Unit 31: Photography for Media Products

Early ideas for my shoot on the identity of the Peak District
Techniques that I want to try to use in my landscape photographs:

-Centre of interest - I want to try to capture a lone tree as a central focal point as is commonly seen in landscape photography, like in Charlie Waite's "Valensole II" or "Willoughby Hedge".

-Above-eye viewpoint - maybe looking down off the top of a hill at a forest or a reservoir - see Charlie Waite's "West Wales". Could get something like this at Long Hill.

-Colour to create a utopian feel (if sunny) - similar to in Duncan Philpott's cyclist photograph (Brendan Fairclough, Hafjell, Norway).

-Leading lines - maybe find a small river or pathway that leads into something larger. Charlie Waite used lavender as leading lines in "Valensole II".

-Framing - I could use a farm fence, an opening in some rock, or tree branches to frame something and add a country feel to the photograph.

-Rule of thirds - position something off-centre to give the photo a different feel. Could perhaps try wildlife for this one.

I want to always be thinking about composition and where to place things in a photograph to get the best-looking photo possible.

Hopefully some different types of light / weather conditions too. Full sun / sunset. Sunny / cloudy / rainy to give the photos more than one atmosphere.

I will experiment with shutter speed and aperture when I am shooting to see which settings look best for which shots.

I am taking inspiration largely from Charlie Waite's landscape photos as they look like what I want to capture. The way Duncan Philpott uses the light available should also help me.

Unit 31 Self Evaluation

Skills and photographic techniques you have learned about?

I have learned about a variety of skills and techniques that I didn’t know about before. For example, I learned that “leading lines” is when you take a picture of something that resembles a line, leading to the focal point of the picture. I also learned that “framing” is when you use something natural to act as a makeshift frame for a picture. Both of these techniques can be used to accentuate the focal point and add more meaning to the picture. These are examples of two techniques I have learned out of many.

How have the photographers you have researched inspired your work?

The photographers I have researched are Duncan Philpott, Martin Parr and Charlie Waite. They have inspired my work on “Identity of the Peak District” in different ways. Duncan Philpott has taken shots of the countryside around Sheffield, using the light in a way that makes the photo look as good as it can, whether it be bright or dull. This helps me to make my photos as good as they can be. Martin Parr takes photos in the style of photojournalism, which doesn’t directly relate to my landscape photos but helps me to think about placement of objects in the photo. Finally, I would say that Charlie Waite has influenced me the most as his photos are really similar, genre-wise, to what I want to take. He uses the different photographic techniques in the countryside to convey the beauty and serenity of nature.

Elements of your work that have been successful/unsuccessful?

For me, the presentations that I have produced so far have been successful as I feel they are detailed and clearly set out. Also, I feel like my shots practicing technique around Sheffield came out well, before I took my tester shots of the Peak District using a DSLR. I took a lot of photos on one Sunday and I thought they looked really good. Earlier on, I feel like I could have organised my time better when it came to completing work, but I feel like I have it under control now.

What do you know now about camera functions, capabilities, limitations that you did not know before?

During the weekend that I hired out a DSLR, I learned a lot about its functions that I didn’t know before, as I had never used one before. The two key functions that I used for my tester shots were shutter speed and aperture, as I had learned about these in class. I used shutter speed to increase or decrease light for effect in certain shots, and I used aperture to make the background or foreground out-of-focus in certain shots too. This was to accentuate a focal point or change the atmosphere in a photograph. In some situations, I also used the macro/close-up effect to take pictures of smaller things in great detail. In addition, I learned that a DSLR produces much better photos than phones, tablets or more portable cameras, as the photos they produce have a very high quality and a professional look to them.

What do you know now about photographic techniques that you didn’t know before?

Throughout LO1, I have learned a lot about photographic techniques. I actually didn’t know much about them at all before I started the unit, except for very basic things such as lighting and quality. The techniques that I have learned about such as composition, texture, repetition, lighting and colour, to name just a few, have allowed me to take much better photos and have a better knowledge of photography.

Would you change anything if you did the project again? Why?

I am really pleased with my project so far, as I feel I have completed work to a high standard, gained a fair bit of knowledge and the tester shots that I took came out really well. The only thing I might have done differently was managing my time better earlier on in the project, as I mentioned before, as there was one particularly busy weekend when I had to catch up on presentations.

What targets do you have for LO1?

For LO1, my targets were to gain a better understanding of photographic skills and techniques and of how to use these when taking my photos. I feel that I have achieved these targets through my presentations and various practice shots in Sheffield.

What do you hope to achieve in LO2?

In LO2, I hope to produce some really high quality and inspiring photos of the countryside in the High Peak, that fit the Millennium Gallery’s ethos of being “green” and environmentally friendly. I feel like I have already made progress with this thanks to my extensive test shooting on the 22nd November 2015. I have made notes on the types of shot I want to get and the techniques I want to use too.