LO3 Final Unedited Shots with Evaluation

Below are ten of the best shots that I took (words in bold are potential names).
Underneath each shot, there is an evaluation of it. There is also an overall evaluation of the shots at the end.

Landslip - 22/11/15

• This photograph is of the broken road at the bottom of Mam Tor, caused by landslip. 
• I think that the detail and texture in this photograph works well.
• This photograph would be better if the colours were deeper and brighter, because the way it is, the lighting is slightly dull. Therefore, if I were to take the shot again, I would try to let more light in and bring out the colours more.
• The location in this photograph creates meaning in the way that it is a fascinating natural phenomenon - it shows that there are lots of amazing sights in the Peak District. To capture this, I just tried to get as many of the road breaks and layers in the shot as possible, while getting the isolated section as a focal point.
• This photograph is mainly composed of the broken road, with a bit of grass around the edges to add colour. I used natural lighting, a fast shutter-speed so that everything was sharp and a deep depth-of-field so that nothing was blurred.

Country Road - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows the road of Winnats Pass in the form of a leading line.
• I think the tall, green slopes either side of the photo and the curve in the road at the end are good aspects of this photograph.
• This photograph would be better if the sky wasn't so white and washed-out, as this makes the photo lose a dimension. If I took the photo again, I would make sure I captured the sky better by decreasing the amount of light let in.
• The meaning I tried to create in this photo is that there is so much green and so many great natural things to see (such as Winnats Pass) wherever you might go or drive in the Peak District. I used the leading line of the road to show that it is ready and waiting for anyone to enjoy. I also used rule of thirds for the two towering slopes on either side of the road, showing that you are surrounded by great sights wherever you go.
• For this photograph I used natural light, a fast shutter speed to keep everything sharp and a deep depth-of-field so that everything in the foreground and background was in focus. It is composed of only the road, Winnats Pass and the sky, in three layers, to keep it simple.

Berries - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows some berries on a tree in Buxton - the macro effect is used.
• I think that the detail of the branches and the berries given by the macro effect works really well in this photograph.
• If I were to take this photograph again, I would make sure that the berries were 100% in focus, because they are ever-so-slightly blurred in this photo. But this is only a minor imperfection.
• The meaning I tried to create in this photo is that even the smallest things seen all over the place in the Peak District (such as berries) have a beauty to them when examined. The macro effect highlights this.
• I used natural light for this photograph, as well as the macro function to capture detail. I also decided to use a shallow depth-of-field so that the viewer focuses on the foreground and the berries. In terms of composition, the shot is solely composed of branches and berries as the macro effect can only be used for close-ups.

Branching Out - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows three sheep, framed by a triangle of tree branches.
• What I think works well in this photo is how the viewer's attention is brought to the central focal point of the three sheep, through the use of the perfect triangle of tree branches and the deep depth-of-field.
• If I were to take this photograph again, I would want to brighten it up a bit by letting more light in. The way it is, I think it looks a bit too dark.
• In this photograph I tried to create the meaning of everything in nature and the Peak District being in harmony. The triangle frame of the tree branches gives the meaning that everything is connected in some way and works perfectly together.
• I used natural lighting here, as well as a low aperture in order to blur the branches in the foreground. This makes sure that the attention of the viewer is brought to the right thing (the sheep). For composition, I used three sheep and a triangle of branches (three sides) in the foreground and then a section of reservoir in the background to show the diversity of colours and settings in the Peak District.

Shepherd - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows a sheep on its own eating grass, in front of a reservoir and towering woodland.
• What I like about this photograph is how the sheep is so surrounded by the tranquil layers of water and trees there are going up the photo. It seems as if the sheep is the owner of the land.
• If I could improve this photo I would try to distinguish the colours more, because in reality the trees are a brighter red and the water is a deeper blue. But I still think meaning is conveyed really well.
• I placed the sheep at the bottom of the photo with everything else rising up behind it to give the meaning that the sheep is the king of the area, with no human activity to disturb it. I tried to show that the Peak District is a very natural and peaceful place.
• The lighting in this photograph is natural, and I used a fast shutter-speed with a deep depth-of-field to give crisp detail from foreground to background.

