UNIT 1 EVALUATION-
During this whole unit one course, i have become much more creative and innovative; I have achieved and learnt a lot: from using chemicals to produce photos to using Photoshop and other software to edit my images. The reason for choosing this course as my one of my GCSEs was because I enjoyed photography originally but I also wanted to explore more ways to improve my creativity and skills. I feel like this course has delivered what it intended, and it's been an interesting process. In the beginning when learning techniques within photography rather than just capturing an image with a digital camera- it was very intriguing. After that, we moved onto our own projects, where we were given a specific theme and we could interpret it in our own way and style, finally to respond to the theme we produced a final piece. Overall the personal projects has allowed me recognize what i am good at doing but also things which i weren't so good at such as Photoshop, therefore i could be independent and research on how to use it effectively. However at some points it was difficult and hard to think of how to develop my project in my own style- maintaining its originality, which at times caused me to feel discouraged and unmotivated to carry on. Nevertheless, photography has no bounds so inevitably I found another approach and followed with my ideas.
In the beginning we began by analyzing artist images, by answering questions as to what was interesting about it, what the photographer's intention was, what we feel from the image etc. These analysis is labelled under 'What makes a good photo?'; i think this was a good first step, as it allowed us to familiarize ourselves on the way to approach and interpret a photo, carefully considering what we see to what the purpose of the image could be. It was also good practice for myself personally as i had never analyzed an image before, this original practice helped me to achieve A03. After, we began experimenting, however instead of directly using a digital camera as anticipated we explored other methods and techniques which were new to me. We went onto experimenting by producing cyanotypes and photograms. Cyanotypes is a photographic printing process that gives a cyan-blue print. Photograms was a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. In our school we were lucky to have such facilities such as a dark room to allow us to be able to try new techniques. In these two techniques we began by researching an artist who did similar works such as Man Ray; then after our experiments we stated our individual processes to create the image; next we scanned our experiments to our sites; which then allowed us to annotate it and evaluate it to consider how overall it went and ways to improve. These two techniques required objects, so the image mainly consisted of our arrangements rather than capturing what was there- which is what we went onto next. We explored Pinhole photography, which consisted of a box with a tiny hole and a photographic film on the inside. I found this technique very interesting and it taught me to be patient and persistent, because there were many times hen the photo did not come out successfully which resulted in us repeating the steps several times before finally creating a good image. The fourth technique was with light painting; in this we were able to build our team work skills by coordinating with others within our group. i especially enjoyed this process, experimenting with much more modern resources creating fun images; hence i later infused this idea to one of my personal projects. I think it was important to learn different, unique and new processes- which allowed me to see that photography is not just purely through a digital lens but its about much more.
After familiarizing ourselves with the different resources and techniques available for us, we started our personal projects. One of the firsts included 'Street Photography' which literally means what it says. We began by watching an overall video about this theme, which included many photographers and their experience with capturing life on the streets. After, I researched one of the artist in greater detail which was - Rebecca Lepkoff, I was inspired by the range of tones and composition within her images. From her images I went and took my own images focusing on one of the formal elements which was composition- these images came out really well which reflected my style, originality and simplicity. We then continued with this theme but in each photo-shoot we focused on a specific formal element or technique where possible; these further included- cropping, rule of thirds, shadows, diagonals and contrast. Each time we wrote a mini evaluation to say whether we found it successful or not. In addition, as a class we got the opportunity to visit the Tate Modern in central London to visit the exhibitions of Harry Callahan and William Eggleston. Callahan's images were very inspiring as his images seemed to contain a lot of purpose and the simplicity of some of his images was very significant; he focused on three main themes which were: nature, people and buildings. Callahan will always be one of my favorite artists. Furthermore, before and after our visit to the Tate, we were able to experiment with street photography. This was a great opportunity as London is constantly busy, full of people and has captivating surroundings, yet to also become much more confident in taking photos in public spaces so I don't feel restricted as to content. Hence, I captured a large selection of images which were all different and i in-cooperated some of the formal elements which i had learnt previously. I ended up choosing four images out of the selection which i liked the most, after evaluating them i saw that all four images has something in common which i clearly was good at doing- capturing shadows. Shadows represents boldness and significance within a photo, which is probably why i liked them in a photo as it makes the image seem very contrasting and dynamic.
