material	This article includes all the appropriate and right information for the target audience which is women aged 16+. The magazine is lifestyle, therefore this makeup interview is throughly appropriate and readers would be interested in this interview and would be a hit with the target audience as they love reading about makeup and the new trends. Readers also love reading articles that celebrities or people who work for a professional brand are incorporated in to it because they think they will look or be like them. Therefore, the target audience would want to read this article as it fits the criteria of a lifestyle subject. The material within the interview is all relevant and appropriate. There is no unnecessary information in it.	YES the article has been selected very appropriately, therefore this has been met.
Audience Appeal	This article would appeal highly to its target audience, which are women 16+ for many reasons. One because it is a makeup article and women of that age group are massively intrigues in makeup and its extremely popular with women. Also, the article talks about how to 'contour' which is a new trend therefore readers will be intrigued to find out about 'contouring'. Likewise, as it is coming into summer and most women love knowing different tips and tricks, there is a section on summer products!	YES it fully meets the target audience's needs.
Relevance	In this article, all the information is very relevant and to the point of what we were asked to do, which was to product a double page spread for a lifestyle magazine. The content in the article is correct for a lifestyle magazine as it is make-up based. If this was my article, I would suggest very minor sentences to be taken out for example, "as I have oily skin so I never miss this step out" I personally think this is unnecessary but other than that this article is highly relevant and does not have any waffling or repetition. As it isn't an extremely length article deleting sentences is not necessary however if it needed cutting down that would be what I would take out. All the content was relevant for a lifestyle magazine as it was based on makeup which is popular within the target audience of 16+ women.	YES the text is relevant. However, I have very minor suggestions of sentences that should be taken out.
Accuracy	This article is extremely accurate because all the product names and products are real products, the prices of them are all real and accurate because you can compare them to the prices on their website. The other information and tips and tricks are all true also because they are someone opinion and own opinion, she is a "professional make-up artist" and has "had plenty of experience with MAC" which is a extremely successful business therefore women will believe and admire what the article says as its coming from a reliable source. There are no mistakes in the text.	YES all the content of the article is accurate.
Balance	The article is very balanced as it is someones opinion. Not someone anybody opinion though, she is a professional make-up artist therefore she is a reliable and responsible person therefore she would only state what she feels in good and she wouldn't lie or make up random information. Also, because the whole article doesn't just talk about one product, it varies and talks about a variety of different products along with the professional make-up artists own tips and tricks. Also, it mentions not just products, but how to apply the products which gives a balance to the article and wouldn't bore the readers. The audience will want to read on to find out how to apply the product as the application process is after the naming of the product. This keeps the readers intrigued.	YES the text has a good balance and is not bias as it is someones opinion.

RE-SUB Track Changes for partners article and new comments on abbies

These are my re-submission track changes for Abbie Novack's double page spread article. I only had to change minor mistakes such as; changing the 'a' in gray to a 'e' and putting a 'u' into the word colour as it was spelt 'color' before. Other than these minor corrections the article was throughly spell checked and the grammar and punctuation was hard to fault.

UNIT 57: PHOTOGRAPHY 3 ideas for my photoshoot and my chosen idea

This is my initial idea brain storm for my ideas for my documentary photoshoot.


My first idea is going to be...

• School building- Photographing different parts of the school building, including shots of e.g. a empty corridor or a lonely person at the cafe. This will convey a sad, scary and haunted feel to the building. The message I want to convey is how school buildings, a place of work, can look so scary and haunted depending on the time of the day. The location would be my school, JCoSS. I would take these photographs in this style due to the fact that my artist, Adriana Zehbrauskas takes her photographs in this style.

The pro's of doing this photoshoot-

• It would be convenient to photograph at a school because I could do it in my own school
• This is a very powerful range of photographs, emphasising how scary buildings can be
• Equipment would be kept in the school grounds

The con's of doing this photoshoot- 

• There are safety hazards and risks within a school
• You would need to ask the school building owner for permission to photograph in the school
• I would need to make sure I photograph at a quiet time to ensure no-one is around
• I would need to take the photographs at a reasonably dark time to properly portray the feelings
• The lighting is 'flat' in most classrooms 

My second idea would be...

• A day in the life of a sixth form student- Photographing different parts of an individual sixth formers day, their life and what their day consists of. I will take images to convey a studious, hard working teenager. The message I want to convey is how a sixth form student spends the majority of her school day working extremely hard for exams. The location would be my school, JCoSS. I would do this because Adriana Zehbrauskas shoots her photographs in a way that portrays 

The pro's of doing this photoshoot- 

• It is convenient because I could capture my friend who is a teenager at school who is a hard worker and has a lot of work to do therefore, this would not be set up just like how documentary photographers do not set up their photos. 
• The images will portray a strong feeling about how the teenager is lonely yet a hard worker and wants to exceed.
• It is best to capture individuals in their natural habitat.
• Equipment would be kept in the school grounds

The con's of doing this photoshoot-

• It is hard to convey feelings through body language
• There are safety hazards and risks within a school
• You would need to ask the person's permission
• You need a back up person incase the original person cannot make the shoot

My third idea could be...

• Nature- I would document the natural surroundings around us outside. I plan to capture the beauty of the nature and how different certain things look in different lightings and areas. When editing the photos, I will enhance the certain bits of the photo to make certain pieces of nature stand out to make the scenery look vibrant and bright. Throughout the photos I would only enhance one piece of the nature to draw a main focus to each photos. The message I want to get across throughout my photos is how nature is so vibrant and can look different in different areas. The location would be my local park near school. I will ensure I use the rule of three when using the camera to capture the shots and focus on symmetry and their only being one man focus in the images, or their being loads of the same object. I will do this because this is the way Adriana Zehbrauskas captures her photographs.

The pro's of doing this photoshoot- 

• I wouldn't need permission to shoot these images as they aren't specifically owned by anyone
• I'd be using natural lighting which is the best lighting
• Nature makes a good photo!
• The location is near to school therefore the equipment wouldn't have to travel a long distance

The con's of doing this photoshoot-

• There are risks and hazards due to issues such as the weather
• It would need to be at a quiet time to avoid people in the background
• I would need to ask permission if I want to shoot a part of nature that is owned by e.g. residents, government
• I would need to capture these images in day time to get the bright and vibrant lighting I want
• Would need to ensure its light outside

However, discussing with my tutor, Mr Cooper and I have come to the conclusion that my final idea will be...

• Nature- I would document the natural surroundings around us outside. I plan to capture the beauty of the nature and how different certain things look in different lightings and areas. When editing the photos, I will enhance the certain bits of the photo to make certain pieces of nature stand out to make the scenery look vibrant and bright. Throughout the photos I would only enhance one piece of the nature to draw a main focus to each photos. The message I want to get across throughout my photos is how nature is so vibrant and can look different in different areas. The location would be my local park near school. I will ensure I use the rule of three when using the camera to capture the shots and focus on symmetry and their only being one man focus in the images, or their being loads of the same object. I will do this because this is the way Adriana Zehbrauskas captures her photographs.

This is my email to Mr Cooper,

This is Mr Cooper's response,


Taking Mr Coopers response on board, I altered my nature theme and discussed this with my tutor again.