Gaze - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows a sheep looking over its shoulder at Goyt Reservoir and the little building on its shore.
• What I like about this photograph is how the sheep (one focal point) directs the viewer’s gaze onto the other focal point, the reservoir building. I also like how the rule of thirds clearly highlights these focal points, while the reservoir separates them.
• I struggle to think of how this photo could be made better. Maybe the colours could be richer, but on the whole I think I captured it how I wanted it.
• The meaning in this photograph is generally just that the Peak District is a really beautiful and peaceful place, full of different colours and wildlife. Even the sheep in the photograph seems to be appreciating this!
• This photograph is composed of a clear foreground (the sheep and grass), middle ground (the reservoir and building) and background (the trees). This adds interest. In addition, I used natural light, a fast shutter speed and a deep depth-of-field.

Roadside - 22/11/15

• In this photograph, a close-up of autumn leaves and grass on the ground is seen.
• What I think works well in this photograph is the bright and vibrant colours seen all over it. It looks a lot more abstract and colourful than my other chosen photos.
• I wouldn’t really want to try to take this photograph any differently. It contains lots of bright colours and nothing really needs improving.
• The meaning I tried to convey with this photograph is simply that the Peak District contains lots of different, vibrant colours within its fauna. It is hopefully quite beautiful and fascinating to the viewer.
• This photo is quite messy in terms of its composition - there is grass scattered everywhere, on top of many leaves. This hopefully shows that the Peak District is still amazing to look at even in a messy, natural situation by the side of the road. Also, I used the macro feature here to capture the grass and leaves in great detail, while letting in quite a lot of light to bring out the colour.

Below you can see the image in Adobe Bridge. I star-rated it five stars because it is one of my final ten images and I thought it was a great shot.





This is a section of Bridge which shows the camera settings which were used to take this photo.

Canopy - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows the tops of trees against the blue sky, in the Goyt Valley woodland.
• The contrast between the deep black of the trees and the light blue of the sky works well in this photograph.
• A minor improvement that could be made to this photograph would be to have more of the sky in the shot and keep the black of the trees closer to the edges.
• For me, the meaning of this photograph is to show the intricacy and complexity of the nature in the Peak District. Each branch creates its own unique and interesting pattern against the skyline.
• The techniques that I used here were a fast shutter speed and a deep depth-of-field (although the shot doesn’t go too deep) to keep everything in focus. It is taken in natural light.

Crossover - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows green and orange fungi meeting in the middle of a tree trunk.
• I think that the two very bright colours of the fungi work well in this photo, as they cover the whole tree trunk and meet perfectly down the middle.
• I don’t think this photo could be improved much by being taken again - I would like to make the colours even brighter, but this is something that could be done better in Adobe Photoshop rather than on the camera.
• The meaning of the photograph is to show that even “bad” things such as fungi and mould can look fantastic in nature. Everything naturally occurring in the Peak District and the countryside seems to be beautiful, whatever it may be.
• I tried to let a lot of light in here in order to bring out the colours as much as I could. I also used macro to show the detail in the fungi.

Reflect - 22/11/15

• This photograph shows a sunset reflected in Combs reservoir.
• I really like the evening / sunset oranges and blues seen in the sky in this photograph - I think they work really well, and cover a lot of the photo thanks to the reflection.
• If I were to take this photo again, I would try to brighten up the surroundings more, such as the shore and the hill, to add some green into the shot.
• The meaning I tried to convey in this photograph is that the Peak District can be a very calming and reflective place (hence the title). It can feel very peaceful and its beauty can help you to relax.
• This photo is composed of half water, half sky. I didn’t let in too much light so that the sky could be captured in detail - however, this meant that the land and surroundings were a little dark. I also used a deep depth-of-field to keep everything in focus.

Below you can see the image in Adobe Bridge. I rated it five stars because it was one of the best shots I took - hence why it makes my final ten unedited shots.

This screenshot shows the camera settings that were used when I took this shot.



General Evaluation

All of my photos fit the brief of “Identity of the Peak District” because they all show unique sights which can only be found in the countryside. The shots which I feel fit the brief particularly well are “Landslip” and “Country Road” because the beauty of these shots relies on locations which are only in the Peak District - Mam Tor and Winnats Pass.

I worked mainly in the style of Charlie Waite when taking my photographs, as he is a landscape photographer who takes his photos in the countryside. In particular, I took inspiration from his photos for “Country Road”, “Branching Out”, and “Gaze” - I tried to imitate his use of leading lines, rule of thirds, framing, centre of interest and above-eye viewpoint in these shots. I think I did quite a good job of using these techniques - I did what I could in the Peak District to try to make them compare to Charlie Waite’s photos, which are taken all over the world.