Continuing on, my next project was associated with 'edges'. There were endless routes and possibilities in which i could've interpreted this idea, so i went onto Pinterest to find an artist which i could research to gain inspiration. I thence came across the artist- Saul Leiter, basing back to the topic of 'edges', composition plays a vital part within his images. Leiter really focusses on this technique, as he places isolated objects close to the edge which draws more emphasis to them. In addition, in some images he has a large section of obscure or negative space. Later I researched Ralph Gibson who focused on bold colors and again a strong depiction of composition. I responded by capturing similar images and in one of them i looked more intensely at edges. In one instance, I even printed out an image to cut it up to emphasis the edges to make it more prominent. After, I remembered about one of Harry Callahan's themes which was buildings, which i wanted to develop on in this project. So, during the holidays i went to Cambridge which was full of historic periodic buildings which were very aesthetic. The buildings were not only rustic yet also bold and had distinct colors just like Gibson's images. To further refine some of my buildings images I was further inspired by Gibson to use Photoshop to fill the negative spaces with an opaque colors, in the images in was mainly the sky. This was one way to experiment with Photoshop as I used the 'loop tool' to draw around the desired area to fill in. I filled it in a bold black tone to mainly emphasis the edges on the buildings. After going back onto Pinterest, I researched a way to present these images, so in the end i hanged these images in a vertical with a string so its dangling down but still being able to see each image distinctly.
My third project was based on 'Abstraction' - which could literally represent art itself yet it could also represent the significance of reality. In this project I went back to explore the formal elements, concentrating mainly on the everyday things around us. However, in this project near to the end i focused primarily on the artist: Francesca Woodman. Her works represent minimalism and abstract. Francesca's idea of blending in with the background creates a ghostly effect and she really focuses on the scenario and the objects around her. Her composition for each image is carefully thought out as her props and objects are specifically placed in a position to create a surrealistic and unsettling atmosphere. I was influenced by her works to create my own, which ended up as one of my final pieces which was based on tone and shadows. I especially like this final piece as the shadows of the head and the hands could represent the darkness and misunderstandings of everyday and reality in general.
My forth project was one of the most versatile which was - Contrast. To begin this project we looked into the Italian term- Chiaroscuro which represents contrast through light and shadows, mainly in black and white. We worked as a group to create portraiture portraits, by purely focusing on the face to show the emotions and the variety of tones on the face. Overall these images were successful and i intended to keep this idea and possible in cooperate it with future experiments. Following on, I did something which contrasted with portraits which was to focus on man mad things such as railings, buildings etc. I was inspired by the artist Lewis Baltz to create refined, precise and minimal images. There wasn't much of a meaning behind his photos as it was obscured due to the mundane elements. However instead of using a digital camera I decided to use a 50mm film camera, with black and white film inside. This was a new experience for me as i hadn't used film before but also very interesting. After getting them developed I chose a few to act as one of my final pieces in this project. In addition, normally when we come across the term contrast in photography we mainly think of just strong illuminated black and white images, so i wanted to contradict this which is why i went on to experiment with color contrast. By researching the color wheel, I then went onto edit one of my images in six different colors formats, which included shades of two colors which were 'opposite' to each other hence showing contrast.
My final project in unit 1 was titled 'absurd'. The term absurd had the definition meaning- wildly unreasonable, illogical or inappropriate. In this project was where i was most able to express my creativity as i endeavored to experiment as much as possible. Some of these included; hide, signs, replacement of objects, rearrangements and motion. One of the reasons why this project was most successful was due to my experience but also because i stepped out of my comfort zone and experimented in various ways which i normally wouldn't consider doing as i would feel like its a danger or it will lead to a dead end. One way in which i didn't allow these experiments to restrict me to carry on was to evaluate in detail WWW and EBI, by doing this i could see in which areas i could improve or develop my ideas for the next photo shoot or the future ones. By this I could also depict my strength and weaknesses. After trialing many ideas, I did reach a dead end where i felt like i was stuck, but I looked at my previous shoots and saw one of the other elements which i had used which was motion and light. Therefore for my final shoots i predominantly focused on these two elements, which i really enjoyed doing. I captured these images using DSLR and experimented with different shutter speeds and apertures. In the end I used light painting along with multiple exposures within one image to create a decent set of photos. My final piece of images reflect the wider theme of mental attitude juxtaposed with our daily lives. The motion shows distress and wanting to overcome issues but it causes us to feel trapped and inescapable.
Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this photography course, not only has it allowed me to represent myself through my creation of images but also wider themes situated within a singular image which hopefully could inspire you, such as how other artists have inspired me.
In the beginning we began by analyzing artist images, by answering questions as to what was interesting about it, what the photographer's intention was, what we feel from the image etc. These analysis is labelled under 'What makes a good photo?'; i think this was a good first step, as it allowed us to familiarize ourselves on the way to approach and interpret a photo, carefully considering what we see to what the purpose of the image could be. It was also good practice for myself personally as i had never analyzed an image before, this original practice helped me to achieve A03. After, we began experimenting, however instead of directly using a digital camera as anticipated we explored other methods and techniques which were new to me. We went onto experimenting by producing cyanotypes and photograms. Cyanotypes is a photographic printing process that gives a cyan-blue print. Photograms was a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. In our school we were lucky to have such facilities such as a dark room to allow us to be able to try new techniques. In these two techniques we began by researching an artist who did similar works such as Man Ray; then after our experiments we stated our individual processes to create the image; next we scanned our experiments to our sites; which then allowed us to annotate it and evaluate it to consider how overall it went and ways to improve. These two techniques required objects, so the image mainly consisted of our arrangements rather than capturing what was there- which is what we went onto next. We explored Pinhole photography, which consisted of a box with a tiny hole and a photographic film on the inside. I found this technique very interesting and it taught me to be patient and persistent, because there were many times hen the photo did not come out successfully which resulted in us repeating the steps several times before finally creating a good image. The fourth technique was with light painting; in this we were able to build our team work skills by coordinating with others within our group. i especially enjoyed this process, experimenting with much more modern resources creating fun images; hence i later infused this idea to one of my personal projects. I think it was important to learn different, unique and new processes- which allowed me to see that photography is not just purely through a digital lens but its about much more.
After familiarizing ourselves with the different resources and techniques available for us, we started our personal projects. One of the firsts included 'Street Photography' which literally means what it says. We began by watching an overall video about this theme, which included many photographers and their experience with capturing life on the streets. After, I researched one of the artist in greater detail which was - Rebecca Lepkoff, I was inspired by the range of tones and composition within her images. From her images I went and took my own images focusing on one of the formal elements which was composition- these images came out really well which reflected my style, originality and simplicity. We then continued with this theme but in each photo-shoot we focused on a specific formal element or technique where possible; these further included- cropping, rule of thirds, shadows, diagonals and contrast. Each time we wrote a mini evaluation to say whether we found it successful or not. In addition, as a class we got the opportunity to visit the Tate Modern in central London to visit the exhibitions of Harry Callahan and William Eggleston. Callahan's images were very inspiring as his images seemed to contain a lot of purpose and the simplicity of some of his images was very significant; he focused on three main themes which were: nature, people and buildings. Callahan will always be one of my favorite artists. Furthermore, before and after our visit to the Tate, we were able to experiment with street photography. This was a great opportunity as London is constantly busy, full of people and has captivating surroundings, yet to also become much more confident in taking photos in public spaces so I don't feel restricted as to content. Hence, I captured a large selection of images which were all different and i in-cooperated some of the formal elements which i had learnt previously. I ended up choosing four images out of the selection which i liked the most, after evaluating them i saw that all four images has something in common which i clearly was good at doing- capturing shadows. Shadows represents boldness and significance within a photo, which is probably why i liked them in a photo as it makes the image seem very contrasting and dynamic.
