Photography Video Pitch (Sue)

Video installation (Sue)

DVD Screen Shots (Sue)

Photographic evidence for video installation (Sue)

I showed my video Installation to some of my peers and received great feedback.
Some said that the like the music i used and colours also they thought the way i cut my video to the music was very good and fitted well. They enjoyed the weird and mysterious look of my video.
A negative was that i could of added a few more shots and made it longer.

Final images for photography (Sue)

Mind Map for photography (Sue)

Lighting techniques (Sue)

We experimented with some lighting techniques, using different object we placed them in from of the light so it would show on the subjects. Below are some photos taken using gel lights the colours of the gels are shown on the face of the subject.

Light graffiti (Sue)

To achieve a light graffiti effect you need to use a very slow shutter speed between 10-30 seconds and a bright light such as a torch. With the room lights off you will move the torch around as if you are drawing while taking the photo.

Rule of thirds (Sue)

Rule of thirds is a technique used by many. Its when i grid is shown on the camera like the one below.

If you place your subject where the lines cross then your photo will become more balanced and the audience are able to connect better with the photo. I took some photos using the rule of thirds with the camera setting on TV, aperture 5.6, ISO:100 and the shutter speed was 1/250.

Interesting framing techniques (Sue)

We was asked to take photos using framing creatively. In the photos below the main focus is on the statue, using someones hands to dup the lens of the camera to help work out when the exact focus is. To achieve this the camera setting was TV, aperture 5.6, shutter speed was1/60 and the iso was 3200

Large depth of field (Sue)

To achieve the above photos the camera was set to TV and the shutter speed was 1/300. Large depth of field is when the width of what is on the camera is wider then the photo. Using an open space and focusing on everything.

Shallow depth of field (Sue)

Shallow depth of field is when a photo is taken of a subject and the background looks like its very far away when in reality it isn't that far at all. You can achieve this by focusing directly on the subject with some room between the camera and subject you can get distance and the background will have a soft blur. Using a low aperture and a shutter speed of 1/60

Blurred movement (Sue)

Blurred movement is when something is moving but the rest of the photo is in focus. To achieve this i turned down the shutter zoom by a few seconds. I focused the camera and as the subject started waving his hand i took the photo.

Evaluation for photography (Sue)

For this assignment we had to create a group of photos appropriate for a magazine of our choice. I have a love for dark photography so from the start I had a clear idea of what type of photos I wanted to create. I am a huge fan of horror so dark photos appeal to me a lot. 

In the studio I was able to experiment with different lighting techniques, shadows, light graffiti and more doing this allowed me to broaden my knowledge on photography. Learning and seeing the effect of different lights and shadows had an impact on my final idea.

To start I created a mood board of images that were interesting and similar to what I hoped to create in my final photos. In particular I looked for portraits that was dark and had a great use of shadows in them. I chose photos with similar lighting techniques but different emotions, lighting and shots. Also photos with editing effects, as I knew this might be something I could do to give my photo/photos to give them a different impact.

After having a clear idea on what I wanted as a concept I was able to get in the studio and begin taking the photos. I picked two different models as I knew the different skin tones, face expressions and just overall different look will give my photos a creative and interesting look.

The independent Magazine Stylenoir with a slogan of  ‘the home of dark style’ is the magazine I chose and believe my photos will fit perfectly in.  Stylenoir was founded by Chief James Joseph originally as a online portal but over the years has evolved and is now in print and has sold in numerous places around the world with sales and distribution reaching as far as Australia and the far east. Stylenoir Magazine has led the revolution in dark style and brings fashion and gothic styles together.

I believe that I was able to meet the concept and I could definitely see my images in the Stylenoir Magazine.

During this assignment I could have managed my time more effectively and instead of spending a lot of  my time deciding what I would like to do and creating my mood board, I could have spent more time understanding lighting and different techniques as i could have used the knowledge i gained when taking my photos. This may have made my photos look more professional. I could of given myself more time to edit my images.

My communication during this task was moral as I was able to interact with my models and let them know exactly what I wanted them to do face expressions, pose and positions. This allowed me to create a different effect in every image.

As I had three different models a constraint was I could have got them to have the same positions, pose and expression but change the lighting and shadows. This would have shown my audience that lighting could have a huge impact on a photo and give you a completely different feeling.

Another constraint is I used a similar camera shots for every photo which showed a lack of creativity and didn’t make my photographs much different from each other.  

