Assignment 208: Location Photography - Final 10 Images - Theme1

Assignment 208: Location Photography

Final 10 Images - Theme 1

Portraits 

My first theme was centred around portraits of individuals in natural surroundings using natural light.  My work was inspired by images published by the likes of Eve Arnold, Steve Pyke and Jane Bowen.  The images had to be very tightly composed, with the focus being facial expression and texture, capturing something about that person that helps to identify and define them.

All of the images were taken during visits to the models homes, I would spend time setting up, showing them the equipment, explaining what I wanted to achieve and then just have a coffee, and talk - capturing images along the way.  None of the images were posed for.

I am pleased with the final ten images, but feel I still have room to develop in this genre - whilst I feel I have managed to keep the composition to my brief the images would have benefited from greater attention to the background, lighting and depth of field.  I also used flash more that I would like and would want to work on my low light techniques going forward.

All of the images were taken in colour and converted to black and white, with additional manipulation around colour saturation.

Boredom
ISO 200, f3, 1/125

This picture has made the final ten as it reminded me of Jane Bowens picture of Sinead O'Conner, with the cigarette behind the ear - and the expression captured conveys a sense of boredom and sadness that represents a lot of the youth today.  I like the grainy texture to this image which add depth, and the fact that he hasn't shaved that day adds to the whole sense of a lost youth.

Concentration
ISO 200, f3.5, 1/80

I chose this image because of the way in which the hair frames around the face,  you can also see the slight frown on what is an otherwise smooth clear complexion. I also liked the fact that it captured the tattoo in the wrist which reveals a little more about this person.

Despair
ISO 200, f3.5, 1/80

I like this image as I have managed to catch a defining moment for the model - she was very frustrated over her emails and getting them up and running was important as she was trying to buy something on line - this is the point that the email failed to send and her frustration boiled over - she has very dark hair and very pale smooth skin which creates lovely contrast - I like the fact that she is wearing a ring on her little finger as this again adds a dimension about this person that gives the picture additional interest.

Freedom
ISO 200, f3, 1/200

I've called this image freedom because it takes a certain amount of freedom to let a belly laugh go.  This is my brother-in-law and when he laughs it really does come from his belly - a true expression of joy.  This image reminded me of Jane Bowen's Mick Jagger - I can't remember what we talking about but something just made him throw his head back and howl with laughter and I was pleased that I managed to capture that moment.

Angel
ISO 200, f3, 1/80

I loved this image when I first saw it on the display on my camera, I was a bit disappointed that because of the shallow depth of field it wasn't in total sharp focus - but then I decided this added to the image - softness to the image adds an 'angelic look' to the child - and draws you into the important bit - the bright eyes.

Thinking
ISO 250, f3, 1/60

We were just talking about what it was like to cope with two younger brothers, what he was expecting for Christmas and his hobbies.  To begin with he was very shy and wouldn't look at me or towards me - so I was really pleased when I looked back and had captured this image of him looking directly at the camera - you still get a sense of shyness with the hand to the mouth - but the eyes convey a slight hint of a smile hiding behind that hand.

Relaxed
ISO 200, f3.5, 1/200

This is my sister - on the day of this shoot, although it was October, we were treated to a bit of sunshine so we did the shoot outside in the garden.  The sun had just broken through the clouds, she thought I was taking photo's of someone else - but I managed to capture this moment of her head turned towards the sun - looking to soak up those precious warm rays. 

Contemplation
ISO 200, f3, 1/13

I have chosen this image as it works with the concept of waiting for the person to make a gesture or strike a pose that helps you to capture something about them.  With this image I like the facial expression around the mouth and the fact that her face is resting on her clenched fist draws you to this.  There is a distinct difference between the soft texture of the hand and the slight graininess of the face that helps add interest.

Lived In
ISO 200, f3, 1/60

I love Steve's face - it has such texture, and he has great facial expressions.  This image and the last one remind me of the image taken by Steve Pyke of the war veteran.  As with Steve Pyke's image the texture in the skin, the lines and folds tell you something about this person.  The earring adds additional interest to the character.

Lived In II
ISO 200, f3.5, 1/80

Assignment 208: Theme 1: Portraits - Comparison

Portraits - Research Comparison with my images

As I am now starting to select some of my final images I think this would be a good time to demonstrate how my research has influenced my work through a comparison of a couple of the images.

This image of Sinaed O'Conner by Jane Bowen captured the shy nature of the singer through the down cast head and eyes, the cigarette behind the ear revealed a personal trait of the singer and tight crop ensured that the individual was the sole focus.

I have looked to capture a similar style with this image - the indirect eye contact and the cigarette behind the ear.  In my image I have bought more of the face into view - this was on purpose because rather than shyness of the person I wanted to capture the boredom of youth.

The image has had little alteration - a minor crop and converted to black and white.

This image of Mick Jagger (also by Jane Bowen) captures a sense of fun - the laughter accentuates his mouth and the deep lines around his face, traits which are distinctive to him - 

 These two images of mine seek to pick up the same traits - the unabridged laughter and the naturalness that this brings to an image. They have been slightly cropped to remove any distracting background and converted to black and white to help accentuate the lines around the eyes and mouth.

This image by Dorothea Lange portrays childhood as it - not posed and clean but untidy and with a slightly challenging air to it.

Whilst the image that I have chosen to compare to this one is tightly  cropped on the face - I think it captured a similar essence around the eyes - the slightly blank challenging stare.

The adjustments made from the original image was to crop out the background, convert to black and white and deepen the exposure.