Continuing on, my next project was associated with 'edges'. There were endless routes and possibilities in which i could've interpreted this idea, so i went onto Pinterest to find an artist which i could research to gain inspiration. I thence came across the artist- Saul Leiter, basing back to the topic of 'edges', composition plays a vital part within his images. Leiter really focusses on this technique, as he places isolated objects close to the edge which draws more emphasis to them. In addition, in some images he has a large section of obscure or negative space. Later I researched Ralph Gibson who focused on bold colors and again a strong depiction of composition. I responded by capturing similar images and in one of them i looked more intensely at edges. In one instance, I even printed out an image to cut it up to emphasis the edges to make it more prominent. After, I remembered about one of Harry Callahan's themes which was buildings, which i wanted to develop on in this project. So, during the holidays i went to Cambridge which was full of historic periodic buildings which were very aesthetic. The buildings were not only rustic yet also bold and had distinct colors just like Gibson's images. To further refine some of my buildings images I was further inspired by Gibson to use Photoshop to fill the negative spaces with an opaque colors, in the images in was mainly the sky. This was one way to experiment with Photoshop as I used the 'loop tool' to draw around the desired area to fill in. I filled it in a bold black tone to mainly emphasis the edges on the buildings. After going back onto Pinterest, I researched a way to present these images, so in the end i hanged these images in a vertical with a string so its dangling down but still being able to see each image distinctly.
My third project was based on 'Abstraction' - which could literally represent art itself yet it could also represent the significance of reality. In this project I went back to explore the formal elements, concentrating mainly on the everyday things around us. However, in this project near to the end i focused primarily on the artist: Francesca Woodman. Her works represent minimalism and abstract. Francesca's idea of blending in with the background creates a ghostly effect and she really focuses on the scenario and the objects around her. Her composition for each image is carefully thought out as her props and objects are specifically placed in a position to create a surrealistic and unsettling atmosphere. I was influenced by her works to create my own, which ended up as one of my final pieces which was based on tone and shadows. I especially like this final piece as the shadows of the head and the hands could represent the darkness and misunderstandings of everyday and reality in general.
My forth project was one of the most versatile which was - Contrast. To begin this project we looked into the Italian term- Chiaroscuro which represents contrast through light and shadows, mainly in black and white. We worked as a group to create portraiture portraits, by purely focusing on the face to show the emotions and the variety of tones on the face. Overall these images were successful and i intended to keep this idea and possible in cooperate it with future experiments. Following on, I did something which contrasted with portraits which was to focus on man mad things such as railings, buildings etc. I was inspired by the artist Lewis Baltz to create refined, precise and minimal images. There wasn't much of a meaning behind his photos as it was obscured due to the mundane elements. However instead of using a digital camera I decided to use a 50mm film camera, with black and white film inside. This was a new experience for me as i hadn't used film before but also very interesting. After getting them developed I chose a few to act as one of my final pieces in this project. In addition, normally when we come across the term contrast in photography we mainly think of just strong illuminated black and white images, so i wanted to contradict this which is why i went on to experiment with color contrast. By researching the color wheel, I then went onto edit one of my images in six different colors formats, which included shades of two colors which were 'opposite' to each other hence showing contrast.
My final project in unit 1 was titled 'absurd'. The term absurd had the definition meaning- wildly unreasonable, illogical or inappropriate. In this project was where i was most able to express my creativity as i endeavored to experiment as much as possible. Some of these included; hide, signs, replacement of objects, rearrangements and motion. One of the reasons why this project was most successful was due to my experience but also because i stepped out of my comfort zone and experimented in various ways which i normally wouldn't consider doing as i would feel like its a danger or it will lead to a dead end. One way in which i didn't allow these experiments to restrict me to carry on was to evaluate in detail WWW and EBI, by doing this i could see in which areas i could improve or develop my ideas for the next photo shoot or the future ones. By this I could also depict my strength and weaknesses. After trialing many ideas, I did reach a dead end where i felt like i was stuck, but I looked at my previous shoots and saw one of the other elements which i had used which was motion and light. Therefore for my final shoots i predominantly focused on these two elements, which i really enjoyed doing. I captured these images using DSLR and experimented with different shutter speeds and apertures. In the end I used light painting along with multiple exposures within one image to create a decent set of photos. My final piece of images reflect the wider theme of mental attitude juxtaposed with our daily lives. The motion shows distress and wanting to overcome issues but it causes us to feel trapped and inescapable.
Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this photography course, not only has it allowed me to represent myself through my creation of images but also wider themes situated within a singular image which hopefully could inspire you, such as how other artists have inspired me.