On iphoto i recoloured the above images to give them a different look from the original images. I felt this made my photos more effective and empowering. 

After showing some of my peers i received both positive and negative feedback which i took constructively as i agree with them. A peer said that the colours i have used give my pictures a interesting look and by looking at them you are able to tell a story from the models expressions you can imagine what they are thinking/feeling at the time.   

Another piece of feedback i have received is that my pictures should of been different from each other in terms of framing and angles. 

If i had the chance to do this assignment again i definitely would and i would've of done many things differently such as organised my time more wisely and thought more into my photos and the concept of them. I also would of given myself more time to edit the images. Although i believe my final images came out well and the editor of Stylenoir Magazine may think the fit well in the magazine i still believe i should of used more of a variety of camera shots to tell more of a story.  

I really enjoyed doing this assignment and think i gained a lot of knowledge from it. 

Is the DVD Dead? (Sue)

Is the DVD Dead?

A digital video disc also known as a DVD is a media platform used to store large amounts of data usually films or a television series. A DVD allows the audience to sit comfortably and have full control over what they are consuming for example they can pause, fast forward, rewind etc.

Like other platforms DVD’s have usual conventions. These include a main menu, a play button which usually comes up as soon as the DVD is put in although some may have advertisements at the start advertising other films or tv shows of a similar target audience.  Other features include short clips from behind the scenes, outtakes, subtitles and the option to change the language.

Since 1995 DVD’S have become popular all across the world and a large percentage of households are likely to own a DVD player and DVD’S. Now in the time of Internet, on demand features, Netflix, love film and many other streaming sites the question is ‘Is the DVD dead?’ I believe the answer is yes!

Not only can you get nearly all the conventions when watching a film or show online but you are able to watch it anywhere on any device such as a laptop, tablet or phone where as a DVD is physical and you need a player to watch it. Although some people may disagree as many people may enjoy owning their own physical copy of a film they love and could watch over and over again.

DVD’S are slowly dying as many people including myself are realising that it is much easier to watch films online issues such as prices are a problem on a site such as Netflix which is £5.99 a month you are able to watch as many films as you want as many times as you want whereas a DVD could cost up to £20 and even more if it's a television box set, so why pay that much when you can watch more for so much less? Another issue is storage space owning physical DVD’s means you needs space for them a shelf for example on Netflix all your films/shows are stored electronically so you can go back to it anytime.

Aside from all the above there are some disadvantages of not having a DVD one of the main ones is that the internet signal is not always reliable and no one wants to watch a film if it keeps buffering all the time. Watching a good with the members of your family is something many of us enjoy but this can be very difficult if you do not have a way of watching Netflix or another streaming site on your telly as everyone will need to be crowded around a device which can be small and difficult for everyone to watch comfortably.

Although the excitement of buying and owning a DVD of a film or television series that you love is great I still believe that the DVD is slowly dying and becoming less of a household essential.

Video Nasties (Sue)

Video Installations/Nasties

Video installations are a combination of art and video.  Without a concept needed the idea is for you to create anything you wish without any rules. All you have to do is catch your target audience’s eyes by using different colours, cameras, lighting, different shots and environment.

Sam Taylor Wood is a photographer, filmmaker and visual artist. She began displaying are photography work in the 1990s.  This then lead on to her getting deeply involved in video work her work has been shown all around the world whether it be TV, Music or film.

I recently had the privilege to watch one of sam’s creations called “Still Life” this installation shows the process of decomposition. The subjects for this video are fruit, basket and a pen. I found this installation interesting because although she has used something we see and eat everyday us as the audience are able to see it in a different light. In one static shot we are able to watch fruit decay over a period of time.

In another video called “A little death” similar to “still life” but instead we are now watching a hare decompose.  Again the camera is in placed in one shot throughout. I found this video very disturbing but at the same time extremely interesting.

Mood Board video installation (Sue)

Drawings/story board for video installation (Sue)

Set in a dark atmosphere only light will be the light stand. Subject is sitting directly in front of the camera. This shot will be repeated with the other subjects.

Still in the dark with the only source of light coming from the light stand. Two subjects one in front of the other, the one behind will have their hands repeatedly moving over the others face as if they are taking over his or her face.

Mind Map for Video installation (Sue)

Presentation- Two areas of photography (Sue)

Mood Board of Dark images (Sue)